Data Center Unified Computing Implementation(DCUCI)

This course is given on these dates and locations:

Data Center Unified Computing Implementation (DCUCI) is designed to serve the needs of engineers and technicians implementing Cisco UCS B-Series blade servers and Cisco UCS C-Series rack servers.

DCUCI guides you through rack installation, and provisioning of server hardware, operating systems /hypervisors and applications. There is significant content devoted to management, maintenance and troubleshooting. DCUCI articulates Cisco data center virtualization solutions and explains how to execute a virtualization solution based on a detailed implementation plan.

The following prerequisite skills and knowledge are recommended before attending this course:

• Understanding of server system design and architecture
• Familiarity with Ethernet and TCP/IP networking
• Familiarity with storage area networks
• Familiarity with Fibre Channel protocol
• Understanding of Cisco enterprise data center architecture
• Familiarity with hypervisor technologies (vSphere, Hyper-V, Xen)

Attendance of the following Cisco learning offerings is recommended to fully benefit from this course:

• Data Center Network Implementation 2 (DCNI-2)
• Implementing Cisco Storage Networking Solutions (ICSNS)

The primary audience for this course is as follows:

• Data center technicians
• data center administrators
• system engineers

The secondary audience for this course is as follows:

• Data center designers and managers

The tertiary audience for this course is as follows:

• Program and project managers

Upon completing this course, the learner will be able to meet these overall objectives:

• Demonstrate the proper rack installation procedures for Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) B-Series blade servers and C-Series rack servers
• Identify the main chassis and field-replaceable units (FRUs) of Cisco UCS B-Series blade servers and C-Series rack servers
• Configure common management task including user access control, log management, backup and restore, and system firmware updates in the appropriate user interfaces for Cisco UCS B-Series blade servers and C-Series rack servers
• Configure role-based access control (RBAC)
• Configure policies, identity and resource pools, and correctly use them as building blocks to create service policies and service policy templates
• Configure servers for SAN boot and install and boot VMware ESXi from SAN
• Configure a virtual data center in VMware vCenter server
• Install and configure Cisco Nexus 1000V distributed virtual switch (DVS)
• Install and configure VMware Pass-Through Switching (PTS)

Module 1: Brief Survey of Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Implementation E-Learning

Validate the students have the knowledge provided in the self-paced e-Learning content.

• Lesson 1: Explaining Challenges of Data Center Server Management
• Lesson 2: Introducing Cisco Unified Computing System
• Lesson 3: Selecting Cisco UCS C-Series Hardware Components
• Lesson 4: Installing Cisco UCS C-Series Hardware
• Lesson 5: Describing Cisco UCS B-Series Hardware Components
• Lesson 6: Assembling B-Series Architecture and Features
• Lesson 7: Lesson 1: Characterizing Cisco UCS Use Cases
• Lesson 8: Provisioning Operating Systems
• Lesson 9: Provisioning Applications
• Lesson 10: Describing Server Virtualization
• Lesson 11: Introducing the Cisco Nexus 1000V
• Lesson 12: Introducing VMware Ethernet Networking
• Lesson 13: Characterizing Cisco Nexus 1000V Architecture

Module 2: Installation of the Cisco Unified Computing System C-Series

Install and configure Cisco Unified Computing System C-Series hardware, software components, and management.

Lesson 1: Upgrading Firmware Components in the Cisco Unified Computing System C-Series

• Locate C-Series firmware on Cisco.com
• Download C-Series firmware from Cisco.com
• Update Cisco IMC firmware
• Update the BIOS firmware

Lesson 2: References to Additional Installation Topics in E-Learning

• Describe the content of Installation of Cisco Unified Computing C-Series E-Learning Module.
• Understand the process of accessing and using e-learning content

Module 3: Configure Cisco Integrated Management Controller

Use the Cisco Server Integrated Management Controller to provision server hardware to load an operating system or hypervisor.

Lesson 1: Configuring Cisco Server Integrated Management Controller

• Configure Cisco IMC with an IP address to enable in-band management access
• Access the server BIOS
• Export tech support data to TFTP server
• Reboot the Cisco IMC
• Recover from a corrupt BIOS image
• Monitor sensor and log data in Cisco IMC

Lesson 2: Provision Server Hardware with Cisco Integrated Management Controller

• Configure local user accounts to restrict access to Cisco IMC
• Configure external IPMI access.
• Configure external access to SoL
• Access to KVM over IP
• Access virtual media to perform operating system or hypervisor load
• Describe the requirements to use PXE to perform operating system or hypervisor provisioning
• Locate operating system-specific C-Series drivers from Cisco.com
• Download operating system-specific C-Series drivers from Cisco.com

Module 4: Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series Hardware and Management

Assemble the hardware, software components, and management architecture of the Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series.

Lesson 1: Describing Cisco UCS B-Series Hardware Components

• List the Cisco UCS 6100 Series fabric interconnect licensing requirements
• Differentiate between the three fault tolerant configurations of the Cisco UCS B-Series power supplies

Lesson 2: Assembling B-Series Architecture and Features

• Describe high availability cluster requirements and processes of the 6100 Fabric Interconnect
• Describe fault detection and correction using Cisco UCSM and the CLI

Lesson 3: Installing Cisco UCS B-Series Hardware

• Define the physical and environmental requirements for Cisco UCS B-Series servers including dimensions, weight, and floor loading considerations
• List the steps for opening the case of B-200, B-210, and B-250 blade servers
• List the steps for installation and removal of CPU, RAM, and mezzanine cards in B-Series blades
• List the steps for physical of installation and removal of local hard drives
• List the steps for physical installation of I/O modules and power supplies in the Cisco UCS 5108 chassis
• List the steps for physical installation and removal of fan units
• List the steps for physical installation of B200 and B250 blade servers
• List the steps for physical installation and removal of SFP+ copper twinax and optical modules
• List the steps for physical installation of rack-mount slides in the enclosure and on the 5108 chassis

Module 5: Cisco Unified Computing System Connectivity Configuration and Management

Configure the connectivity options of the Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series in Cisco UCS Manager.

Lesson 1: Configuring Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series Physical Connectivity

• Describe I/O module architecture including CMC, Redwood I/O MUX and CMS
• Describe the BMC management component of the B-Series blades
• Describe the relationship between I/O uplinks and bandwidth oversubscription
• Describe the difference between port personalities in the Fabric Interconnect
• Describe the discovery process and how to monitor using Finite State Machine output

Lesson 2: Exploring the Unified Computing System B-Series User Interfaces

• Navigate the layout of the Cisco UCS Manager GUI
• Describe what features are available in the six tabs of the navigation window
• Access the Cisco UCS Manager Command Line Interface
• Access the local management, SMASH CLP, adapter, BMC, IOM and NX-OS command line interfaces
• List the main features available in the local management, SMASH CLP, adapter, BMC, IOM and NX-OS command line interfaces

Lesson 3: Configuring Compute Node LAN Connectivity

• Differentiate between the three port personality states of 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces on the Cisco UCS fabric interconnect
• Describe the requirements and configuration of port channels from the Cisco UCS fabric interconnect to a northbound switch
• Describe end-host mode and its importance in forwarding over multiple Layer 2 links and maintaining a loop-free topology
• Differentiate end-Host Mode with switched mode
• Describe the requirements to configure VLANs in Cisco UCS Manager
• Describe the role of Virtual NICs (vNIC) to abstract MAC addresses into a service profile
• Describe the automatic pinning process and recovery from failure
• Describe the configuration of manual pinning and recovery from failure

Lesson 4: Distinguishing Compute Node SAN Connectivity

• Describe Fibre Channel switching
• Describe N_Port Virtualization
• Differentiate between benefits and drawbacks Fibre Channel Switching and N_Port Virtualization (NPV)
• Describe how N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) allows a single N_Port to be associated with multiple FC_IDs
• Describe the requirements and configuration of VSANs in Cisco UCS Manager
• Describe the role of the Virtual HBAs (vHBA) to abstract WWNNs and WWPNs into a service profile
• Describe the automatic pinning process and recovery from failure
• Describe the configuration of manual pinning and recovery from failure

Module 6: Server Resources Implementation

Configure physical server resources through logical server profiles.

Lesson 1: Creating Identity and Resource Pools

• Articulate the rationale for creating identity and resource pools
• Configure UUID pools
• Configure MAC pools
• Configure WWNN pools
• Configure WWPN pools
• Configure Server pools
• Configure the processes to automate server pool membership based on a qualification policy
• Demonstrate the importance of creating pools in the correct Organization

Lesson 2: Creating Service Profiles

• Describe the need for, and benefits of creating service profiles
• Configure a BIOS policy to enable virtualization features
• Configure an adapter policy to enable RSS and set the failback timer for fabric failover
• Create a QoS system class and allow all Ethernet traffic to use jumbo frames up to an MTU of 9216
• Configure IPMI and SoL policies
• Configure a scrub policy for local disks and BIOS
• Differentiate between the feature available in the simple service profile wizard and the expert wizard
• Start the service profile expert wizard
• Configure the service profile to take its UUID from a pool
• Configure a vHBA for both fabrics and have the service profile take its assignment of WWNN and WWPNs from a pool
• Configure a vNIC for both fabrics and have the service profile take its assignment of MAC addresses from a pool
• Configure the binding of a vHBA to a Fibre Channel boot target
• Server assignment
• Differentiate between required versus optional components of the service profile definition

Lesson 3: Creating Service Profile Templates and Cloning Service Profiles

• Create a service profile template and describe the need for pooled resources and identities
• Describe the reasons to create differentiated service profile templates to allow variations of policy
• Automate the creation of a server farm using service profile templates
• Describe the hidden pitfalls when using updating templates
• Unbind a service profile from its template
• Clone a service profile and demonstrate understanding of cloning requirements

Lesson 4: Managing Service Profiles

• Use Cisco UCS Manager to associate and disassociate a service profile to a server blade
• Describe what changes to a service profile trigger a Cisco UCS utility update (and outage to a server)
• Describe the importance of planning the Org where a service profile is created
• Use Cisco UCS Manager to move a service profile to a new server blade in the event of hardware failure

Module 7: Networking in a Virtual Server Environment

Use the Cisco Nexus 1000V fits in a VMware server virtualization environment.

Lesson 1: Introducing the Cisco Nexus 1000V

• Describe Cisco virtual switching solution for DVS
• Describe the features of Cisco Nexus 1000V switching components

Lesson 2: Introducing VMware Ethernet Networking

• Describe how Cisco Nexus 1000V fits into VMware Distributed Switching (vDS)
• Describe Cisco virtual switching solution for vDS
• Describe the unique features of Cisco Nexus 1000V switching components including SPAN, NetFlow, and ERSPAN
• Differentiate between the capabilities of the M81KR/P81E versus the Nexus 1000V

Lesson 3: Characterizing Cisco Nexus 1000V Architecture

• Describe the Cisco Nexus 1000V
• Describe the Cisco Nexus 1000V network architecture

Lesson 4: Installing and Configuring the Cisco Nexus 1000V

• Configure the VSM vSwitch network
• Install VSM on to a VM
• Run setup after the VSM is installed
• Configure certificate exchange and connection from VSM to vCenter
• Describe the need for redundant VSM configuration
• Describe the Nexus 1010 VSM Appliance
• Differentiate between the capabilities of the Nexus 1010 VSM Appliance and the software VSM

Lesson 5: Configuring Basic Cisco Nexus 1000V Networking

• Configure port profiles in the VSM
• Configure VLANs in the VSM and assign to port profiles
• Configure Private VLANs
• Configure uplink profiles
• Configure vEthernet profiles
• Configure Nexus 1000V port channels
• Configure adding Virtual Ethernet Modules (VEM) to the VSM
• Configure backup of VSM configuration to a TFTP server
• Configure vMotion of hosts and Nexus 1000V port profile mobility

Lesson 6: Configuring the M81KR Virtualization Adapter for VMware Pass-Thru Switching

• Install Cisco UCS Manager Extension in vCenter
• Configure Cisco UCS Manager to connect to vCenter
• Configure VLANs in the VM tab of Cisco UCS Manager and assign to port profiles
• Configure uplink profiles
• Configure vEthernet profiles
• Configure service profile with Dynamic NICs
• Configure vMotion of hosts and M81-KR port profile mobility

Module 8: Cisco Unified Computing System Management and Maintenance

Configure system management, maintenance, and high availability processes in a Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series.

Lesson 1: Implementing Cisco Unified Computing System Startup and Shutdown Procedures

• Implement startup and shutdown procedures for the Cisco UCS 6100 Series fabric interconnect
• Describe the effects of shutting down or rebooting a Cisco UCS 6100 Series fabric interconnect on the high availability cluster

Lesson 2: Characterizing Role-Based Access Control

• Articulate the overall framework of RBAC in Cisco UCS B-Series
• Configure local users, roles, and privileges
• Configure organizations and locales
• Demonstrate understanding the effective rights of a user as an intersection of roles and locales mapped to a user
• Configure LDAP/Active Directory as External Authentication and Authorization Service
• Demonstrate How to Map Cisco UCS Roles LDAP/Active Directory Attributes

Lesson 3: Backing-up and Restoring the Cisco UCS Manager Database

• Differentiate between the supported backup types and what functions they map to in the Cisco UCS Manager database
• Differentiate between an import operation and a disaster recover restore operation
• Configure a backup job
• Configure the backup job to preserve abstracted identities
• Verify the backup is created and executed
• Configure an import job to restore the AAA user database
• Verify the AAA user database is restored
• Configure the 6100 Series fabric interconnect for disaster recovery restore

Lesson 4: Managing High Availability

• Describe high availability cluster connection requirements for Cisco UCS B-Series
• Describe inter-cluster communications and Cisco UCS Manager database synchronization
• Describe how the Cisco UCS 5108 Chassis SEEPROM resolves the split-brain issue in the high availability cluster
• Differentiate between cluster “partition in time” and “partition in space” conditions
• Modify cluster IP addressing

Lesson 5: Monitoring System Events

• Describe the fault management system and evaluate fault severity levels
• Use the audit log to track administrative changes to the Cisco UCS Manager database
• Differentiate areas of operation subject to Finite State Machine validation and how to interpret the FSM output
• Differentiate the configuration and validation of logging options including local buffer, console and external Syslog servers
• Configure the Smart Call Home feature
• Validate the Smart Call Home feature
• Configure Settings for logs, events, and faults

Lesson 6: Managing and Upgrading Cisco UCS B-Series Firmware

• Describe where to find Cisco UCS C-Series firmware packages on Cisco.com
• Update the Cisco UCS B-Series firmware
• Direct upgrade of mezzanine adapter, Cisco IMC, and IOM firmware
• Describe software update on the fabric interconnect
• Firmware updates via service profile (BIOS MUST update this way)
• List the differences between the firmware processes of Cisco UCS 61x0 fabric interconnect and IOM/Cisco IMC/Adapter

DCUCI 4.0 Hands-On Lab Excercises:

• Lab 3-1: Initial C-Series Configuration
• Lab 5-1: Configure LAN and SAN Physical Connections
• Lab 6-1: Configure Identity and Resource Pools
• Lab 6-2: Create Mobile Service Profiles from Updating Templates
• Lab 7-1: Create Data Center Cluster in VMware vCenter
• Lab 7-2: Install a Nexus 1000V VSM
• Lab 7-3: Create Port Profiles
• Lab 8-1: Configure Role-Based Access Control
• Lab 8-2: Back up and Import Cisco UCS Manager Configuration Data
• Lab 8-3: Reporting in the Cisco Unified Computing System