Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations (DCFNDU)

Course Description

The Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations (DCFNDU) v1.0 course helps you prepare for entry-level data center roles. In this course, you will learn the foundational knowledge and skills you need to configure Cisco® data center technologies including: networking, virtualization, storage area networking, and unified computing. You will get an introduction to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI™), automation, and cloud computing. 

Course Information

Length: 5 day

Format: Lecture and Lab

Delivery Method: Virtual / Onsite

Max. Capacity: 16

Learning Objectives

• Describe the foundations of data center networking
• Describe Cisco Nexus products and explain the basic Cisco NX-OS functionalities and tools
• Describe Layer 3 first-hop redundancy
• Describe Cisco Fabric Extender (FEX) connectivity
• Describe Ethernet port channels and virtual port channel (VPCs)
• Introduce switch virtualization, machine virtualization, and network virtualization
• Compare storage connectivity options in the data center
• Describe Fibre Channel communication between the initiator server and the target storage
• Describe Fibre Channel zone types and their uses
• Describe N-Port Virtualization (NPV) and N-Port Identifier Virtualization (NPIV)
• Describe data center Ethernet enhancements that provide a lossless fabric
• Describe Fibre Channel over Ethernet FCoE
• Describe data center server connectivity
• Describe Cisco UCS Manager
• Describe the purpose and advantages of APIs
• Describe Cisco ACI
• Describe the basic concepts of cloud 
• Describe the basic concepts of cloud computing

• Prepare for entry-level job roles in the high-demand area of data center environments
• Prepare for courses that support the Cisco Certified Network Professional Data Center certification exams
• Gain knowledge and hands-on skills through Cisco’s unique combination of lessons and hands-on practice using enterprise-grade Cisco learning technologies, data center equipment, and software

• Good understanding of networking protocols
• Good understanding of the VMware environment
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Windows operating systems

• Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions (CCNA®)
• Introducing Cisco Data Center Networking (DCICN)
• Introducing Cisco Data Center Technologies (DCICT)

Labs

1. Explore the Cisco NX-OS CLI
2. Explore Topology Discovery
3. Configure Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP)
4. Configure the Cisco Nexus 2000 FEX
5. Configure VPCs
6. Configure VPCs with Cisco FEX
7. Configure Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF)
8. Explore the Virtual Device Contexts (VDC) Elements
9. Install VMware Elastic Sky X Integrated (ESXi) and vCenter
10. Configure VSANs
11. Validate FLOGI and FCNS
12. Configure Zoning
13. Configure Unified Ports on a Cisco Nexus Switch and Implement FCoE
14. Explore the Cisco UCS Server Environment
15. Configure a Cisco UCS Server Profile
16.  Configure Cisco NX-OS with APIs
17. Explore the Cisco UCS Manager XML API Management Information Tree

Who Should Attend

Data center administrators, Data center engineers, Systems engineers, Server administrators, Network managers, Cisco integrators and partners