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Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure – Advanced (DCACIA)  


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Length: 5 day (40 hours)

 

This "Advanced" level training is designed for professionals who have already mastered the basics of ACI and need to dive into complex enterprise scenarios. It focuses on the advanced integration of Cisco Nexus 9000 switches, moving beyond simple fabric setup to specialized features like Multi-Site Orchestration, Policy-Based Redirect (PBR), and complex Transit Routing.

The course provides deep technical insights into how the ACI fabric handles traffic internally and how to scale that fabric across multiple global data centers.

This is an Advanced/Expert level curriculum. Candidates should possess:

  • Fundamental ACI Knowledge: You must have already completed DCACI (Implementing Cisco ACI) or have equivalent hands-on experience in fabric discovery and basic policy modeling.
  • Networking Mastery: A solid understanding of BGP, OSPF, and VXLAN is mandatory, as these are the "under-the-hood" protocols of advanced ACI.
  • Virtualization Knowledge: Familiarity with VMware vCenter and VMM domains.
  • Recommended Prior Training: * CCNA (General Networking).
    • DCFNDU (Data Center Foundations).
    • DCACI 300-620 (The fundamental ACI implementation course).

Senior Network Engineers & Architects: Responsible for large-scale data center design.

Cloud Architects: Integrating on-prem ACI with hybrid cloud solutions.

System Integrators: Who deploy multi-pod and multi-site environments for global enterprises.

Automation Engineers: Looking to understand advanced ACI object modeling for scripting.

Course objectivesCourse outlines

Course objectives

After completing this course, students will be able to:

    • Analyze Advanced Packet Flow: Understand exactly how traffic moves between leaf switches and how endpoints are learned in complex scenarios.
    • Implement Advanced Policy: Master Transit Routing, VRF Route Leaking, and Shared Services across different Tenants.
    • Deploy Multi-Pod & Multi-Site: Build and manage fabrics that span multiple locations using the Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO).
    • Master Service Insertion: Use Service Graphs with Policy-Based Redirect (PBR) to steer traffic through firewalls and load balancers.
    • Optimize Endpoints: Use the Rogue Endpoint Feature to mitigate MAC/IP flapping and protect fabric stability.

Course outlines

    • Domain 1: Advanced Packet Forwarding
      • Endpoint Learning: Deep dive into local vs. remote endpoint learning and bounce entries.
      • Protection Mechanisms: Mitigating Rogue Endpoints and Loop Protection.
      • NIC Teaming: Advanced host connectivity and hashing.
    • Domain 2: Advanced Policy & Tenant Configuration
      • Transit Routing: Configuring L3Out-to-L3Out routing (AS-transit).
      • Shared Services: Using the common tenant and VRF route leaking for centralized firewalls or DNS.
      • Advanced Contracts: Using vzAny, Contract Preferred Groups, and pcTag architecture.
    • Domain 3: Traditional Network Integration
      • Migration Strategies: Moving from legacy switched networks to ACI.
      • L2 Integration: Connecting STP/MST domains to the ACI fabric.
    • Domain 4: Layer 4–7 Service Integration (PBR)
      • Service Graph PBR: Understanding the end-to-end packet flow.
      • Tracking Options: Using IP SLA or Health Checks to ensure the service node (Firewall) is alive.
    • Domain 5: Multi-Pod & Multi-Site Deployment
      • Multi-Pod: Configuring the Inter-Pod Network (IPN) and Spine-to-Spine communication.
      • Multi-Site: Deploying the Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO) and stretching EPGs across geographically distant sites.