Cisco ACI: A New Approach to Software Defined Networking, presented by Michael Edwards from GTRI. Learn more about Cisco's Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI). As a policy-based automation solution, Cisco ACI is a different approach to Software Defined Networking (SDN). This presentation uncovers what makes it simple, agile and application centric, and how it can reduce errors and accelerate application deployment from weeks to minutes. Webinar can be found here: https://youtu.be/WFY3kUwTAw4 Have questions? Contact GTRI, 1.877.603.1984.

1. WWW.GTRI.COM
Cisco ACI: A New Approach
to Software Defined
Networking
Michael Edwards – Principal Architect GTRI
Gabriel Guillen – TME INSBU Cisco
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc.
All rights reserved.

2. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2
Agenda
• Cisco ACI Policy Model Review
• ACI Design Models
• ACI Demonstration

3. Management options
• CLI
• Cut/paste
• Limited automation
• Disparate management platforms
Traditional Networking
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3
Limitations:
• Box by box approach
• Lack of consistent configuration (no
network wide policies)
• Leftover/unknown configuration
• Open “any to any” connectivity
• Lack of traffic visibility
• Separate virtual and physical networks
• Separate L4-7 device management

4. ACI Networking
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
4
Management Options:
• GUI (basic/advanced)
• CLI
• XML/JSON
• Scripting
• Open API
• Automation
Benefits:
• Distributed centralized management
• Full traffic visibility
• Self documenting
• Integrated virtual and physical network
• Integrated L4-7 device management
• Policy defined network

5. WWW.GTRI.COM
ACI Policy Model
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc.
All rights reserved.

6. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
6
Tenants

7. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
7
VRFs

8. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
8
Bridge Domains

9. WWW.GTRI.COM
EndPoint Communications
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc.
All rights reserved.

10. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
10
End Point Groups
HTTPS
Service
HTTPS
Service
HTTPS
Service
HTTPS
Service
EPG - Web
EPGs are a grouping of end-points representing application or
application components independent of other network constructs.
POLICY MODEL
HTTPS
Service
HTTPS
Service
HTTPS
Service
HTTPS
Service

11. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
11
Contracts
Application Network Profile
C ContractContracts define what
an EPG exposes to other
app tiers and how
Contracts are reusable for
multiple EPGs and EPGs
can inherit multiple
contracts
The use of contracts separates ‘what’ a policy is from ‘where’ it exists, extending its use.
C
C
EPG NFS
EPG MGMT
EPG DBEPG AppEPG WebC CC

12. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
12
Application Network Profiles
Inbound/
Outbound Policies
Application Network Profile
Application Network profiles are a group of EPGs and the
policies that define the communication between them.
POLICY MODEL
=
Inbound/
Outbound Policies

13. WWW.GTRI.COM
ACI Design Examples
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc.
All rights reserved.

14. How?
• 1 BD and 1 EPG per Current Infrastructure VLAN
• Few customers deploy BD in legacy mode (VLAN)
• Tight integration with Orchestration platforms
Who is deploying?
• Customers needing to slowly introduce ACI
• Underlay management for NFV use cases – service
provider
Benefits:
• Network automation and operations
• Workload mobility – any app, anywhere
• Network capacity and bandwidth
• Increased scalability and availability
Network Centric Layer 2 ACI Fabric
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
14

15. How?
• 1 BD and 1 EPG mapping of Current Infrastructure VLAN
• Fabric as default gateway with or without policy
enforcement
Who is deploying?
• Customers requiring secure multi-tenancy
• No re-IP of application workloads
• Network infrastructure refresh, and adopt ACI Fabric
as a single DC switching system
Benefits:
• Network automation and operations
• Workload mobility – any app, anywhere
• Network capacity and bandwidth
• Pervasive gateway, directed ARP and other ACI
innovations
• Increased scalability and availability
Network Centric Layer 3 ACI Fabric
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
15

16. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
16
ACI Hybrid Approach

17. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
17
GTRI SDN Solutions
• Virtualization and Advanced Networking Professional Services (PS) practice has
expertise with SDN vendor solutions.
• GTRI has top-tier partner status with the most relevant long-term vendors in the IT
virtualization market.
• SDN readiness assessment service to assess your infrastructure, your applications,
and the benefits to your business gained from using SDN.
• SDN test bed where we can learn and teach SDN solutions and help validate
solutions prior to deployment.
• GTRI is performing SDN deployments and we will freely share the latest vendor and
industry information with you.

18. © 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
18
FREE SDN Technology Review
• We are offering a FREE 3-hour (~1/2 day) SDN technology
review for your company
• Bring your networking, security, DevOps and other technology
teams together
• Review SDN capabilities within your existing networked
infrastructure
• Discuss SDN architecture and design options
• Review network automation and network programmability potential

19. WWW.GTRI.COM
© 2016 Global Technology Resources, Inc.
All rights reserved.
877.603.1984
To schedule a SDN Technology
review, contact us at: