Course Description

Course Overview

The Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure – Advanced (DCACIA) course is designed for network engineers and administrators who have experience with Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and want to further enhance their knowledge and skills. This advanced-level course focuses on advanced ACI concepts, implementation best practices, and troubleshooting techniques.

Prerequisites

To enroll in the DCACIA course, participants should meet the following prerequisites:

• Completion of the Implementing Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure – Basic (DCACI) course or equivalent knowledge and experience.
• Understanding of networking protocols, including TCP/IP, VLANs, and routing protocols.
• Familiarity with data center architecture and virtualization technologies.
• Basic understanding of Cisco Nexus switches and Cisco ACI.

Methodology

The DCACIA course combines theoretical lectures with hands-on lab exercises to provide a comprehensive learning experience. The course is instructor-led, and participants will have access to real-world scenarios and use cases. The learning methodology includes:

• Lectures: In-depth explanations of advanced ACI concepts and implementation strategies.
• Demonstrations: Live demonstrations of ACI features and configurations.
• Hands-on Labs: Participants will work on lab exercises using a virtual ACI environment to reinforce their understanding and gain practical experience.

Course Outline

• ACI Fabric Design and Deployment Best Practices
• Advanced ACI fabric architecture
• ACI fabric scalability and resilience
• ACI fabric high availability and redundancy
• Advanced Tenant Networking and Policy Management
• Advanced endpoint group (EPG) configurations
• Contracts and filters for advanced policy enforcement
• Advanced bridging and routing in ACI
• Advanced Application Networking and Security Services
• Integration of Layer 4-7 services in ACI
• Advanced load balancing and traffic steering
• Microsegmentation and application security in ACI
• Advanced Monitoring and Troubleshooting
• ACI fabric health monitoring and diagnostics
• Troubleshooting tools and methodologies
• Advanced troubleshooting scenarios and case studies
• Advanced Programmability and Automation
• ACI REST API and Python scripting
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Cisco ACI
• Advanced automation and orchestration with ACI

Outcome

Upon completion of the DCACIA course, participants will be able to:

• Design and deploy advanced ACI fabric architectures.
• Implement advanced tenant networking and policy management in ACI.
• Integrate Layer 4-7 services and security in ACI.
• Monitor and troubleshoot ACI fabric using advanced tools and techniques.
• Utilize programmability and automation to streamline ACI operations.

Labs

The DCACIA course includes several hands-on labs that allow participants to apply their knowledge and skills in a practical environment. Some of the lab exercises may include:

• Configuring advanced EPG and contract configurations.
• Implementing microsegmentation and application security policies.
• Integrating Layer 4-7 services and load balancing in ACI.
• Monitoring fabric health and troubleshooting common ACI issues.
• Using REST API and Python scripts to automate ACI configurations.