Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller Data Sheet

Configuration of the system involves creating MOs,associating them with other MOs, and modifying their properties. The ACI policy model is an object-oriented model based on promise theory.Promise theory is based on scalable control of intelligent objects rather thanmore traditional imperative models, which can be thought of as a top-downmanagement system. This approach reduces the burden andcomplexity of the control system and allows greater scale.

For the new hardware features, see the Cisco Nexus 9000 cisco application policy infrastructure controller apic ACI-Mode Switches Release Notes, Release 16.1(3). For details about the Cisco APIC and ISE integration, see the Cisco APIC and Cisco ISE Integration document. Using the lacp min-links configuration, you can now configure 32 minimum number of links to be active for the port-channel to be active. The FEX and SAN port-channel will continue to support only 16 members.

Cisco Capital financing gives you flexibility in acquiring hardware, software, services, and complementary third-party equipment. The APIC-EM platform and its hosted applications can run as a virtual appliance when installed on a hypervisor or a bare-metal server. Cisco SD-Bonjour App enables policy-based Apple Bonjour discovery and distribution across a user-defined network. In this distributed architecture, the next-generation Cisco Catalyst® switches perform Service Discovery Gateway (SDG) agent functions.

APIs have full read and write access to the Cisco ACI, providing tenant- and application-aware programmability, automation, and system access. Additionally, thecontract provider-consumer model promotes security by allowing simple,consistent policy updates to a single policy object rather than to multiplelinks that a contract may represent. Contracts also offer simplicity byallowing policies to be defined once and reused many times. EPGs are also used to represent entities such as outside networks, networkservices, security devices, and network storage. EPGs are collections of one ormore endpoints that provide a similar function. They are a logical groupingwith a variety of use options, depending on the application deployment model inuse.

Conceptssuch as addressing, VLAN, and security have been tied together, limiting thescale and mobility of the application. As applications are being redesigned formobility and web scale, this traditional approach hinders rapid and consistentdeployment.The ACI policy model does not dictate anything about the structure of theunderlying network. However, as dictated by promise theory, it requires someedge element, called an iLeaf, to manage connections to various devices. Cisco APIC is the creation, repository, and enforcement point for Cisco ACI application policies, which you can set based on application-specific network requirements. Cisco ACI policies define connectivity, security, and networking requirements for agile and scalable application deployments. The Cisco UCS M5-based Cisco APIC supports dual speed 10G and 25G interfaces.

  • Use a permanent or subscription license that has been purchased through Cisco for production purposes.
  • The southbound interface speaks to network elements using Command-Line Interface (CLI) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
  • PTP is now supported on N9K-C9408 with N9K-X W line card extension module (only on fabric links).
  • The NIDB allows applications to be device-independent, so configuration differences between devices aren’t a problem.

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This issue is specific to transit leaf switches without -EX or a later designation in the product ID and does not affect leaf switches that have -EX or a later designation in the product ID. Traffic from an endpoint under a remote leaf switch to an external node and its attached external networks is dropped. This occurs if the external node is attached to an L3Out with a vPC and there is a redistribution configuration on the L3Out to advertise the reachability of the external nodes as direct-attached hosts. Prior to APIC release 6.1(3), when you squelch a fault, it was applicable to all the switches and controllers across the fabric that displayed the fault code. Beginning with release 6.1(3), you have the option of choosing the switch on which you need to squelch the fault by creating a fault squelch policy. You can further narrow it down, such as a specific interface, by using a DN (Distinguished Name) filter.

Product Information

Cisco® Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) is an innovative Data Center architecture that simplifies optimizes and accelerates the entire application lifecycle through a common policy management framework. Network, security, virtualization, and applications teams can now work in a common management architecture, enabling the disconnected management processes that have burdened most data centers to finally come together. Within the context, the model provides a series of objects that define theapplication. These objects are endpoints (EP) and endpoint groups (EPGs) andthe policies that define their relationship. Note that policies in this caseare more than just a set of access control lists (ACLs) and include acollection of inbound and outbound filters, traffic quality settings, markingrules, and redirection rules.

They also allow integration with OpenStack interfaces to provide Cisco ACI policy consistency across physical, virtual, and cloud environments. The APIC system configuration and state are modeled as a collection of managedobjects (MOs), which are abstract representations of a physical or logicalentity that contain a set of configurations and properties. For example,servers, chassis, I/O cards, and processors are physical entities representedas MOs; resource pools, user roles, service profiles, and policies are logicalentities represented as MOs.

When the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (Cisco APIC) is launched for the first time, the Cisco APIC console presents a series of initial setup options. Beginning with Cisco APIC release 6.0(2), the initial cluster set up and bootstrapping procedure has been simplified with the addition of GUI screen(s) for cluster bring up. The first one requirest 2 jumps to go from 4.2 to 6.0(7e), while the second can be directly upgraded and moreover is just 1 release next to the 4. I saw that 5.3 is from June 27, 2024, so I hope at least untile end of 2025 it will be supopretd with secutiry and other fixes. This procedure shows you how to use the APIC REST API to replace a controller in an APIC cluster.

Deployment Models

For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. The infrastructure controller is the main architectural component of the Cisco ACI solution. It is the unified point of automation and management for the Cisco ACI fabric, policy enforcement, and health monitoring.

Understanding the REST API¶

To address this issue, the recommendation is to check MTS, enable jumbo frames at the management network, and verify the MTU settings at CIMC’s management interface. It’s noted that having jumbo MTU enabled at the CIMC management interface could lead to retransmission issues as seen in the logs. You should see the invitation for initial setup – here you can configure oobmgmt IPv4 address to use API/GUI or feed the JSON line with the payload containing cluster and controllers configuration. Cisco Network Plug-and-Play provides a highly secure, scalable, seamless, and unified zero-touch-deployment experience for customers across Cisco’s entire enterprise network portfolio of wired and wireless devices. It reduces the burden on enterprises by greatly simplifying the deployment process for new devices, which can significantly lower Operating Expenditures (OpEx) as well. You can rely on us because we’re the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow.

APIC-EM periodically scans the network to create a “single source of truth” for IT. This inventory includes all network devices, along with an abstraction for the entire enterprise network. The NIDB allows applications to be device-independent, so configuration differences between devices aren’t a problem. Cisco APIC serves as the single point of automation and fabric element management in both physical and virtual environments.

This architecture simplifies, optimizes, and accelerates the entire application deployment lifecycle. Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) is the software, or operating system, that acts as the controller. The end-of-support date for Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) version 5.3(2) is October 31, 2024. This means that after this date, Cisco will no longer provide technical support, software updates, or security patches for this specific version. It is recommended to upgrade to a newer version to ensure continued support and access to the latest features and security improvements. Cisco Capital® can help you acquire the technology you need to achieve your objectives and stay competitive.

  • The Cisco APIC-EM is accessible with a click-through license when you download or install the product.
  • EPGs are designed for flexibility, allowing their use to be tailored to one ormore deployment models that the customer can choose.
  • Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers.

We have more than 29 years of experience, more than 50 million installed devices, and 6 million customer interactions each year. The controller framework enables broad ecosystem and industry interoperability with Cisco ACI. It enables interoperability between a Cisco ACI environment and management, orchestration, virtualization, and L4-L7 services from a broad range of vendors. The Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) is the centralized management and policy orchestration engine for Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure). It plays a crucial role in the operation and administration of the ACI fabric by managing configurations, policies, and monitoring. The Cisco N9K-C9508-FM-E2 and N9K-C9508-FM-E fabric modules in the mixed mode configuration are not supported on the same spine switch.

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The documentation includes installation, upgrade, configuration, programming, and troubleshooting guides, technical references, release notes, and knowledge base (KB) articles, as well as other documentation. KB articles provide information about a specific use case or a specific topic. The Cisco UCS M4-based Cisco APIC and previous versions support only the 10G interface.

Application Network Profiles¶

The matrix will be sparsely populated inmost cases because many EPGs have no need to communicate with one another. ●     Implementation on a distributed framework across a cluster of appliances. Provides a command-line interface (CLI) and GUI, which utilize the APIs to manage the fabric holistically.

Connecting the Cisco APIC to the Cisco ACI fabric requires a same speed interface on the Cisco ACI leaf switch. At the top level, the ACI object model is built on a group of one or moretenants, allowing the network infrastructure administration and data flows tobe segregated. Tenants can be used for customers, business units, or groups,depending on organizational needs. Each tenant canhave one or more contexts, depending on the business needs of that tenant.Contexts provide a way to further separate the organizational and forwardingrequirements for a given tenant.

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