This post is intended to provide an overview and some of the configuration steps involved in ISLB.
VSAN and Zoning Notes
Some VSAN and Zoning notes so that I can keep some of the concepts that will likely be in the lab straight.
UCS SAN Tab
In order to make sure that I've covered all the bases, I'm going to look at all the items in the SAN tab.
Implement SAN Connectivity in a Unified Computing Environment
One of the sections from the blueprint. Quite a bit of info but I'll try to cram it into one post.
Notes on the UCS Equipment in the Lab
The Data Center V1.0 blueprint lists these UCS components in the lab:
UCS C200 Series Server
vic card for c-series
UCS-6248 Fabric Interconnects
UCS-5108 Blade Chassis
B200 M2 Blade Servers
Palo mezzanine card
Emulex mezzanine card
UCS C200 Series Server
vic card for c-series
UCS-6248 Fabric Interconnects
UCS-5108 Blade Chassis
B200 M2 Blade Servers
Palo mezzanine card
Emulex mezzanine card
FCoE on UCS/Nexus
This post is based on a Gold Lab that I did. The purpose is to capture the basics of Multihop FCoE.
ISCSI Basic Lab
This is a post of an MDS configuration for iSCSI. I used a Win 7 workstation as a iSCSI initiator. The target is an MDS 9200 with an IPS module. There is a FC attached JBOD for storage. Later on I plan to try more of the options. The goal of this lab was just to see iSCSI work on the MDS.
1000v Network Monitoring
A topic of it's own on the blueprint so I'm assuming this is worth a few points
Nexus 1000v Virtualization
The blueprint has a section called 'Manage Data Center Virtualization with Nexus1000v'. This post will cover this section of the blueprint.
UCS Hardware Overview
This post provides a high level listing of the hardware involved with the UCS solution.
Overview
UCS has three series of UCS servers - The B,C and E series. The B series (think 'B" for Blade) is as you guessed, a blade based solution. The C series are rack mount servers and the E series is based on a module that is inserted into an ISR router.
Overview
UCS has three series of UCS servers - The B,C and E series. The B series (think 'B" for Blade) is as you guessed, a blade based solution. The C series are rack mount servers and the E series is based on a module that is inserted into an ISR router.
NX-OS Security
A fairly large topic on the blueprint. I'm pretty good with most of these topics but a few of them I don't touch very often. I will spend more time on these.
Nexus 7000 FHRP
The Nexus 7000 supports HSRP, VRRP and GLBP. The configuration of both HSRP and VRRP is very simple and I've used both many times so I'm not going to document them. GLBP is worth some attention.
VLANs, Private VLANs and VTP
VLAN configuration is fairly simple but there are a few differences and enhancements in NX-OS that are worth exploring.
UCS LAN Connectivity
According to the blueprint, there are five categories on testable items in the LAN section.
- Configure different Port types
- Implement Ethernet end Host Mode
- Implement VLANs and Port Channels.
- Implement Pinning and PIN Groups
- Implement Disjoint Layer 2
Dynamic VSANs
VSAN membership can be assigned based on the device WWN. This is referred to as Dynamic Port VSAN Membership (DPVM) and it eliminates the need to reconfigure when a device is moved to another port on a local or remote switch. DPVM uses CFS to distribute the VSAN information across the fabric. A test configuration is outlined below.
FC Oversubcription
Yet another topic that is listed on the blueprint so I'd better be prepared for it. I don't plan on going into much detail as I think the odds are pretty low that I would see anything on this.
Fibre Channel Security Features
Another topic on the blueprint. I'll only include security features that are specific to the MDS. Shared features with the Nexus platform will be added to the Nexus post.
FC Domain Parameters
The CCIE DC blueprint lists this as a topic so I need to give it some attention. I'm not really sure if I understand the scope of what I need to learn, but it can't hurt to start with the 'fcdomain' configuration command.
Nexus Configuration Summary Notes
The intent of this post is to provide some short guidance for configuring Nexus products.
Enhanced Zoning and Other Zoning Notes
From what I've read so far, Enhanced Zoning seems complex and tricky enough to have a post dedicated to it. I'll write down some notes and do some lab testing so that I understand it well.
FC IP Services
I'm kicking myself for not getting MDS 9216i Switches instead of 9216a. Appears that the 9216i variant supports IP services like FCIP and ISCSI on the last two ports. I still may get an IP SSM module for one of the 9216a's so that I can get comfortable with IP services. In the meantime, I'll post some notes below for future reference.
FC Stuff I can't Afford in my Home LAB
No money for a Nexus 5000 in my home lab. Plan is to take a lot of notes and get rack time. Notes below.
Small Fibre Channel Lab Experiences - Part 3
Another MDS 9216A Switch will be added to the topology in this section.
Small Fibre Channel Lab Experiences - Part 2
In this section some basic configurations such as VSANs, Zone and Zonesets will be configured.
Small Fibre Channel Lab Experiences - Part 1
In order to understand some Fiber Channel basics, I'm working on building out a very small lab. Currently this lab is a single MDS 9216A with a Xiotech disk shelf. I added an Emulex LPE11000E HBA in one of my ESXi hosts.
Fibre Channel Basics
The purpose of this post is to keep track of my notes as I learn Fibre Channel. The plan is to read as much as I can and then try to work on configurations. I'm working on building a small lab to learn the basics.
Nexus 7000 Hardware Overview
This post provides a listing of some of the basics in terms of hardware available on the Nexus 7000 platform.
UCS Configuration Screen Shots
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