Reviews 4,2
Reviews 4,5
Designing Cisco® Data Center Infrastructure (DCID)
Those who design modern data center infrastructure need more than technical skills – they need a clear concept. The DCID training shows how to plan Cisco environments that are reliable, scalable, and ready for the future.
Key topics
- Building and planning high-performance Cisco data center architectures.
- Understanding fabric topologies and structured network models.
- Implementing mechanisms for high availability, redundancy, and fault tolerance.
- Integrating virtualization and cloud connectivity effectively.
- Developing security concepts for scalable and resilient infrastructures.
Prerequisite
Participants with a background in network architecture and data center environments can dive straight in – Cisco certifications such as CCNA are helpful but not required.
Target group
This training is aimed at IT professionals who want to do more than operate data centers – they want to shape them, whether in planning, architecture design, or technical project management.
With a solid design foundation, Cisco data center environments can be planned to withstand real-world demands – and aligned for future requirements.
Course content
High availability at Layer 2
- Layer 2 mechanisms for high availability at a glance
- Deploying virtual port channels
- Cisco FabricPath overview
- Enhancements with Virtual Port Channel+
Routing and Layer 3 connectivity
- First-hop redundancy protocols explained
- Optimizing routing protocols for performance and security
- Improving scalability and stability at Layer 3
Network topologies in data centers
- Analyzing data traffic flows
- Challenges in physical cabling
- Design of the access layer
- Functions of the aggregation layer
- Design principles of the core layer
- Spine-and-leaf topology as a modern design pattern
- Approaches to redundancy planning
Inter-site connectivity with Cisco OTV
- Cisco OTV at a glance
- Control plane and data plane in Cisco OTV
- Fault isolation mechanisms
- Capabilities and features of Cisco OTV
- Optimization strategies for Cisco OTV
- Use cases and evaluation of Cisco OTV
LISP: Locator/ID separation
- LISP protocol fundamentals
- VM mobility with LISP
- Multihop mobility with LISP ESM
- VPN virtualization using LISP
VXLAN overlays in the data center
- VXLAN vs. VLAN: key advantages
- VXLAN overlay at Layer 2 and Layer 3
- MP-BGP EVPN as control plane for VXLAN
- Data forwarding plane in VXLAN
Virtualization of hardware and devices
- Reliability through hardware support
- Virtualization at the device level
- Hardware virtualization with Cisco UCS
- Virtualization of server resources
- Virtualization in the Storage Area Network
- N-Port ID virtualization (NPIV)
Cisco FEX: options and deployment
- Adapter types in Cisco FEX
- Cisco FEX at the access layer
- Architecture principles of Cisco FEX
- Network virtualization with Cisco FEX
- I/O virtualization simplified
- Evaluation and deployment scenarios for Cisco FEX
Baseline security in data center environments
- Identifying and mitigating threats
- Attack scenarios and appropriate countermeasures
- Securing the management plane
- Strategies for protecting the control plane
- Access control with RBAC and AAA
Advanced security concepts in the data center
- Cisco TrustSec within the Secure Enclaves architecture
- Deploying Cisco TrustSec
- Functions and capabilities of firewalls
- Positioning firewalls in the data center
- Overview of Cisco Firepower® solutions
- Virtualized firewall environments
- Architectural concepts for threat defense
Managing and orchestrating infrastructure
- Network and license management overview
- Centralized management with Cisco UCS Manager
- Automation with Cisco UCS Director
- Cloud-based management with Cisco Intersight
- Cisco DCNM as a network management platform
Storage technologies and RAID concepts
- DAS in the context of modern storage solutions
- Network-attached storage architectures
- Protocol comparison: Fibre Channel, FCoE, and iSCSI
- Evaluation criteria for storage solutions
Fibre Channel fundamentals
- Links, layers, and addressing in Fibre Channel networks
- Data transfer in the Fibre Channel protocol
- Virtualization options in Fibre Channel SANs
SAN topologies and design options
- Configuration options in the SAN
- Design alternatives for SAN environments
- Choosing the right Fibre Channel design approach
Fibre Channel over Ethernet
- Protocol characteristics of FCoE
- Transmission mechanisms in FCoE
- FCoE in data center networking infrastructure
- FCoE boot protocol in detail
- Design variants for FCoE deployments
Security in the Storage Area Network
- Security capabilities in SAN environments
- Zoning concepts and their use in the SAN
- Measures to strengthen SAN security
- Encryption and cryptography in the SAN
SAN management and automation
- SAN management with Cisco DCNM
- Analysis and telemetry with Cisco DCNM
- SAN automation with Cisco UCS Director
- Workflows in Cisco UCS Director
Cisco UCS servers: types and use cases
- Overview of Cisco UCS C-Series servers
- Fabric interconnects and blade systems
- Adapter cards for Cisco UCS B-Series servers
- The concept of stateless computing
- Cisco UCS Mini for smaller environments
Connectivity through fabric interconnects
- Interface types and their use
- VLAN and VSAN configuration in a Cisco UCS domain
- Configuring southbound connections
- Configuring northbound connections
- Isolated Layer 2 segments in the UCS domain
- Redundancy and high availability for fabric interconnects
Hyperconverged infrastructure with Cisco HyperFlex
- Introduction to hyperconverged and integrated systems
- The Cisco HyperFlex™ platform at a glance
- Scaling and resiliency with Cisco HyperFlex
- Cluster configuration and architecture
- Capacity planning and multi-cluster operations
- Extending with external storage and GPUs
- Use cases and strengths of Cisco HyperFlex
Cisco UCS Manager: setup and operations
- Installing and administering Cisco UCS
- Traffic management in the Cisco UCS environment
Access control with Cisco UCS RBAC
- Role concepts and access rights
- Organizational structures in Cisco UCS Manager
- Scope definitions and their enforcement
- AAA concepts in Cisco UCS
- Two-step authentication methods
Resource pools for service profiles
- Global vs. local pools in the UCS context
- UUID suffix pools and MAC address pools
- WWN pools in the Fibre Channel area
- Server and iSCSI initiator IP pools
Policies within service profiles
- Global and local policy configuration
- Memory and BIOS configuration in service profiles
- Boot order and scrub policies
- IPMI access and maintenance concepts
Adapter policies and network connectivity
- Checking LAN connectivity
- Checking SAN connectivity
- Virtual access layer in UCS networking
- Options for extending network connections
Templates in Cisco UCS Manager
- Using Cisco UCS templates
- Creating and using service profile templates
- Network templates in Cisco UCS Manager
Data center automation and programmability
- Programmability based on data models
- Cisco NX-API for programmatic control
- Python as an automation tool in the data center
- Automation with the Cisco Ansible module
- Configuration management with Puppet
Up to 100% funding for your continuing education
Attractive funding opportunities are available for numerous continuing education programs – depending on the funding program, up to 100% funding is possible.
The requirement is that you live or work in Germany. Our funding opportunities are not available outside of Germany.
Funding opportunities are available for career starters, job seekers, career changers, startups, experienced professionals, those seeking career advancement, and specialists.
What does the DCID training cover?
- The training focuses on designing modern Cisco data center architectures – covering structured approaches to networking, compute, storage, and automation.
Which topics are central to the DCID course?
- Core topics include Cisco data center design models, network topologies, scalability, high availability, security, and the integration of cloud and automation strategies.
Who is this training designed for?
- This training is well suited for IT professionals who plan, assess, or evolve data center infrastructures and want to apply Cisco technologies strategically.
What prior knowledge is recommended?
- A grounding in networks, data centers, and Cisco technologies helps participants get up to speed quickly and engage with more complex design decisions.
What value does DCID knowledge bring?
- Structured design thinking helps build stable, scalable, and future-ready data centers – and supports early identification of technical risks.
How do cloud computing and automation fit in?
- Automation, software-defined infrastructure, and hybrid cloud designs are core elements of modern data center strategies and are explored from a hands-on perspective.
Why does data center design matter?
- Increasing data volumes, cloud adoption, and evolving security requirements make thoughtful architectural design a critical factor for long-term IT success.
