Summary

This chapter discusses Cisco Nexus Data Center, Cisco Fabric Extender (FEX), Cisco NX-OS software architecture, and the Cisco NX-OS CLI, including the following points:

• The Cisco Nexus switches are a foundational component of the Cisco Data Center and are well-suited for both traditional and fully automated software-defined data center deployments.
• The Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches operate in one of two modes: Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI) or Cisco NX-OS. The Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches include the Nexus 9500 Series modular switches and the Nexus 9200/9300 Series fixed switches.
• Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switches are a modular data center–class product line designed for highly scalable 1/10/40/100-Gigabit Ethernet networks. The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switches include the Nexus 7000 and 7700 platform modular switches.
• The Cisco Nexus 3000 Series switches are a comprehensive portfolio of 1-, 10-, 40-, 100-, and 400-Gigabit Ethernet switches built from a switch-on-a-chip (SoC) architecture.
• The Cisco FEX technology solution is based on Standard IEEE 802.1BR and includes a parent switch that can be a Nexus 7000 Series switch, Nexus 9000 Series switch, or a Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect. The parent switch is then extended to connect to the server either as a remote line card with Nexus 2200/2300 Series fabric extenders or logically partitioned or virtualized adapter ports to connect to any type of server (rack and/or blades) with Cisco Adapter FEX and Cisco Data Center VM-FEX technologies.
• There are three major server deployment models: end-of-row (EoR) deployment model, top-of-rack (ToR) deployment model, and Fabric Extender (FEX) deployment model. The FEX deployment model enables physical topologies with the flexibility and benefits of both ToR and EoR deployments.
• FEX supports two forwarding models: static pinning, which provides a deterministic relationship between the host interfaces and the parent switch, and dynamic pinning, which provides load balancing between the host interfaces and the parent switch.
• Cisco NX-OS software is a data center–class operating system built with modularity, resiliency, and serviceability at its foundation and runs on the Cisco Nexus family of network switches, which include Cisco Nexus 9000, 7000, 3000 Series switches, Cisco Nexus 2000 Series fabric extenders, and the Cisco MDS family of storage network switches.
• Cisco NX-OS CLI supports various configuration modes such as EXEC mode, global configuration mode, and subinterface configuration mode to configure specific elements.
• Cisco NX-OS CLI supports various features, such as command abbreviations and command aliases, that help an administrator to configure and deploy the device quickly with less effort.