Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure

The Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure (DCID) Learning Path focuses on data center design based on Cisco solutions and technologies. The Learning Path includes theoretical content and design-oriented case studies that are in the form of activities. The Learning Path includes information on designing data centers with Cisco components and technologies. It covers network designs with virtualization, Layer 2 and Layer 3 technologies and routing protocols, and data center interconnect design options. Also covered are device virtualization technologies such as virtualized network devices with virtual appliances, including virtual switches, virtual routers, and virtual firewalls. Storage and SAN design is covered, including an explanation of Fibre Channel networks. Design practices for the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) solution based on Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series servers, Cisco UCS-X are covered. Management and orchestration topics feature Cisco UCS Manager, Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC), and Cisco Intersight, with additional emphasis on automation solutions such as programmability, Ansible, and Terraform. The Learning Path also addresses the integration of artificial intelligence, real-world use cases, and the design of AI-ready infrastructure.    

This Learning Path prepares you for the 300-610 DCID v1.2 exam. If passed, you earn the Cisco Certified Specialist – Data Center Design certification and satisfy the concentration exam requirement for the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Data Center certification.

• Describe the physical design of modern data centers and different network types 
• Describe design aspects of UCS servers, networking, and hardware 
• Describe the storage options for the compute function and the different RAID levels from a high-availability and performance perspective 
• Describe security threats and solutions in the data center 
• Describe key concepts in artificial intelligence, focusing on traditional AI, machine learning, and deep learning techniques and their applications 
• Describe the importance of AI-specific hardware in reducing training times and supporting the advanced processing requirements of AI tasks 
• Gain expertise in orchestrating, automating, and monitoring modern data center networks using Cisco Nexus Dashboard and its suite of integrated services 

IT professionals with five to eight years of experience in these roles:

• Data center engineers
• Network designers
• Network administrators
• Network engineers
• Systems engineers
• Consulting systems engineers
• Technical solutions architects
• Server administrators
• Network managers
• Cisco integrators or partners

Before taking this course, you should be able to:

• Implement data center networking [Local Area Network (LAN) and Storage Area Network (SAN)]
• Describe data center storage
• Implement data center virtualization
• Implement Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS)
• Implement data center automation and orchestration with the focus on Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and Cisco UCS Director
• Describe products in the Cisco Data Center Nexus and Multilayer Director Switch (MDS) families

To fully benefit from this course, you should have completed the following courses or obtained the equivalent level of knowledge:

• Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations (DCFNDU)
• Implementing and Administering Cisco Networking Technologies (CCNA®)
• Implementing Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR)