The Designing Data Center Unified Computing (DCUCD) v5.0 course is part of the curriculum path leading to the Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Design Specialist and Professional level certification. This course enables engineers to choose and design scalable, reliable, and intelligent data center unified computing and virtualization solutions based on the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) product portfolio as a centerpiece integrated with contemporary virtualization solutions (for example, VMware vSphere, VMware View, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, Citrix XenDesktop, Red hat Kernel-based Virtual Machine [KVM], and so on), operating systems (for example, Microsoft Windows and Linux), and applications (database, collaboration, and so on).

The course is built upon the foundations of the Cisco Data Center Unified Computing Design (DCUCD) v4.0. It describes the data center unified computing and virtualization solutions based on Cisco data center unified computing product portfolio, explains how to evaluate existing data center computing solution and determine the requirements, and design Cisco data center unified computing solution.

Upon completing this course, you will be able to meet these overall objectives:

• Evaluate the data center solution design and design process in regards to the contemporary data center challenges, data center solution architecture, and components
• Assess the requirements and performance characteristics of the data center computing solutions
• Employ design steps to size the Cisco UCS solution for a given data center requirements
• Evaluate and design Cisco UCS solution LAN, SAN, and virtual access layer connectivity
• Recognize and design Cisco UCS solution server deployment
• Identify Cisco UCS solution for Unified Communications and Hadoop distributed computing application with their specifics and Cisco UCS options that fit the application needs

Module 1: Cisco Data Center Solution Architecture and Components

• Identifying Data Center Solution
• Recognize elements of data center computing solutions
• Understand the consolidation data center trend
• Understand the virtualization data center trend
• Evaluate business challenges of the contemporary data center solutions
• Evaluate environmental challenges of the contemporary data center solutions
• Evaluate technical challenges of the contemporary data center solutions
• Identifying Data Center Applications
• Recognize data center application examples
• Recognize server virtualization characteristics
• Recognize desktop virtualization characteristics
• Identifying Cloud Computing
• The lesson includes these topics or topic (enabling) objectives:
• Evaluate cloud computing solutions
• Recognize cloud computing deployment models
• Compare cloud computing service categories
• Understand cloud computing aspects
• Identifying Cisco Data Center Architecture and Components
• Evaluate the Cisco Data Center architectural framework
• Evaluate the Cisco Data Center architectural framework Unified Fabric
• Recognize the Cisco Data Center Unified Fabric equipment
• Evaluate the Cisco Data Center architectural framework compute component
• Recognize Cisco Validated Designs

Module 2: Assess Data Center Computing Requirements

• Defining a Cisco Unified Computing System Solution Design
• Describe the design process for the Cisco Unified Computing solution
• Evaluate design process phases
• Recognize the deliverables for the Cisco Unified Computing solution
• Analyzing Computing Solutions Characteristics
• Identify performance characteristics
• Assess server virtualization performance characteristics
• Assess desktop virtualization performance characteristics
• Assess requirements for small VMware vSphere deployment example
• Assess requirements for small Microsoft Hyper-V deployment example
• Assess requirements for VMware View VDI deployment example
• Employing Data Center Analysis Tools
• Evaluate reconnaissance and analysis tools
• Perform existing computing solution analysis with VMware Capacity Planner
• Perform VMware vSphere analysis with VMware Capacity IQ
• Perform existing computing solution analysis with MAP toolkit
• Perform TCO/ROI analysis with Cisco UCS TCO/ROI Advisor

Module 3: Size Cisco Unified Computing Solutions

• Sizing Cisco UCS C-Series Server Solution
• Recognize general Cisco UCS C-series server selection steps
• Select proper hardware components to integrate UCS C-series server with UCS Manager
• Select proper Cisco UCS C-series server hardware based on the requirements for a given small VMware vSphere environment
• Select proper Cisco UCS C-series server hardware based on the requirements for a given small Microsoft Hyper-V environment
• Sizing Cisco UCS B-Series Server Solution
• Recognize general Cisco UCS B-series server selection steps
• Select proper Cisco UCS servers based on the requirements for a given desktop virtualization solution
• Planning Unified Computing Deployment
• Recognize Power Calculator tool
• Propose physical deployment plan

Module 4: Design Cisco Unified Computing Solutions

• Designing Unified Computing Network
• Recognize network operational modes of the Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects
• Recognize Layer 2 disjoint domains
• Define the network high availability mechanisms for Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects
• Define the VM-FEX requirements for Cisco UCS
• Designing Unified Computing Storage
• Recognize SAN operational modes of Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects
• Understand SAN Connectivity
• Define the SAN high availability mechanisms for Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnects
• Recognize SAN Scalability Options
• Designing Virtual Access Layer
• Identify and describe the Cisco Nexus 1000V
• Identify and describe Cisco Nexus 1000V integration with VMware vCenter

Module 5: Design Cisco Unified Computing Solutions Server Deployment

• Designing Cisco UCS Server Deployment
• Identify server deployment aspects
• Define the common naming convention for given solutions
• Define the UUID addressing for given solutions
• Define the MAC addressing for given solutions
• Define the WWN addressing for given solutions
• Define the common policies for hosts of a given solutions
• Designing Unified Computing Management
• Define the Cisco UCS management access
• Define the organizational hierarchy within Cisco UCS configuration
• Define the remote management connectivity characteristics

Module  6: Cisco Unified Computing Solution Applications

• Unified Communications on Cisco UCS
• Recognize Unified Communications application
• Assess Unified Communications performance characteristics
• Select Cisco UCS hardware for Unified Communications solution
• Distributed Computing on Cisco UCS
• Recognize distributed computing applications
• Understand Hadoop architecture
• Assess Hadoop performance characteristics
• Design Cisco UCS for Greenplum MR Hadoop solution
• Appendixes: Creating Cisco UCS Solution BOM
• Creating Cisco UCS Solution BOM
• Create Cisco UCS C-series server solution BoM with Online Configurator
• Create Cisco UCS C-series server solution BoM with Netformx DesignXpert
• Create Cisco UCS B-series server solution BoM with Netformx DesignXpert

Course Labs

• Lab 2-1: Analyze the Existing Computing Solution
• Lab 3-1: Design Cisco UCS C-series Solution
• Lab 3-2: Design Cisco UCS B-series Solution
• Lab 3-3: Plan the Physical Deployment
• Lab 4-1: Design Microsoft Hyper-V Deployment on Cisco UCS
• Lab 4-2: Design VMware vSphere Deployment and Integration with Cisco UCS
• Lab 5-1: Design VMware vSphere Deployment on Cisco UCS and Cisco Nexus 1000V

• Channel Partner / Reseller
• Customer
• Employee

The knowledge and skills that a learner must have before attending this course are as follows:

• Introducing Cisco Data Center Networking (DCICN) and Introducing Cisco Data Center Technologies (DCICT) courses
• Cisco Nexus product family courses (DCNXxK)
• Cisco MDS product family courses (DCMDS)
• Server and desktop virtualization (for example, VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop, and so on)
• Operating system administration familiarity (for example, Linux and Windows)