top of page

DCFNDU Training

Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations

In this 5-day course, Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations (DCFNDU), students will gain the foundational knowledge and skills needed to configure Cisco data center technologies including: networking, virtualization, storage area networking, and unified computing.

Students will be introduced to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI), automation, and cloud computing. You will get hands-on experience with configuring features on Cisco Nexus Operating System (Cisco NX-OS) and Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS).


This course will help students:

  • Prepare for entry-level job roles in the high-demand area of data center environments

  • Prepare for courses that support the Cisco Certified Network Professional Data Center certification exams

  • Gain knowledge and hands-on skills through Cisco’s unique combination of lessons and hands-on practice using enterprise-grade Cisco learning technologies, data center equipment, and software

41 CLC or $4195

Eligble for 30 CE Credits

Pay with 41 Learning Credits

41 CLC or $4195

Eligble for 30 CE Credits

Pay with 41 Learning Credits

  • The primary audience for this course is as follows:

    • Data center administrators

    • Data center engineers

    • Systems engineers

    • Server administrators

    • Network managers

    • Cisco integrators and partners

  • The knowledge and skills that the learner should have before attending this course are as follows:

    • Good understanding of networking protocols

    • Good understanding of the VMware environment

    • Basic knowledge of Microsoft Windows operating systems

  • Upon completing this course, the learner will be able to meet these overall objectives:

    • Describe the foundations of data center networking

    • Describe Cisco Nexus products and explain the basic Cisco NX-OS functionalities and tools

    • Describe Layer 3 first-hop redundancy

    • Describe Cisco Fabric Extender (FEX) connectivity

    • Describe Ethernet port channels and virtual port channel (VPCs)

    • Introduce switch virtualization, machine virtualization, and network virtualization

    • Compare storage connectivity options in the data center

    • Describe Fibre Channel communication between the initiator server and the target storage

    • Describe Fibre Channel zone types and their uses

    • Describe N-Port Virtualization (NPV) and N-Port Identifier Virtualization (NPIV)

    • Describe data center Ethernet enhancements that provide a lossless fabric

    • Describe Fibre Channel over Ethernet FCoE

    • Describe data center server connectivity

    • Describe Cisco UCS Manager

    • Describe the purpose and advantages of APIs

    • Describe Cisco ACI

    • Describe the basic concepts of cloud computing

  • Module 1: Describing the Data Center Network Architectures

    • Cisco Data Center Architecture Overview

    • Three-Tier Network: Core, Aggregation, and Access

    • Spine-and-Leaf Network

    • Two-Tier Storage Network

    Module 2: Describing the Cisco Nexus Family and Cisco NX-OS Software

    • Cisco Nexus Data Center Product Overview

    • Cisco NX-OS Software Architecture

    • Cisco NX-OS Software CLI Tools

    • Cisco NX-OS Virtual Routing and Forwarding

    Module 3: Describing Layer 3 First-Hop Redundancy

    • Default Gateway Redundancy

    • Hot Standby Router Protocol

    • Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol

    • Gateway Load Balancing Protocol

    Module 4: Describing Cisco FEX

    • Server Deployment Models

    • Cisco FEX Technology

    • Cisco FEX Traffic Forwarding

    • Cisco Adapter FEX

    Module 5: Describing Port Channels and VPCs

    • Ethernet Port Channels

    • Virtual Port Channels

    • Supported VPC Topologies

    Module 6: Describing Switch Virtualization

    • Cisco Nexus Switch Basic Components

    • Virtual Routing and Forwarding

    • Cisco Nexus 7000 Virtual Device Contexts (VDCs)

    • VDC Types

    • VDC Resource Allocation

    • VDC Management

    Module 7: Describing Machine Virtualization

    • Virtual Machines

    • Hypervisor

    • VM Manager

    Module 8: Describing Network Virtualization

    • Overlay Network Protocols

    • Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) Overlay

    • VXLAN Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Ethernet VPN (EVPN) Control Plane

    • VXLAN Data Plane

    • Cisco Nexus 1000VE Series Virtual Switch

    • VMware vSphere Virtual Switches

    Module 9: Introducing Basic Data Center Storage Concepts

    • Storage Connectivity Options in the Data Center

    • Fibre Channel Storage Networking

    • Virtual Storage Area Network (VSAN) Configuration and Verification

    Module 10: Describing Fibre Channel Communication Between the Initiator Server and the Target Storage

    • Fibre Channel Layered Model

    • Fabric Login (FLOGI) Process

    • Fibre Channel Flow Control

    Module 11: Describing Fibre Channel Zone Types and Their Uses

    • Fibre Channel Zoning

    • Zoning Configuration

    • Zoning Management

    Module 12: Describing Cisco NPV Mode and NPIV

    • Cisco NPV Mode

    • NPIV Mode

    Module 13: Describing Data Center Ethernet Enhancements

    • Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Data Center Bridging

    • Priority Flow Control

    • Enhanced Transmission Selection

    • Data Center Bridging Exchange (DCBX) Protocol

    • Congestion Notification

    Module 14: Describing FCoE

    • Cisco Unified Fabric

    • FCoE Architecture

    • FCoE Initialization Protocol

    • FCoE Adapters

    Module 15: Describing Cisco UCS Components

    • Physical Cisco UCS Components

    • Cisco Fabric Interconnect Product Overview

    • Cisco I/O Module (IOM) Product Overview

    • Cisco UCS Mini

    • Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) Supervisor

    • Cisco Intersight™

    Module 16: Describing Cisco UCS Manager

    • Cisco UCS Manager Overview

    • Identity and Resource Pools for Hardware Abstraction

    • Service Profiles and Service Profile Templates

    • Cisco UCS Central Overview

    • Cisco HyperFlex™ Overview

    Module 17: Using APIs

    • Common Programmability Protocols and Methods

    • How to Choose Models and Processes

    Module 18: Describing Cisco ACI

    • Cisco ACI Overview

    • Multitier Applications in Cisco ACI

    • Cisco ACI Features

    • VXLAN in Cisco ACI

    • Unicast Traffic in Cisco ACI

    • Multicast Traffic in Cisco ACI

    • Cisco ACI Programmability

    • Common Programming Tools and Orchestration Options

    Module 19: Describing Cloud Computing

    • Cloud Computing Overview

    • Cloud Deployment Models

    • Cloud Computing Services

  • Labs are designed to assure learners a whole practical experience, through the following practical activities:

    • Explore the Cisco NX-OS CLI

    • Explore Topology Discovery

    • Configure Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP)

    • Configure the Cisco Nexus 2000 FEX

    • Configure VPCs

    • Configure VPCs with Cisco FEX

    • Configure Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF)

    • Explore the Virtual Device Contexts (VDC) Elements

    • Install VMware Elastic Sky X Integrated (ESXi) and vCenter

    • Configure VSANs

    • Validate FLOGI and FCNS

    • Configure Zoning

    • Configure Unified Ports on a Cisco Nexus Switch and Implement FCoE

    • Explore the Cisco UCS Server Environment

    • Configure a Cisco UCS Server Profile

    • Configure Cisco NX-OS with APIs

    • Explore the Cisco UCS Manager XML API Management Information Tree

bottom of page