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Implementing Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS)
View All CoursesThis course is designed for virtualization or datacenter administrators looking to implement, support, or manage Cisco UCS infrastructure for themselves or their clients. This course offers an in depth look at UCS Architecture and Components, UCS Installation, Configuring Connectivity, Routine and Advanced Management, and more. To get the most from this course, you should have experience with server and network administration, and VMware vSphere.
Lessons
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Lesson Clips
- About Your Instructor and About the Course
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- An Overview of My Lab
- The Charlotte Lab
- The Greensboro Lab
- Cisco UCS Platform Emulator
- Using the UCS Platform Emulator
- Configuring the Network and Hardware Settings in the Platform Emulator
- Launching UCS Manager from the Platform Emulator
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Cisco's Virtualized Data Center
- Understanding the Components
- Infrastructure Components - Nexus Switches
- A Quick Overview of FEX
- Virtual Infrastructure - Nexus 1000v
- Infrastructure Components - MDS Switches
- Cloud Provisioning and Automation
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- How is Cisco UCS Different?
- An Overview of the UCS Components
- Fabric Interconnects
- Comparison of Interconnect Models
- Fabric Extenders
- The Chassis
- Front and Rear View of the UCS Infrastructure
- Compute Blades
- Mezzanine Adapters
- An Overview of the UCS Architecture
- Cisco UCS Logical View
- Available Connectivity and Bandwidth Options
- Common Questions About UCS
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Physical Space in the Rack(s)
- Power Capacity and Plug Types
- Physical Installation in the Rack(s)
- Cabling - Interconnects
- Proper UCS Chassis Cabling
- Supported Cable Types
- Cabling to Existing Infrastructure
- Site Planning
- A Tour of the UCS Equipment
- The Blade Components and Installation
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Introduction to UCS Manager
- Exploring the UCS Manager Interface
- The Equipment Tab in UCS Manager
- The Chassis Node in UCS Manager
- The Interconnects Node in UCS Manager
- The Servers Tab in UCS Manager
- The LAN and SAN Tabs in UCS Manager
- The VM and Admin Tabs in UCS Manager
- UCS Manager - Command-Line Interface
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Starting Initial Configuration
- Connecting to the Interconnects
- A Walkthrough of the Initial Configuration
- About Chassis Discovery Policy, Power Policy, MAC Again, DNS Servers and Time Zones
- A Walkthough of Initial UCSM Configuration
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Are the Fabric Interconnects Switches?
- Ethernet End Host Mode
- EHM Forwarding and Learning Rules
- Ethernet Switching Mode
- Uplink Switch Configuration
- Using VLANs
- Cisco Nexus 5000, 5500, 7000 and Port-Channel Configuration
- Configuring Cisco Nexus NX-OS
- Configuring Cisco Catalyst IOS
- Using vNICs
- MAC Address Abstraction and Configuring Port-Channels
- Configuring LAN Connectivity
- Configuring VLANs
- Using Pin Groups
- Network Considerations
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Benefits of iSCSI and Fibre Channel With UCS
- A Primer on Fibre Channel: Addressing, Zoning, Port Types
- N_Port Virtualization
- Fibre Channel Switching Mode
- Fibre Channel Port-Channels and Trunking
- Connecting SAN Ports
- What are VSANs
- Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
- About Virtual HBAs
- Configuring SAN Connectivity
- Other Storage Ports
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- What are Pools?
- Management IP Address Pool
- Create Management IP Pool
- UUID Pools
- UUID Pool Creation
- MAC Address Pools
- MAC Address Pool Creation
- WWNN Pools
- WWPN Pools
- WWNN and WWPN Pool Creation
- Server Pools
- Server Pool Creation
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Service Profiles and UCS
- Creating a Service Profile
- Creating a Service Profile Template
- Configuring Storage for a Service Profile Template
- Configuring Networking for a Service Profile Template
- Configuring the Service Profile Template Placement Policy, Server Boot Order and Maintenance Policy
- Configuring the Service Profile Server Assignment and Operational Policies
- Creating Service Profiles from a Template
- KVM Access and Associating Service Profiles with Blades
- Installing an Operating System
- KVM Access
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Startup and Shutdown of the Interconnects
- Controlling Blade Server Power
- Status and Locator LEDs
- Configuring Logging
- Checking Status Via CLI
- Configuring the Call Home Feature
- Demo of Logging Capabilities
- Upgrading Component Firmware
- Downloading Firmware to UCS
- Upgrading UCS Firmware
- Licensing
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Organizational Structure in UCSM
- Organizational Inheritance
- Role Based Access Control
- The Predefined Roles
- Locales
- Permissions and Multi-tenancy
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Backing Up UCS Configurations
- Types of Backups
- Creating Backup Jobs
- Creating UCS Backup Jobs
- Importing UCS Backups
- Importing UCS Backup Configurations via GUI and CLI
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- High Availability Connections and Clustering
- High Availability Terms and Data
- Fabric Interconnect Elections
- Configuring Node High Availability
- Resolving Split Brain
- Managing High Availability
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Overview of the Cisco Nexus 1000v
- Components of the Cisco Nexus 1000v
- Let's Talk About vSphere Networking
- What are Pass Thru Switching and VM-FEX
- Integrating UCS and vSphere
- The Two Modes of VM-FEX
- Requirements of VM-FEX
- Configuring and Using VM-FEX
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- What are the Common Areas of Problems
- General Troubleshooting
- Fault Severity Levels, States and Types
- What are Core Files?
- Tech Support Files
- Troubleshooting KVM Issues
- Troubleshooting Boot from SAN and Server Blades
- The Ethanalyzer Tool
- Powering Down the UCS Environment
- Other Resources
- Suggested Continual Reading
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Before You Order
- When the Gear Arrives
- Configuring UCS
- Service Profiles
- What We Covered
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- About the Exam
- About the Data Center Unified Computing Support Specialist Certification
- Study Recommendations and Tips for Preparing for the Exam
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Lesson Clips
- Introduction
- Cisco Virtualized Data Center
- Next Step Supporting Resources
- Literal Next Steps
- We Value Your Opinion
Instructor
Jason Nash
Jason Nash has over 15 years of industry experience and is currently the Data Center Solutions Principal at Varrow, a leader in virtualization, storage, and DR located in the southeast. Before Varrow, Jason was a Platform Architect at a large investment bank where he helped to develop the organization's IT strategy. He has published several books on networking, Windows, and Linux. Jason was designated a vExpert by VMware and holds a BS in Networking Technology and a MS in Information Security.
