Deploying ACI is organised to follow the key decision points associated with implementing data centre network fabrics. After a practical introduction to ACI concepts and design, the authors show how to bring your fabric online, integrate virtualisation and external connections, and efficiently manage your ACI network.

You’ll master new techniques for improving visibility, control, and availability; managing multi-tenancy; and seamlessly inserting service devices into application data flows. The authors conclude with expert advice for troubleshooting and automation, helping you deliver data centre services with unprecedented efficiency.

• Understand the problems ACI solves, and how it solves them
• Design your ACI fabric, build it, and interface with devices to bring it to life
• Integrate virtualisation technologies with your ACI fabric
• Perform networking within an ACI fabric (and understand how ACI changes data centre networking)
• Connect external networks and devices at Layer 2/Layer 3 levels
• Coherently manage unified ACI networks with tenants and application policies
• Migrate to granular policies based on applications and their functions
• Establish multi-tenancy, and evolve networking, security, and services to support it
• Integrate L4–7 services: device types, design scenarios, and implementation
• Use multisite designs to meet rigorous requirements for redundancy and business continuity
• Troubleshoot and monitor ACI fabrics
• Improve operational efficiency through automation and programmability