Data Center Infrastructure Design Guide
2.1—Readme File
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Data Center Infrastructure Design Guide 2.1—Readme File
© 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
What is Included in this DG Release? 1
CONTENTS
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Data Center Infrastructure Design Guide 2.1—Readme File
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Contents
iv
Data Center Infrastructure Design Guide 2.1—Readme File
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Data Center Infrastructure Design Guide 2.1— Readme File
What is Included in this DG Release?
This design guide (DG) provides guidelines for designing and building the data center switching
infrastructure.
Table 1 lists the technologies used in the data center infrastructure design documented in version 2 of
this design guide. This table provides a quick glance of the topics and lists the timeframe (current or
future) of documentation availability for each technology.
Table 1 Cisco Data Center Technologies and DG Status
Technology/Product Description Other In this DG?
Cisco Catalyst 6500
WS-X6708-10G-3C
Cisco Catalyst 6500 next generation
hardware—Sup720 and 6700 Series
line cards.
8 port 10 GigE line card for the
Catalyst 6500 Series switch
This DG is based on lab testing using
the Sup720 and 6700 Series line
cards in the Cisco Catalyst 6500
platform in core, aggregation, and
access layer switches.
6708 notations have been added
to reflect the increased port
density. Testing is scheduled for
a future DG release. The data
sheet is available at:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/pr
oducts/hw/switches/ps708/prod
ucts_data_sheet09186a00801dc
e34.html
Native 12.2.18 SXD3 was used
in the lab environment.
No
Yes
Corporate Headquarters:
Cisco Systems, Inc., 170 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134-1706 USA
Copyright © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
What is Included in this DG Release?
Table 1 Cisco Data Center Technologies and DG Status (Continued)
Application Control Engine (ACE) The ACE module introduces a next
generation load balancer and security
services module that permits higher
performance and active-active
designs. The ACE module is not an
available product at the time of this
writing.
Firewall Services Module (FWSM)
Release 3.1
Release 3.1 of the FWSM software
introduces several new capabilities
including Private VLAN support and
active-standby context groups, which
permit load balancing of contexts
across an FWSM redundant pair.
Release 3.1 is not available at the
time of this writing.
Data center security See the data center security DG
at the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/net
sol/ns656/networking_solutions
_design_guidances_list.html#an
chor3
Cisco CatOS-IOS hybrid Hybrid CatOS-IOS software in the
Cisco Catalyst 6500 platform
This DG is based on the Cisco
Native IOS solutions only in the
Cisco Catalyst 6500 and
4948-10GE-based products.
Pervasive 10GE This design guide focuses on the use
of 10GE technology as a primary
technology used in access layer
uplinks, aggregation, and core
connections.
Server fabric switching—
Infiniband
Service module integration (for
example, FWSM, IDS, CSM, NAM,
and SSLSM)
Designing for HPC or database
clusters using Infiniband technology
Integration of service modules and
appliances into the data center
infrastructure
No
Service modules are examined
for interoperability and
placement guidelines. Detailed
design and configuration guides
can be found at the following
URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/net
sol/ns656/networking_solutions
_design_guidances_list.html#an
chor3
1RU access layer design Using 1RU switches in the access
layer design best practices
Testing is focused on the Cisco
Catalyst 4948-10GE 1RU
switch.
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
Data Center Infrastructure Design Guide 2.1— Readme File
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Table 1 Cisco Data Center Technologies and DG Status (Continued)
What is Included in this DG Release?
Environmental Designing for proper cabling,
cooling/airflow, and power
configurations
Network Management Using the NAM, CVDM,
CiscoWorks, Netflow, or other
management/configuration tools
Geographically dispersed clustering
(also known as stretch clusters)
Designing in support of extending
Layer 2 domains to support HA
clustering across metro or wide area
networks
CPU protection from STP loop
conditions
Design best practices in limiting the
impact of failures related to spanning
tree loop conditions
Spanning tree—Using 802.1w
Rapid PVST+ and 802.1s MST
Designing scalable spanning tree
domains using 802.1w and 802.1s
and related features
Layer 2 access design Designs using L2 looped and
loop-free access layer topologies
Layer 3 access design Designs using L3 access layer
topologies
Service layer switch design How to move service modules out of
the aggregation layer and into a
separate service switch chassis for
CSM and SSL modules
Distributed Forwarding Card
placement and benefits
Where to use DFC3 daughter cards to
improve distributed switching
performance in the data center
Enterprise campus segmentation The need to isolate/segment multiple
logical network environments on the
same physical network for
administration, security, or other
purposes.
Use of NSF/SSO for high
availability in the data center
Where to use redundant supervisors
in the data center architecture, and
designing to support required
failover times
Covered in multi-tier and server
cluster architecture chapters
This is covered outside of this
DG document.
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
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Table 2 lists the technologies used in the data center infrastructure design documented in the previous
v1.1. Note that version 2.1 builds on the v1.1 and v 2.0 design recommendations and it is not intended
to be a replacement.
Data Center Infrastructure Design Guide 2.1— Readme File
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What is Included in this DG Release?
Table 2 Technologies used in the Data Center Infrastructure Design Documented in DG v1.1
Technology/product Description
Layer 3 data center design Using OSPF and EIGRP in the data center design
Layer 3 security Using dynamic routing protocol authentication
Use of VTP in Layer 2 designs Why not to use VTP in the data center
Choosing a spanning tree protocol Explains the differences between 802.1w, Rapid PVST+ and
Using LoopGuard and UDLD
Using PortFast and TrunkFast
Layer 2 security Explains VLAN hopping, MAC flooding, ARP spoofing, and
Default gateway design Reviews configurations for HSRP in the data center
ARP table tuning Tuning the ARP table size to optimize traffic characteristics
NIC teaming design Covers the various NIC teaming methods and connectivity
Mainframe OSA and OSPF design Explains mainframe connectivity options when using the OSA
PortFast and BPDU Guard When to use PortFast and BPDU Guard on server ports
Port security Covers server port security options
Server port configurations Examples of server port switch configurations
Network management configuration Configuring user names and passwords, VTY access, SNMP,
VLAN configuration Configuring VTP, MAC address reduction, and other VLAN
Spanning tree configuration How to configure Rapid PVST+, MST, and protection from
Switch-to-switch trunk configuration EtherChannel and trunking configuration between the
MST and when to use each
spanning tree vulnerabilities
options
interface and covers IP addressing and OSPF configurations
and logging
features
loops with UDLD and LoopGuard
aggregation layer switches
Data Center Infrastructure Design Guide 2.1— Readme File
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