350-601 Implementing Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (350-601 DCCOR) Questions and Answers

In the context of Cisco Nexus switches, VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) is used to create multiple virtual routing tables within a single switch. By using the default VRF for the scheduler job, the engineer ensures that the TFTP server, which is reachable in the global routing table, can be accessed without the need for additional VRF configuration. This simplifies the backup process and avoids potential issues with VRF-specific routing that could prevent access to the TFTP server.

References: For more detailed information, please refer to the official Cisco documentation for Nexus 3000 Series Switches or the Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) study materials.

Ansible is known for its agentless architecture, which means it does not require a software agent to be installed on the target nodes it manages. This contrasts with tools like Puppet and Chef, which typically require an agent to be installed on each node. Ansible uses SSH or WinRM to communicate with the nodes, making it simpler and more secure as it reduces the attack surface and the overhead of managing agents.

References: Comparison of DevOps tools including Ansible, Puppet, and Chef, as well as Ansible’s official documentation.

To configure a SPAN session on a Cisco Nexus 5600 Series Switch that monitors ingress traffic on interface Ethernet 1/3 without impacting the traffic analyzer on Ethernet 1/5, you would typically use the monitor session command to create a new session, specify the source interface with the source keyword, and the destination interface with the destination keyword. Additionally, you would apply a rate limit to the session to adhere to the traffic budget of 1 Gbps.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus5600/sw/system_management/7x/

b_5600_System_Mgmt_Config_7x/configuring_span.html

 Cisco UCS Director is the appropriate solution for orchestrating the configuration of storage arrays, firewalls, and Cisco ACI networking. It supports open automation through various APIs and offers a service catalog that allows users to manage and deploy services across multiple domains, including compute, storage, networking, and virtualization.

References: The Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) course provides insights into the capabilities of Cisco UCS Director, including its orchestration and automation features

The configuration for interface vfc 10 that meets the requirements is Option A. This option correctly binds vfc 10 to Ethernet 1/1 on N5K_1, which is part of Fabric A, and allows VLAN 11 for FCoE traffic as well as VLAN 100 for Ethernet traffic. The configuration ensures that VLAN 11 is used for FCoE on VSAN11, which is specific to Fabric A, and also includes VLAN 100 as required for Ethernet traffic.

References: = For further details on configuring FCoE and binding virtual fibre channel (vfc) interfaces to physical Ethernet interfaces on Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches, you can refer to the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) study materials or the official Cisco documentation on FCoE configuration.

The impact of the EPLD update of the supervisor module on the Cisco MDS 9000 switches is that the redundant supervisor takes over while the EPLD update is in progress and there is no service disruption. EPLD (Electronic Programmable Logic Device) is a firmware component that controls the functionality of various hardware modules on the switch, such as the supervisor, line cards, and fabric modules. The EPLD update is performed to enhance the performance and features of the hardware modules, and to fix any bugs or issues. The EPLD update process requires a reload of the affected module, which can cause a temporary loss of connectivity and traffic. However, if the switch has a redundant supervisor module configured in high availability mode, the EPLD update can be performed without any service disruption. This is because the redundant supervisor takes over the control plane functions while the active supervisor is being updated, and then switches back to the active supervisor when the update is completed. The EPLD update does not affect the data plane traffic, as the line cards and fabric modules continue to forward packets during the update process. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 7: Data Center Storage Connectivity, Lesson 7.3: Fibre Channel Protocol
• Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Chapter: Installing Software Images and EPLDs, Section: Updating EPLDs

 To add a Cisco HyperFlex data platform to the Cisco Intersight management portal, two components are required for Intersight to claim the Cisco HyperFlex data platform: the device claim code and the device serial number. The device claim code is a unique identifier that is generated by the Cisco HyperFlex installer and is used to register the device with Intersight. The device serial number is the serial number of the Cisco HyperFlex controller node and is used to verify the device ownership and entitlement3.

References := 3: [Cisco HyperFlex Systems Installation Guide for Cisco Intersight, Release 4.0] : [Cisco Intersight Device Connector Installation and Reference Guide]

 To configure a Fibre Channel device alias named TEST for a device attached to port fc1/9 on a Cisco Nexus Series Switch, the correct command set is found in Option A. The commands should be entered in configuration mode, starting with accessing the device-alias database, creating the device-alias named TEST with the specified pwwn, and committing the changes to the database123.

References := The process for configuring a Fibre Channel device alias on a Cisco Nexus Series Switch is detailed in the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS SAN Switching Configuration Guide and other Cisco documentation related to SAN switching and device aliases

 In a vPC (Virtual Port Channel) environment, broadcast packets received on the vPC peer link are not forwarded out on the vPC member ports. This behavior is due to the vPC loop avoidance rule, which prevents traffic received on a vPC peer link from being sent back out of the vPC member ports. Therefore, the Agg-1 switch will prevent broadcast packets that arrive on the vPC peer link from exiting the switch on ports Eth2/4 and Eth2/5.

References: For more detailed information, you can refer to the Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) course, which covers the essentials of vPC operations and the loop avoidance mechanism

UCS-A# scope security

UCS-A /security # scope radius

UCS-A /security/radius # create server radiusserv7

UCS-A /security/radius/server* # set key

UCS-A /security/radius/server* # commit-buffer

An ISSU upgrade on the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switch allows for software updates with minimal impact on the switch’s operation. The control plane remains up during the upgrade, ensuring continuous network operations and service availability. The process is carefully designed to prevent any significant downtime, and any brief disruption is kept well under the 120-second mark1.

References := For further details, you can refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 8.x, and the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide21.

 NFS, or Network File System, is a protocol that allows a user on a client computer to access files over a network in a manner similar to how local storage is accessed. NFS uses remote procedure calls (RPC) over TCP/IP for transport4. References := Wikipedia article on Network File System (NFS)4.

Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) is designed to help manage all NX-OS network deployments, which includes LAN fabrics, SAN fabrics, and IP Fabric for Media (IPFM) networking in the data center. DCNM provides prebuilt templates that can be used to customize fabric deployments, allowing for a more streamlined and efficient setup process. These templates include best-practice policy templates for Easy Fabric Mode and support for Python scripting for more complex policy templates, facilitating the customization and automation of fabric deployments.

References: This information is supported by the Cisco Data Center Network Manager 11 Data Sheet, which outlines the features and benefits of DCNM, including the availability of prebuilt templates for fabric customization

Option A and D are the correct steps to implement the solution. Enabling encryption for LDAP ensures information integrity and confidentiality during data transmission between systems. Adding a trusted root LDAP certificate to Cisco Intersight establishes a secure connection by validating the authenticity of the LDAP server. References:

• Cisco Intersight User Guide, Release 1.0 - Configuring Cisco Intersight [Cisco Intersight], Configuring Cisco Intersight, Configuring LDAP Settings
• Cisco Intersight User Guide, Release 1.0 - Configuring Cisco Intersight [Cisco Intersight], Configuring Cisco Intersight, Configuring Certificates

In a multihomed OTV network, it is essential to configure the remote OTV AEDs (Authoritative Edge Devices) to use both the primary and secondary adjacency servers for redundancy and resiliency. The correct configuration, Option D, includes the otv use-adjacency-server command with both IP addresses of the primary and secondary servers followed by unicast-only, which indicates that the AEDs should use unicast connections to the adjacency servers instead of multicast.

References := This configuration aligns with best practices for setting up OTV networks as described in Cisco’s Data Center Core Technologies documentation. For a more comprehensive understanding, refer to the study materials related to OTV configurations in the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) course.

NX-API Sandbox is a utility that allows the engineer to translate traditional Nexus CLI inputs and generate Python code using XML and JSON message formats. It is available on a Nexus 7700 series switch as a web-based tool that can be accessed from a browser. It provides a graphical interface for entering CLI commands and viewing the corresponding Python code and output. It also allows the engineer to execute the Python code directly on the switch or copy it to a script file. References := [Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Programmability Guide]

The command “show install all impact epld bootflash:n9000-epld.6.1.2.13.1.img” is used to display the impact of the EPLD (Electronic Programmable Logic Device) upgrade on the operation of the Cisco Nexus 9000 series switch. This command does not perform the upgrade; instead, it provides a report that shows what the upgrade would affect if it were to be executed. This is useful for planning and ensuring that the upgrade will not disrupt critical services or operations on the switch. References :=

• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Chapter: Managing EPLD Images

 For a deployment that requires high performance with consistency and low latency, an All-NVMe Cisco HyperFlex storage configuration is the optimal choice. NVMe drives offer superior speed and efficiency compared to other storage mediums, making them ideal for data-intensive applications and databases.

 Option B and E are the correct configuration sets that must be used to meet the requirements. Option B enables the user role distribution in DC1 by setting the role distribution policy to enabled and the role distribution scope to global. Option E constrains the NTP and call home features to DC2 by setting the NTP and call home policies to local and assigning them to the DC2 fabric interconnects. References:

• Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring User Role Distribution [Cisco UCS Manager], Configuring User Role Distribution, Configuring User Role Distribution
• Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring NTP [Cisco UCS Manager], Configuring NTP, Configuring NTP
• Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring Call Home [Cisco UCS Manager], Configuring Call Home, Configuring Call Home

 SSH (Secure Shell) is the protocol that allows secure remote login from one computer to another. It provides strong authentication and secure communications over unsecured channels. This protocol is preferred for automated onboarding of devices like Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches because it supports strong encryption and credential-based authentication, which aligns with the requirement for minimal connection methods and security. SSH is commonly used in network automation for secure command execution and file transfers1.

References := For more information on configuring Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches for automation and integration with systems like Cisco UCS Director, you can refer to the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Programmability Guide, which details the supported manageability features and advanced automation capabilities, including Power On Auto Provisioning (POAP) and integration with automation frameworks

 The two components that support specific power limits on a Cisco UCS C-Series rack server are the processor and the graphic card. The processor and the graphic card are the two components that consume the most power on a server, and they can be configured to have specific power limits to control the power usage and performance of the server. The power limits can be set using the Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) web interface or CLI, or using the Cisco UCS Manager if the server is integrated with a Cisco UCS domain. The power limits can be applied to individual processors or graphic cards, or to the entire server. The power limits can help to optimize the power efficiency and thermal management of the server, as well as to prevent power capping or throttling issues. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 5: Cisco Unified Computing System, Lesson 5.4: Cisco UCS C-Series Servers
• Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller CLI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0, Chapter: Configuring Server Power, Section: Configuring Processor Power Limits
• Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller GUI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0, Chapter: Configuring Server Power, Section: Configuring Processor Power Limits

 A hybrid Cisco HyperFlex storage configuration is the best option for a virtual environment that is not performance-sensitive, but requires high storage capacity and a low cost. A hybrid configuration consists of a mix of solid-state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives (HDDs) in each node. The SSDs are used for caching and metadata, while the HDDs are used for data storage. This allows for a balance between performance and capacity, as well as a lower cost per gigabyte than an all-flash configuration. A hybrid configuration also provides data deduplication and compression features to optimize storage efficiency and reduce the storage footprint. A hybrid configuration is suitable for general-purpose workloads, such as virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), databases, and file servers. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 4: Cisco HyperFlex, Lesson 4.1: Cisco HyperFlex Overview
• Cisco HyperFlex Systems Design Guide, Chapter: Cisco HyperFlex Storage Configurations

The attribute that must be selected to implement microsegmentation of endpoints within the same IP subnet using a network-based attribute that allows IP subnet independence is the Tag attribute. The Tag attribute is a user-defined attribute that can be assigned to endpoints based on any criteria, such as location, function, or security level. The Tag attribute can be used to create microsegmentation policies in ACI, which define the rules for communication between endpoints within the same or different bridge domains. The Tag attribute enables IP subnet independence, which means that the microsegmentation policies are not tied to the IP subnet of the endpoints, and can be applied across different subnets or even different fabrics. The Tag attribute also simplifies the management and scalability of microsegmentation policies, as it does not require the use of IP addresses or MAC addresses to identify endpoints. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 6: Data Center Network Connectivity Design, Lesson 6.2: Cisco ACI Overview and Concepts
• Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Fundamentals, Chapter: Endpoint Groups and Microsegmentation, Section: Microsegmentation Using Tags

 Option C is the correct configuration to apply a power redundancy policy on a Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Server that supports two power sources. The power redundancy policy determines how the server uses the available power supplies to optimize power usage. The grid option means that the server uses power from both power supplies simultaneously. If one power supply fails, the server continues to operate with the remaining power supply. The other options are not suitable for this requirement. The n+1 option means that the server uses one fewer power supply than the number of power supplies that are installed. If a power supply fails, the server uses the extra power supply. The non-redundant option means that the server uses only one power supply, regardless of the number of power supplies that are installed. If the power supply fails, the server shuts down. The ps-redundant option means that the server uses power from the most efficient power supply. If the power supply fails, the server switches to another power supply. References:

• Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller GUI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring Server Power [Cisco Integrated Management Controller], Configuring Server Power, Configuring the Power Policy
• Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller GUI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring Server Power [Cisco Integrated Management Controller], Configuring Server Power, Power Redundancy Modes

 For VXLAN routing on a Cisco Nexus 9000 series switch where all leaf switches share the same gateway MAC and IP address, the configuration must enable the anycast gateway feature. This is achieved by setting the fabric forwarding anycast-gateway-mac to a common MAC address across all leaf switches and configuring the VLAN interface with the fabric forwarding mode anycast-gateway command. Option D provides the correct set of commands to accomplish this task, ensuring that the leaf switches can route traffic using the same gateway MAC and IP address, which simplifies the network design and eases the management of the VXLAN overlay.

References := The configuration steps are aligned with Cisco’s best practices for VXLAN routing as described in the Cisco documentation and the Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) course materials, which detail the process of setting up VXLAN and using anycast gateways

 Option A is the correct action that accomplishes the objective. Setting the pinning max-links value to 8 ensures that all host ports are distributed across all eight configured FEX uplinks, providing optimal bandwidth utilization and redundancy. If an uplink fails, this configuration minimizes disruption by automatically redistributing host ports among the remaining active uplinks. References:

• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Interfaces Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x) - Configuring Fabric Extenders [Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches], Configuring Fabric Extenders, Configuring Fabric Extender Pinning
• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Interfaces Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x) - Configuring Fabric Extenders [Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches], Configuring Fabric Extenders, Configuring Fabric Extender Pinning Max-Links

 To establish adjacency to the remote peer by using multicast, the engineer needs to configure the otv data-group command with a multicast address range that is unique for each site. This command specifies the multicast group that is used to send and receive OTV data traffic. To enable OTV advertisements for VLAN 100 to the other site, the engineer needs to configure the otv extend-vlan command with the VLAN number. This command specifies which VLANs are extended across the overlay network. References:

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) - Cisco, Module 3: Data Center Network Connectivity Design, Lesson 3: Implementing Cisco Overlay Transport Virtualization
• Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS OTV Configuration Guide, Release 6.x - Configuring Basic OTV [Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches], Configuring Basic OTV, Configuring the OTV Data Group
• Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS OTV Configuration Guide, Release 6.x - Configuring Basic OTV [Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches], Configuring Basic OTV, Configuring VLANs to Be Extended over the OTV Overlay Network

 SSH (Secure Shell) is the protocol that allows secure remote login from one computer to another. It provides strong authentication and secure communications over unsecured channels. This protocol is preferred for automated onboarding of devices like Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches because it supports strong encryption and credential-based authentication, which aligns with the requirement for minimal connection methods and security. SSH is commonly used in network automation for secure command execution and file transfers.

References := For more information on configuring Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches for automation and integration with systems like Cisco UCS Director, you can refer to the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Programmability Guide, which details the supported manageability features and advanced automation capabilities, including Power On Auto Provisioning (POAP) and integration with automation frameworks

Cisco CloudCenter is the best product to meet the requirements of the customer who wants to offload some of its order processing to a public cloud environment. Cisco CloudCenter allows the customer to deploy and manage applications in different cloud environments, including public cloud, while ensuring cost optimization and automation. Cisco CloudCenter also integrates with Cisco ACI and Puppet to provide consistent networking and configuration management across hybrid cloud deployments. The other products are not suitable for this scenario. Cisco Intersight is a cloud-based management platform for Cisco UCS and HyperFlex systems, Cisco Workload Optimization Manager is a software solution that automates workload placement and scaling across private and public cloud environments, and Cisco Data Center Network Manager is a network management tool for Cisco Nexus and MDS switches. References:

• Cisco CloudCenter Solution Overview - Cisco, Cisco CloudCenter Solution Overview
• Cisco CloudCenter and Cisco ACI - Cisco, Cisco CloudCenter and Cisco ACI
• Cisco CloudCenter and Puppet - Cisco, Cisco CloudCenter and Puppet
• Cisco Intersight Overview - Cisco, Cisco Intersight Overview
• [Cisco Workload Optimization Manager Overview - Cisco], Cisco Workload Optimization Manager Overview
• [Cisco Data Center Network Manager Overview - Cisco], Cisco Data Center Network Manager Overview

The Maintenance Mode Profile feature in Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches is used to ensure a controlled shutdown of ports and graceful termination of routing protocols before performing a software upgrade12. References := Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide12.

 In the context of Cisco Data Center Core Technologies, SPAN (Switched Port Analyzer) is used to monitor network traffic. To configure a SPAN session on a Nexus 5000 series switch, an engineer would need to use specific commands. Option A, “Configure the switchport monitor under interface fc2/2,” is correct as it involves setting up the monitoring port under a specific interface. Option D, “Configure session type fc under monitor session 1,” is also correct as it specifies the type of session being configured for monitoring.

References := The explanation can be corroborated with detailed study from Cisco’s official documentation and resources available on their website or the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies source book.

 Option B is the correct configuration set that meets the requirements for the SAN users’ role. This configuration allows users to have show access to the system, SNMP, module, and hardware information, run debug zone and exec fcping commands, and restricts access to the show feature environment command2.

The command rollback running-config checkpoint system-fm-pim-best-effort is used to restore the configuration changes made by disabling the PIM feature and skipping any errors. In Cisco Data Center Core Technologies, it’s essential to understand that rollback is a feature that allows administrators to take a snapshot of the configuration before making changes, so they can quickly roll back if needed. The system-fm-pim-best-effort option ensures that the rollback occurs even if there are errors encountered during the process, ensuring that as much of the previous state is restored as possible.

References:

• Cisco Nexus: Configuration Rollback Overview and Guidelines1.
• IP Multicast: PIM Configuration Guide

Placing all EPGs in the preferred group within a VRF allows for communication between them without the need for additional contracts. This is because the preferred group feature in Cisco ACI allows EPGs within the same VRF to communicate with each other by default, bypassing the need to provide and consume contracts1. This simplifies the configuration process when new EPGs and bridge domains are added, as they inherit this communication capability by being part of the preferred group1.

References := For more information on the implementation of VRFs and the use of the preferred group feature in Cisco ACI, you can refer to the Cisco documentation on “Use vzAny to Automatically Apply Communication Rules to all EPGs in a VRF” and other related resources1. These documents provide detailed guidance on how to configure VRFs and EPGs to achieve seamless communication within the network infrastructure.

To configure multiple EPGs on a single access port in a large Cisco ACI fabric without using VMM integration, the EPGs must be linked to the correct physical domain (Option B) and configured as static ports (Option E). The physical domain is associated with VLAN namespaces and determines the VLAN encapsulation at the interface level. The static ports are used to manually assign the EPGs to the access port. The other options are not required for this configuration. A contract is used to define the communication policy between EPGs, but it is not necessary to create one for this scenario. The EPGs do not link directly to the AAEP, but rather to the interface policy group that is associated with the AAEP. The bridge domains do not need to be configured in legacy mode, which is a mode that allows communication with non-ACI networks. References:

• Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Fundamentals, Release 4.x - Endpoint Groups (EPGs) [Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure], Endpoint Groups (EPGs), Physical Domain
• Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Fundamentals, Release 4.x - Endpoint Groups (EPGs) [Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure], Endpoint Groups (EPGs), Static Ports
• Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Fundamentals, Release 4.x - Endpoint Groups (EPGs) [Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure], Endpoint Groups (EPGs), Contracts
• Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Fundamentals, Release 4.x - Endpoint Groups (EPGs) [Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure], Endpoint Groups (EPGs), Attachable Access Entity Profile
• Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Fundamentals, Release 4.x - Bridge Domains [Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure], Bridge Domains, Legacy Mode

During an In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) on Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches, the LACP peer session is designed to remain up without any renegotiation or reset. This is because ISSU is a process that allows for software upgrades without disrupting the normal operation of the network. The default LACP timers and the ISSU process are designed to work together to maintain the session state even during the upgrade process. The Nexus upgrade process will force the chassis itself to upgrade disruptively if LACP fast is used, which is not the default setting. A disruptive upgrade means the chassis itself will fully reload, impacting all ports on the switch, not just the LACP fast ones. However, with the default aging timers, the LACP peer connection should not be affected1.

References:

• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide2.
• Cisco Community discussions on LACP and ISSU impact

The benefit of adding Cisco HyperFlex Hardware Acceleration Cards to a HyperFlex deployment is increased compression efficiency. These cards are PCIe devices that offload the compression and decompression operations from the CPU, resulting in higher performance and lower latency for most storage workloads. The cards also reduce the CPU utilization and power consumption of the HyperFlex nodes, enabling more resources for other applications. The other options (offline encryption acceleration, increased network throughput, and GPU acceleration) are not benefits of the HyperFlex Hardware Acceleration Cards. References: For more information on the HyperFlex Hardware Acceleration Cards, please refer to the following resources:

• Configure HyperFlex Hardware Acceleration Cards
• Cisco HyperFlex Systems Installation Guide for VMware ESXi, Release 4.0
• Cisco HyperFlex HX240c M5 Data Sheet

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/hyperconverged_systems/HyperFlex_HX_DataPlatformSoftware/

Installation_VMWare_ESXi/3_5/b_HyperFlexSystems_Installation_Guide_for_VMware_ESXi_3_5/

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20cards%20provide%20improved%20performance%20and%20compression%20efficiency%20for%20most

%20storage%20workloads.

 The backup operation type that does not include the Preserve Identities feature is the logical configuration. This type of backup includes the settings and configurations that are logically defined within the Cisco UCS Manager, such as service profiles, policies, and management settings. However, it does not include the unique identifiers or ‘identities’ such as MAC addresses, WWN pools, and UUIDs, which are preserved in other types of backups like system configuration and full state.

References: The information about different backup operation types and the specifics of what each includes can be found in the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies documentation and the Cisco UCS Manager Backup and Restore Management Guide1.

 Configuring Link Group Preference to Port Channel © allows the use of all four interfaces and provides link failure tolerance. This is because port channels can combine multiple physical links into a single logical link that provides high availability through redundancy. If one link in the port channel fails, traffic is automatically redistributed to the remaining links without any disruption to the network12.

References: The configuration of port channels and link group preferences in a Cisco UCS environment is detailed in Cisco’s official documentation and community discussions related to fabric failover and high availability

 When storm control is applied to an interface with a zero percent value, it means that the switch will not tolerate any traffic that exceeds the bandwidth of the interfaces during a streaming window. The switch monitors the levels of incoming broadcast, multicast, and unicast traffic over a 1-second interval. When the configured threshold level is reached, further traffic in this category is dropped until the level falls below the threshold.

 Network-attached storage (NAS) provides the virtualization feature of a VM cluster shared disk. This allows multiple virtual machines to access shared storage, enabling functionalities like migration, fault tolerance, and distributed resource scheduling.

References: VMware documentation on networked storage technologies explains how NAS supports shared datastores that can be accessed by multiple hosts concurrently, which is essential for VM cluster shared disks

 Option C is the correct answer. Puppet is an open-source software configuration management tool that is used for deploying, configuring, and managing servers. It allows for the centralized management of various system configurations and aligns UCS servers to their desired state by periodically acquiring configurations from a centralized server. References:

• Cisco Data Center Core Technologies, Module 5: Data Center Automation and Orchestration, Lesson 5.1: Describe Automation and Orchestration Concepts, Topic 5.1.1: Configuration Management Tools
• Cisco Data Center Core Technologies, Module 5: Data Center Automation and Orchestration, Lesson 5.2: Implement Automation and Orchestration, Topic 5.2.2: Implement Puppet

The data interchange format presented in the output is JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), which is commonly used for transmitting data in web applications and for configuration files. It is easily readable both by humans and machines.

For detailed explanations and references, it’s best to consult the official Cisco documentation or the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies study guide.

Option D is the recommended method to configure the SAN boot when the storage system maps the source WWPN to a unique LUN. This method creates a SAN boot policy in which every initiator is mapped to a different target LUN, which ensures that each server boots from its own LUN and avoids any conflicts or errors. The other options are either incorrect or incomplete for the task. References:

• Cisco UCS Manager GUI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring SAN Boot [Cisco UCS Manager], Configuring SAN Boot, Configuring SAN Boot
• Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring SAN Boot [Cisco UCS Manager], Configuring SAN Boot, Configuring SAN Boot

 To install an operating system on a LUN provided by the Fibre Channel storage array, the engineer needs to configure the boot policy to include a SAN Boot Target with a WWPN (World Wide Port Name). This ensures that the server can communicate with the specific LUN on the storage array during the boot process. Additionally, adding Local CD/DVD and SAN Boot in the boot policy provides flexibility for installation sources, ensuring that both local and networked storage options are available during boot. References := Cisco Data Center Core Technologies source documents or study guide

 The preserve identities feature is not included in the logical configuration backup operation type. This type of backup includes the configuration settings that are logically grouped, such as service profiles, policies, and pools, but does not include the unique identifiers or configurations that are specific to a particular system or setup, which are preserved in a full state or system configuration backup.

References := For detailed information on the different backup operation types and their characteristics, please refer to the official Cisco documentation on Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR), specifically the sections related to backup and restore operations within the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Manager1.

When a Cisco Nexus 9000 series switch encounters a startup configuration corruption, the recovery process involves clearing the current configuration, restarting the device, and then restoring the configuration from a previously saved file. The correct sequence is to first clear the configuration to prevent the corrupted startup configuration from loading upon restart. After restarting the device, the previously saved configuration file should be copied to the running configuration. Finally, to ensure the switch starts with the correct configuration in future restarts, the running configuration should be saved to the startup configuration.

References: The recovery process is detailed in the Cisco community documentation, where it outlines the steps for recovering the configuration in UCS by importing the configuration from a previously saved location

The virtual MAC address that is the default for HSRP version 2 group 10 is 0000.0C9F.F00A. HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol) is a protocol that provides redundancy and load balancing for IP networks by allowing multiple routers to share a virtual IP address and MAC address. HSRP version 2 supports up to 4096 groups, and uses a different MAC address format than HSRP version 1. The MAC address format for HSRP version 2 is 0000.0C9F.FXXX, where XXX is the hexadecimal value of the group number. For group 10, the hexadecimal value is 0A, so the MAC address is 0000.0C9F.F00A. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 3: Data Center LAN Network Connectivity, Lesson 3.6: Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches
• Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 5.2(1)N1(1), Chapter: Configuring HSRP, Section: HSRP Version 2 edge browser The user has the page open in a Microsoft Edge browser window whose metadata is:

The ip ospf passive-interface command is used to prevent OSPF adjacency and routing updates from being sent or received on a specific interface, while still advertising the interface subnet via OSPF. This command is useful for stub networks or loopback interfaces that do not need to form OSPF neighbor relationships. The other commands either enable OSPF adjacency by default, change the OSPF network type, or disable OSPF passive mode. References:

• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x) - Configuring OSPF [Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches], Configuring OSPF, Configuring OSPF Interfaces
• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x) - Configuring OSPF [Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches], Configuring OSPF, Configuring OSPF Passive Interfaces
• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x) - Configuring OSPF [Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches], Configuring OSPF, Configuring OSPF Network Types

The MAC address that is an HSRP version 2 address is 0000.0C9F.F0C8. HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol) is a protocol that provides redundancy and load balancing for IP networks by allowing multiple routers to share a virtual IP address and MAC address. HSRP version 2 supports up to 4096 groups, and uses a different MAC address format than HSRP version 1. The MAC address format for HSRP version 2 is 0000.0C9F.FXXX, where XXX is the hexadecimal value of the group number. For group 200, the hexadecimal value is C8, so the MAC address is 0000.0C9F.F0C8. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 3: Data Center LAN Network Connectivity, Lesson 3.6: Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches
• Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS Unicast Routing Configuration Guide, Release 5.2(1)N1(1), Chapter: Configuring HSRP, Section: HSRP Version 2

To set access to Cisco IMC (Integrated Management Controller) and allow logging onto the https://datacenter.local  web page, the correct set of commands is found in option C. These commands will configure the network settings on the Cisco UCS C240 Series Server to enable web access to the Cisco IMC interface. The configuration typically involves setting the correct IP address, gateway, and other network parameters that align with the data center’s network design.

References :=

• Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller CLI Configuration Guide
• Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) study materials

The Device Connector Access Mode should be configured as ‘Allow Control’ within the Cisco UCS Manager to enable full configuration capabilities. Claiming the device on Intersight as ‘UCSM Managed Mode’ ensures that the device can be managed through both the Cisco UCS Manager and the Intersight platform. This configuration aligns with the best practices for setting up Cisco UCS domains for integration with Intersight, allowing for seamless monitoring and management while maintaining security and control12.

References := For further details on the configuration process and best practices, you can refer to the Cisco Intersight Managed Mode Configuration Guide and other official Cisco documentation related to UCS domain profiles and Intersight integration

To meet the deployment requirements for implementing VSANs on a Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switch, the correct steps are to create VSAN 10 in the VSAN database and bind it to the interface fc1/1. This assigns the host on port fc1/1 to VSAN 10. Additionally, enabling VSAN trunking on the Inter-Switch Link (ISL) and allowing VSAN 10 on the ISL ensures that the port channel 10 can pass multiple VSANs, including VSAN 10. This configuration allows for the segregation of traffic and maintains the isolation of different VSANs while still permitting communication across the shared physical infrastructure12.

References:

• Cisco documentation on “Configuring VSANs and Interfaces” provides detailed steps on creating and managing VSANs1.
• The “Cisco MDS 9000 Series Fabric Configuration Guide” further elaborates on managing VSANs and their associated interfaces

OSPFv2 can be configured for unicast updates and decentralized communication through a point-to-point (p2p) network type on the interface connecting the Cisco Nexus switches. This configuration ensures that OSPFv2 updates are sent directly between the two switches without the need for a designated router, meeting all listed requirements including full adjacency1.

References := For more information, refer to the “Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR)” course details on Cisco’s official website

 To implement private VLANs for Cisco UCS 8-Series servers, the primary VLAN is already present, and the secondary VLAN needs to be added to both fabrics. The correct configuration set that accomplishes this task is Option C. This option includes the necessary commands to create the VLAN and set its sharing to secondary, which is required for the configuration of private VLANs in a Cisco UCS environment12.

References: = For detailed steps and configurations, refer to the Cisco documentation on private VLANs and UCS configuration12. It provides comprehensive guidance on setting up private VLANs in the Cisco UCS environment.

The requirements listed are indicative of a need for a port channel configuration that supports Enhanced ISL (EISL) or E Port channels. These channels are used for inter-switch links (ISLs) between Cisco MDS switches and can carry traffic for multiple VSANs. The ‘Active’ mode is necessary to ensure that the port channel will suspend an individual member link if there is a configuration mismatch, which is a feature of the PortChannel protocol LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol). This mode also supports load balancing and can handle traffic from multiple VSANs12.

References: For more detailed information on configuring port channels on Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches, you can refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Interfaces Configuration Guide12.

To monitor all LAN traffic on Fabric A from a blade server, the source should be configured as all uplink Ethernet ports in the test-span monitor session. This configuration allows the engineer to capture all LAN traffic that traverses the uplink Ethernet ports, providing a comprehensive view of the network activity related to Fabric A. By monitoring these ports, the engineer can analyze traffic patterns, detect anomalies, and ensure the proper functioning of the network.

References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, which covers the necessary concepts for monitoring and managing traffic within a Cisco data center network.
• Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) Guide, which provides detailed instructions on setting up and configuring monitoring sessions for traffic analysis.

The Peer Gateway feature on Cisco Nexus switches is designed to address the exact scenario described. When enabled, it allows the vPC peer switches to forward traffic based on the SVI MAC address, even if it is not the HSRP MAC address. This is particularly useful in cases where end devices do not use the HSRP virtual MAC address for the gateway and instead use the physical MAC address of one of the HSRP routers1. By using the Peer Gateway feature, both N9K_1 and N9K_2 will be able to forward traffic for VLAN 23, ensuring that the packets are not dropped due to the vPC loop prevention mechanism123.

References: = This information is supported by Cisco’s documentation on Nexus 5500 Platform Layer 3 and vPC Operations, which explains the use of the peer-gateway command to allow Layer 3 forwarding in scenarios where the destination MAC of the incoming packet is the MAC of its vPC peer switch1. Additionally, discussions in the Cisco Community confirm the necessity of this feature when certain devices on the network do not properly send traffic to the MAC address specified in the ARP234

Cisco HyperFlex All-Flash Stretched clusters provide a higher number of Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) compared to All-HDD Stretched clusters. This is due to the faster data access speeds of flash storage, which results in better performance and lower latency for applications, especially those requiring high throughput and fast processing2

The Cisco UCS firmware Auto Sync Server policy includes several configuration settings that determine how and when firmware on servers is synchronized. The two available settings from the options provided are ‘User Acknowledge’ and ‘No Action’. ‘User Acknowledge’ requires an administrator to manually acknowledge firmware upgrades in the Pending Activities dialog box before they are applied. ‘No Action’ means no firmware upgrade is initiated on the server. These settings allow administrators to control the firmware synchronization process according to their operational policies and procedures.

References := Using Firmware Automatic Synchronization Server Policy - Cisco, Cisco UCS B-Series CLI Firmware Management Guide, Release 2.2

The network administrator role in Cisco UCS Manager is designed to allow configuration of network-related settings, which includes vHBAs, vNICs, and server port types. This role provides the necessary privileges to manage these components

The correct command to add to the script is option B, which concatenates the string ‘fusion-config_’ with the variable date to form the filename. This will result in a filename that includes the desired prefix followed by the current date, matching the format specified in the question.

References := For more information on scripting and automation within Cisco environments, you can refer to the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies documentation, which includes guidelines on using Python scripts for network configuration and management tasks.

The statement that applies to a Cisco Nexus 5600 Series switch when performing a rollback is that errors are skipped when an atomic rollback type is triggered. An atomic rollback is a type of rollback that implements the checkpoint configuration only if no errors occur during the process. If any errors are encountered, the rollback is aborted and the running configuration is restored to its previous state. This ensures that the switch does not end up in a partially configured or inconsistent state. The other statements are not true because:

• A user who is assigned to the network-operator user role cannot perform a rollback. The network-operator user role has read-only access to the switch and cannot modify the configuration. To perform a rollback, the user must have the network-admin or vdc-admin user role.
• The configuration rollback functionality is not disabled when FCoE is enabled. The rollback feature is supported on all Cisco Nexus 5600 Series switches regardless of the FCoE configuration. However, some FCoE-related commands may not be rolled back due to dependencies or conflicts with other features.
• A system checkpoint is not generated automatically when the running configuration is saved to NVRAM. A system checkpoint is a predefined checkpoint that contains the last saved configuration of the switch. A system checkpoint is created or updated only when the user explicitly saves the running configuration to the startup configuration using the copy running-config startup-config command or its alias, copy run start. References: For more details on how to configure and use the rollback feature on a Cisco Nexus 5600 Series switch, please refer to the following resources:
• Configuring Rollback
• Cisco Nexus 5600 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 7.x
• Cisco Nexus 5600 Series NX-OS System Management Command Reference

The Firmware Auto Sync Server policy in Cisco UCS Manager allows administrators to set when and how firmware versions on recently discovered servers should be upgraded. The policy options include ‘User Acknowledge’, which requires an administrator’s acknowledgment to initiate the firmware upgrade, and ‘No Action’, which means no firmware upgrade will be initiated on the server. These settings ensure that firmware upgrades are controlled and do not occur without the necessary administrative oversight.

References: Using Firmware Automatic Synchronization Server Policy

 A nondisruptive upgrade is possible only when there are no changes to the configuration settings or network connections during the upgrade process. Any such changes can lead to a disruption, which is particularly critical in a dual supervisor Cisco Nexus 7000 series switch where stability is paramount.

References := For an in-depth understanding, refer to the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies study materials, specifically the sections discussing software upgrades and maintenance for Cisco Nexus switches

The OPTIONS method is used in REST APIs to return the HTTP methods that the server supports for a specific URL. This can be useful for discovering what functionality a REST API endpoint supports.

To add a new VRF (DC DC) that allows communication of network prefixes between PE1 and PE2 using MP-BGP and EVPN, the engineer should choose Option B and Option E. These options likely include the necessary configurations for route distinguishers and route targets that facilitate the import and export of routes between the VRF instances on different PE routers1

A characteristic of the install all command on the Cisco Nexus series switch is that it automatically checks the image integrity before performing the installation. The install all command is used to install a system image and kickstart image on the switch, as well as to upgrade the BIOS and other firmware components. The install all command performs a series of checks and validations before installing the images, such as verifying the compatibility, checksum, and signature of the images. This ensures that the images are not corrupted or tampered with, and that they match the hardware and software requirements of the switch. The install all command also performs a backup of the current configuration and images, and allows the user to abort the installation process if needed. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 3: Data Center LAN Network Connectivity, Lesson 3.4: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches
• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x), Chapter: Installing Software Images and EPLDs, Section: Installing System and Kickstart Images

 FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) requires a lossless Ethernet network to ensure that no frames are dropped, which is crucial for storage traffic. DCBXP (Data Center Bridging Exchange Protocol) is part of the DCB (Data Center Bridging) suite of protocols that help to create a lossless Ethernet by providing a means to exchange parameters between peers to ensure consistent configuration across the network. For FCoE to function correctly on a Cisco Nexus switch, it is essential that LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) transmit and receive capabilities are enabled on the interface where FCoE is configured. This allows the switch to advertise and receive configuration information for parameters like priority-based flow control (PFC) and Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS), which are critical for the lossless operation required by FCoE.

References: The information is based on the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) course, which covers the implementation of data center technologies including network, compute, storage network, automation, and security. More details can be found in the course material and official Cisco documentation on FCoE and DCBXP implementation

 Increasing the vPC delay restore timer can help prevent packet loss during a vPC peer switch reload. This timer delays the restoration of vPCs after a peer link recovery, allowing enough time for all the systems to stabilize and for routing protocols to converge, thus avoiding potential packet loss1.

 To make a capture task persistent after a reboot, the command sequence in Option C should be used. This typically involves enabling the service to start at boot time using systemctl enable and then starting the service with systemctl start. This ensures that the capture task will automatically resume after the system is rebooted4

 In an FCoE environment, the PAUSE mechanism is used to provide lossless behavior for Fibre Channel traffic over Ethernet. The PAUSE mechanism allows a receiver to send a PAUSE frame to a sender when its ingress buffer is full or close to full, instructing the sender to stop transmitting for a specified period of time. This prevents packet loss due to buffer overflow at the receiver. However, the PAUSE mechanism also introduces latency and jitter, which can affect the performance of FCoE applications. Therefore, the receiver must provision sufficient ingress buffer to accommodate the following two sets of data12:

• Frames that were processed and transmitted by the transmitter before the PAUSE frame left the sender. These frames are already on the wire and cannot be stopped by the PAUSE frame. They will arrive at the receiver and consume ingress buffer space.
• Frames that were sent on the link but not yet received. These frames are also on the wire and will arrive at the receiver after the PAUSE frame. They will also consume ingress buffer space.

The amount of ingress buffer required depends on the link speed, the link distance, and the PAUSE duration. The receiver must ensure that the ingress buffer can hold at least twice the link distance worth of data, plus some margin for safety3. For example, if the link speed is 10 Gbps, the link distance is 10 km, and the PAUSE duration is 100 microseconds, the receiver must have at least 25 MB of ingress buffer for each FCoE virtual lane4.

References := 1: Nexus 7000 F2/F2e Ingress Buffer modifications for FCoE MultiHop over long distance - Cisco 2: Cisco Nexus 7000 Series FCoE Configuration Guide 3: In an FCoE environment, for which two sets of data must an interface that implements the PAUSE mechanism always provision sufficient ingress buffer? (Choose two) 4: Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) - Cisco

Option D is the correct set of steps to perform a backup and restore of the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switch configuration using UDP as the only protocol. TFTP is a UDP-based protocol that can be used to transfer files between the switch and the backup server. The startup-config file contains the configuration that is applied when the switch boots up, while the running-config file contains the configuration that is currently active on the switch. To restore the configuration from the backup, the backup-config file needs to be copied from the backup server to the running-config file on the switch. References:

• Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 7.x - Configuring File Systems, Directories, and Images [Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches], Configuring File Systems, Directories, and Images, Copying a Configuration File to a Remote Server
• Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 7.x - Configuring File Systems, Directories, and Images [Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches], Configuring File Systems, Directories, and Images, Copying a Configuration File from a Remote Server
• Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 7.x - Configuring File Systems, Directories, and Images [Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches], Configuring File Systems, Directories, and Images, Copying the Running Configuration to the Startup Configuration
• Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 7.x - Configuring File Systems, Directories, and Images [Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches], Configuring File Systems, Directories, and Images, Copying the Startup Configuration to the Running Configuration

 In Cisco ACI, TCAM resources can be optimized by configuring a single contract that is provided and consumed by all EPGs within a VRF. This approach ensures that all EPGs consume the same services, thus reducing the number of individual contracts and associated TCAM entries. By having a common contract, the ACI fabric can efficiently manage access control policies and service insertion without the need for multiple, redundant entries in the TCAM, which can lead to resource exhaustion. References: The information is based on the best practices for TCAM management in Cisco ACI fabrics, as detailed in the Cisco community discussions and Cisco’s official documentation on TCAM resource issues and workarounds12. Additionally, the concept of using a single contract for multiple EPGs is supported by the Cisco ACI Endpoint Security Group (ESG) Design Guide, which outlines the steps for implementing a single ESG for open communication between subnets (EPG selectors)

Port security on Cisco MDS 9000 series Switches is a feature that allows administrators to restrict access to the switch ports to specific devices. When port security is enabled, it does not automatically add currently logged-in devices to the device database; they must be added manually. This ensures that only authorized devices can access the network, enhancing the security of the SAN environment.

References: The Cisco MDS 9000 Series Security Configuration Guide provides detailed information on the configuration and behavior of port security, including the requirement for manual addition of devices to the database

The action that must be performed before renumbering a Cisco UCS chassis is to re-acknowledge the chassis. Re-acknowledging the chassis is a process that forces the Cisco UCS Manager to rediscover the chassis and its components, such as the I/O modules, the power supplies, and the fans. Re-acknowledging the chassis is necessary before renumbering the chassis, because it ensures that the Cisco UCS Manager has the latest information about the chassis and its configuration. Re-acknowledging the chassis also allows the network engineer to apply any pending configuration changes or policies to the chassis and its components. Re-acknowledging the chassis can be done from the Cisco UCS Manager GUI or CLI, by selecting the chassis and choosing the Re-Acknowledge option. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 5: Cisco Unified Computing System, Lesson 5.1: Cisco UCS Architecture
• Cisco UCS Manager GUI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0, Chapter: Managing Chassis, Section: Re-Acknowledging a Chassis

 It collects telemetry data from servers and then uses software sensors to analyze flow information

The virtual-service resize command (D) is used to modify the resource allocation for a Linux container on a Cisco Nexus Series Switch1. This command allows the administrator to specify the amount of CPU and memory allocated to the container, ensuring it has the necessary resources to run successfully. In this case, the command would be used to allocate 10 percent of the CPU and 1024 MB of RAM to the container1.

References: The usage of the virtual-service resize command for managing resources in a Linux container can be found in the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Programmability Guide1.

To finish the VXLAN configuration on Router A for extending VLAN 10 between routers A and B, the correct configuration would involve setting up the NVE interface, associating it with the VNI that corresponds to VLAN 10, and specifying the peer VTEP IP address for Router B. This setup will ensure that the VLAN is extended over the VXLAN tunnel between the two routers.

References :=

• Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) study materials.
• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS VXLAN Configuration Guide1.
• Cisco Programmable Fabric with VXLAN BGP EVPN Configuration Guide

1- feature netflow

2- flow exporter

3- flow monitor

4- interface

 To reduce disruptions during a major software upgrade on a Cisco Nexus Series switch, technologies like VDC (Virtual Device Contexts) and vPC (Virtual Port Channels) can be implemented. VDC allows for the partitioning of a single physical device into multiple logical devices, which can be managed and operated independently. This means that one VDC can be upgraded while others remain operational, minimizing downtime. vPC enables the linking of two switches to create a single logical switch, providing redundancy and allowing for one switch to be upgraded while the other maintains the network operations1.

 This configuration ensures that if AAA servers cannot be reached, the switch will fall back to using the local user database for authentication when accessing the console. The fallback error local keyword specifies that the local database should be used in case of an error in reaching the AAA servers1.

References := For more information on configuring AAA on Cisco MDS switches, you can refer to Cisco’s official documentation and community discussions which provide insights into setting up authentication methods for different access scenarios1. These resources explain how to configure the switch to handle authentication locally when remote AAA servers are not available.

A screenshot of a computer program Description automatically generated

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/dcn/nx-os/nexus9000/102x/programmability/cisco-nexus-9000-series-nx-os-programmability-guide-release-102x/m-n9k-python-api-101x.html

To create a virtual Fiber Channel interface and associate it with an Ethernet physical interface, the correct configuration commands would be:

• Enter the interface configuration mode for the virtual Fiber Channel interface using the command interface vfc7.
• Bind the virtual Fiber Channel to the Ethernet interface using the command bind interface ethernet 1/7.

This configuration associates the virtual Fiber Channel interface with VSAN 7 and maps VLAN 700 to the VSAN, as required by the converged network adapter (CNA).

References := The explanation is based on standard practices for configuring virtual Fiber Channel interfaces in a Cisco environment, as detailed in Cisco’s data center configuration guides and technical documentation.

1. set the format and destination to which the data is sent.

2. configure the data to be collected as part of the sensor group.

3. set the subscription between the sensor-group and the destination.

A full state configuration backup in Cisco UCS Manager includes a snapshot of the entire system, which is stored as a binary file. This backup type is ideal for disaster recovery as it can restore or rebuild the configuration on the original fabric interconnect or recreate the configuration on a different fabric interconnect. It is important to note that this backup type cannot be used for an import but is specifically designed for system restoration.

References:

• Cisco’s official documentation on “Backing Up and Restoring the Configuration” provides a detailed guide on the backup types and procedures within Cisco UCS Manager1.
• The “Cisco UCS Manager Administration Management Guide 4.2” further elaborates on backup operations, considerations, and the system restore process

 The command run guestshell is used to access the Guest Shell on Cisco NX-OS devices. Guest Shell is a secure, Linux-based environment that runs as a virtualized application container on the device. It allows network administrators to use Linux utilities and scripts, enhancing automation and monitoring capabilities. In this scenario, using run guestshell would enable the engineer to utilize the tcpdump utility within the container to capture OSPF-related traffic on the switch port1.

References := For more information on using Guest Shell for traffic capture and other advanced features on Cisco NX-OS devices, you can refer to the Cisco documentation on Embedded Packet Capture (EPC) and Guest Shell configuration1

• Setting the RADIUS source interface to be mgmt0 for group RAD1 and VLAN 22 for group RAD2 © ensures that login requests from the console and SSH are sourced from the correct interfaces and reach the appropriate RADIUS server.
• Configuring the authentication login to use group RAD1 for console and group RAD2 for remote access (D) directs the switch to use the specified RADIUS server groups for the respective login methods, aligning with the user’s requirements.

These configurations ensure that management access via console and SSH is authenticated through the designated RADIUS servers as intended. It’s important to apply these settings correctly in the switch’s configuration to achieve the desired access control.

 The solution that meets the requirements for implementing an automation solution to allow the backup of the configuration of Cisco Nexus series switches to a centralized location is the Guest Shell. The Guest Shell is a Linux-based container that runs on the Cisco Nexus operating system and provides a secure environment for running Python scripts and custom applications. The Guest Shell supports the RPM packaging format, which allows the team-developed custom monitoring scripts to be easily installed and managed. The Guest Shell is isolated from the underlying Cisco Nexus operating system, which means that it has no impact on the operating system if the resource contention occurs. The Guest Shell also allows the use of Python to expand the existing automation framework, such as using the NX-API or the Cisco Nexus Python SDK to interact with the switch configuration and state. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 8: Data Center Automation and Orchestration, Lesson 8.2: Cisco NX-OS Programmability
• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Programmability Guide, Release 9.3(x), Chapter: Using Guest Shell

 The auditor requires read-only access to perform the configuration review. The permit command show * grants the auditor access to all show commands, which are typically used to view configurations and statuses without making changes, thus maintaining the read-only requirement. References: This is aligned with the best practices for role-based access control (RBAC) in Cisco Nexus switches, as detailed in the DCCOR course materials.

 Promiscuous mode (D) allows a virtual machine to observe all traffic on the virtual switch, which is necessary for the virtual machine to receive all frames. VLAN (E) is used to map the frames to a specific Layer 2 network. These settings ensure that the virtual machine receives all traffic for the specified VLAN, fulfilling the requirements stated in the question1.

References: The configuration details and the role of these settings can be found in the Cisco documentation related to VDS port group parameters managed by APIC

The command ‘aaa authentication login default fallback error local’ is used to ensure that if RADIUS servers are unreachable, the system will fall back to using the local user database for SSH access to the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switch.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/mds9000/sw/6_2/con figuration/guides/security/nx-os/sec_cli_6-x/cradtac1.html

 This type of backup includes information about VLANs, VSANs, and other policies and is in XML format, which is human-readable. Although the question specifies the use of UDP, none of the options provided use UDP as they are all TCP-based protocols; however, TFTP is often confused with being UDP-based because it is a lightweight protoco

The ‘best-effort’ command is used when implementing a configuration checkpoint on a Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch to ensure that the process skips any existing vPC configuration errors and completes even if there are other configuration errors. This command is suitable for scenarios where it’s critical to proceed with the checkpoint despite errors, allowing the engineer to create a rollback point and address issues without disrupting the entire process.

To meet the requirements of securing HSRP communication and supporting more than 300 groups, the commands needed are hsrp version 2 which allows for a greater number of HSRP groups (0-4095) and authenticate md5 key-chain NHRP-KEYS which provides MD5 authentication to secure HSRP updates.

 EPLDs (Electronic Programmable Logic Devices) can be upgraded to enhance hardware functionality or resolve known issues without the need for hardware replacement. The upgrade process is disruptive as it requires the module to power down briefly during the upgrade. However, the system performs EPLD upgrades on one module at a time, minimizing the disruption to traffic through only one module at any given time.

References: Cisco Community discussion on Upgrading EPLD on N9k3 and Cisco Nexus 9000 Series FPGA/EPLD Upgrade Release Notes

The series of commands provided in the exhibit are part of the process to update and activate firmware on a Cisco UCS server adapter. The update firmware command is used to update the firmware, while the activate firmware command, combined with the set-startup-only option, schedules the activation of the firmware upon the next reboot of the adapter. This means that the new firmware will not be active immediately but will take effect after the adapter is rebooted, ensuring that the current operations are not disrupted.

References: For further details on firmware management commands and their effects in Cisco Data Center Core Technologies, you can refer to the Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Management Guide, which provides comprehensive instructions on updating and activating firmware on UCS components1. Additionally, the Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide offers insights into the CLI commands used for managing firmware

When downloading a firmware image to a Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect, especially from a remote location, it is crucial to use a protocol that provides both encryption and authentication to ensure the security and integrity of the file transfer. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the protocol that meets these requirements. It is widely used for secure communication over a computer network within a web browser, with encryption provided by Transport Layer Security (TLS), which ensures that the transfer of the firmware image is secure and authenticated1.

References:

• Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Management Guide, which provides detailed instructions on managing firmware through UCS Manager, including downloading firmware images to the Fabric Interconnect

One of the benefits of independent resource scaling in Cisco HyperFlex hybrid architecture is the flexible expansion of compute, caching, and capacity. This allows for the addition of resources in the required ratios without being constrained by the limitations of traditional converged infrastructure3.

• Create a user defined role and add the required privileges.
• Assign a role to a user. Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation: = To meet the requirements of adding a new FCoE VLAN to the core switches with restricted read-write access, the network engineer must create a user defined role and assign it to a user. A user defined role is a custom role that can be created to grant specific privileges and permissions to a user, based on the tasks and functions they need to perform. A user defined role can be created using the role command, and then the required privileges can be added using the rule command. For example, to create a role named FCoE-admin and add the privilege to configure FCoE VLANs, the following commands can be used:

role FCoE-admin rule 1 permit read-write feature fcoe rule 2 permit read-write feature vlan

After creating the user defined role, it can be assigned to a user using the username command. For example, to assign the FCoE-admin role to a user named John, the following command can be used:

username John role FCoE-admin

By creating and assigning a user defined role, the network engineer can ensure that the user has the minimum required privileges to perform the FCoE VLAN configuration, without granting them full network-admin access or modifying the existing roles. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 3: Data Center LAN Network Connectivity, Lesson 3.5: Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches
• Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS Security Configuration Guide, Release 6.x, Chapter: Configuring User Accounts and RBAC, Section: Configuring User-Defined Roles

A screen shot of a computer program Description automatically generated

Ansible is an open-source IT automation tool that is easy to set up and does not require an agent to be installed on target devices. It uses a declarative language and can be extended with custom modules written in Python, which aligns well with the IT team’s experience. Ansible’s agentless architecture and support for Python make it an ideal choice for the company’s requirements.

References: Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) course materials and the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies source book.

 A community cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) deployment model is suitable for several companies that need to operate the same application environment and integrate it with third-party protocols. It allows the development team to have control over the infrastructure, including the operating system, Python interpreter, and libraries

Two statements that are true about the process of performing an EPLD upgrade on a Cisco MDS 9000 series Switch are:

• If an upgrade is interrupted, the upgrade continues after a connection is restored. This means that the EPLD upgrade process is resilient to network or power failures and can resume from where it left off once the connection is reestablished.
• The upgrade can be performed from the standby supervisor module. This allows the active supervisor module to continue to provide management and control functions while the EPLD upgrade is in progress. The standby supervisor module can also take over the active role if needed during the upgrade.

The other statements are not true because:

• The active supervisor cannot be upgraded. The EPLD upgrade process requires the supervisor module to be in standby mode before it can be upgraded. The active supervisor module must be switched to standby mode manually or automatically before the upgrade can begin.
• Modules do not need to be online to be upgraded. The EPLD upgrade process can upgrade modules that are offline or powered down as well as modules that are online. The offline modules are upgraded when they are brought online or powered up.
• The upgrade process disrupts all modules that are being upgraded. The EPLD upgrade process requires a module reload for each module that is being upgraded, which causes a temporary disruption of traffic and services on that module. The disruption can be minimized by using hitless or non-disruptive EPLD upgrade modes, which preserve the forwarding state and configuration of the module during the reload. References: For more details on how to perform an EPLD upgrade on a Cisco MDS 9000 series Switch, please refer to the following resources:
• Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide
• Cisco MDS 9000 Family EPLD Upgrade Release Notes

 To configure a Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switch to act as a gateway for VLAN 50 in a VXLAN environment, the correct command set includes defining a service instance for the VLAN, specifying the encapsulation profile, and associating the VLAN with a bridge domain and a VNI. The commands should map VLAN 50 to VNI 500 and then configure an SVI (Switched Virtual Interface) for VLAN 50 with an IP address. This allows the switch to route traffic for VLAN 50, acting as a gateway1.

References := For detailed configuration steps and explanations, you can refer to the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series NX-OS VXLAN Configuration Guide, which provides comprehensive information on setting up VXLAN gateways and integrating VXLAN with traditional VLANs

A script that uses the management VRF to ping multiple hosts and exits after execution would typically involve a loop or iteration over the host IPs, a ping command specifying the management VRF, and an exit command.

 The configuration in Option D is a scheduler configuration for creating backup jobs. It specifies a schedule name, job name, and the command to copy configurations to a server in the operations VRF using TFTP protocol. The time start and repeat options are used to schedule two backup jobs per day.

References := This explanation is based on the principles found in the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies documentation, which details the use of scheduler configurations for backup purposes. For more in-depth information, please refer to the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies source book or the official Cisco documentation at Cisco Data Center Virtualization.

 Terraform is an infrastructure as code (IaC) tool that allows users to define both cloud and on-premises resources in human-readable configuration files that can be versioned, reused, and shared. In the context of Cisco Data Center Core Technologies, Terraform can be used to enforce the desired state of the network by automatically managing, updating, and reverting configurations as needed to maintain consistency. It supports a wide range of Cisco products and can be extended to manage server infrastructure in the future.

References: The Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) course provides insights into the essentials of automation and security in data centers, including the use of IaC tools like Terraform for enforcing desired state configuration1. Additionally, the Implementing Automation for Cisco Data Center Solutions (DCAUI) course further explores the implementation of automation solutions, including Terraform, in Cisco data centers2

 The exhibit shows a process of restoring the configuration of Cisco UCS using a backup file. In this context, the system configuration backup is required to restore the Cisco UCS configuration. The system configuration includes all setup information, policies, pools, templates, service profiles, VLANs/Fabric interconnect configurations etc., which are essential for the operational restoration of Cisco UCS. The other backup types are not suitable for this scenario. The all configuration backup includes the system configuration and the logical configuration, but it also includes the statistics and the faults, which are not needed for the restoration. The logical configuration backup includes the policies, pools, templates, and service profiles, but it does not include the setup information and the VLANs/Fabric interconnect configurations, which are also needed for the restoration. The full state backup includes the entire state of the system, including the firmware versions and the BIOS settings, but it is only used for disaster recovery, not for configuration restoration. References:

• Cisco UCS Manager Backup and Restore Management Guide, Release 4.0 - Backup and Restore Overview [Cisco UCS Manager], Backup and Restore Overview, Backup Types
• Cisco UCS Manager Backup and Restore Management Guide, Release 4.0 - Backup and Restore Overview [Cisco UCS Manager], Backup and Restore Overview, System Configuration Backup
• Cisco UCS Manager Backup and Restore Management Guide, Release 4.0 - Backup and Restore Overview [Cisco UCS Manager], Backup and Restore Overview, All Configuration Backup
• Cisco UCS Manager Backup and Restore Management Guide, Release 4.0 - Backup and Restore Overview [Cisco UCS Manager], Backup and Restore Overview, Logical Configuration Backup
• Cisco UCS Manager Backup and Restore Management Guide, Release 4.0 - Backup and Restore Overview [Cisco UCS Manager], Backup and Restore Overview, Full State Backup

 During the Install Server Firmware stage of a Firmware Auto Install upgrade through Cisco UCS Manager, the components that are upgraded include the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack-Mount Servers and the Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers. This stage uses host firmware packages to upgrade all servers and their components in the Cisco UCS domain. All servers whose service profiles include the selected host firmware packages are upgraded to the firmware versions in the selected software bundles1.

References := Cisco Documentation on Firmware Upgrades through Auto Install

Graphical user interface, text Description automatically generated

NFSv4 uses TCP for reliable transport and IP for network layer protocol. TCP ensures reliable delivery of packets, which is crucial for file systems, while IP is used for routing the data packets to their destination

To use SaaS to manage Cisco computing, you need to have a Cisco Intersight account and a device/claim ID for each device that you want to manage. Cisco Intersight is a cloud-based platform that provides unified management, automation, and analytics for Cisco data center products. A device/claim ID is a unique identifier that is generated when you register a device with Cisco Intersight. You can use the device/claim ID to claim the device and add it to your Intersight account. Once you claim the device, you can monitor, configure, and troubleshoot it from the Intersight dashboard. References: For more information on how to use SaaS to manage Cisco computing, please refer to the following resources:

• Cisco Intersight Overview
• Cisco Intersight Getting Started Guide
• Cisco Intersight Device Connector

Cisco HyperFlex uses the Network File System (NFS) protocol for sharing data among nodes in a VMware vSphere environment. NFS is a distributed file system protocol that allows a user on a client computer to access files over a network in a manner similar to how local storage is accessed. This protocol is commonly used in virtualized environments for ease of data sharing and management12.

References: The use of NFS in Cisco HyperFlex environments is documented in Cisco’s official installation guides and design documents

Applying a control plane service policy with a rate-limiting feature allows the engineer to match all ICMP traffic and set a threshold for it. Traffic that exceeds this threshold can be dropped, thus mitigating the risk of ICMP-based DoS attacks while allowing legitimate ICMP traffic to pass through. This method ensures that the current ICMP traffic is not affected as long as it does not exceed the configured rate limit12.

References := For detailed steps on configuring rate limits and control plane policing on Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches, you can refer to the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Security Configuration Guide12. This guide provides comprehensive information on securing your network infrastructure and protecting against various types of attacks, including DoS attacks. It also covers the configuration of security features like rate limits and control plane policies to ensure network stability and security

Diagram Description automatically generated

NFS:

-Used to boot VMDK files

-Uses lease-based model for file locking

-Used to provide shared storage for hypervisors

SMB/CIFS:

-Used to boot VHDX files

-Used to provide shared storage for hypervisors

To create an environment variable that can be used by several policies in the Embedded Event Manager, the engineer should use the command N9k2 (config)# event manager environment mailserver ‘’10.10.10.10’’. This command defines a global environment variable named mailserver with the value of 10.10.10.10, which represents the external email server. The environment variable can then be referenced by any policy that needs to use the email server in its actions, such as sending notifications or alerts. The environment variable can also be modified or deleted as needed. The other commands are incorrect because they either use the wrong mode, the wrong keyword, or the wrong syntax. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 3: Data Center LAN Network Connectivity, Lesson 3.4: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches
• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x), Chapter: Configuring Embedded Event Manager

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https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus9000/sw/93x/progammability/guide/b-cisco-nexus-9000-series-nx-os-programmability-guide-93x/b-cisco-nexus-9000-series-nx-os-programmability-guide-93x_chapter_0100.html

 In Cisco ACI, integrating with a VMware vSphere environment using a VMware Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS) requires creating a Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) domain association under the Endpoint Groups (EPGs). This allows the ACI fabric to extend its policy model to the virtual environment managed by vSphere. The encapsulation VLAN of the EPG is then assigned from a VLAN pool. To ensure that the VLANs are dynamically allocated and can be managed efficiently, a VLAN pool with dynamic allocation should be used. This setup allows for automated management of VLANs and avoids conflicts or manual errors in VLAN assignment12.

References:

• Cisco ACI with VMware VDS Integration documentation1.
• Cisco ACI Virtualization Guide

Option A is the correct configuration to meet the requirements of configuring system logging on the MDS switch. The commands set the console logging level to 5, which corresponds to the severity level of “warning” and above, and set the exec-timeout to 300 seconds, which means that the users will be logged out of the console after 5 minutes of inactivity. The other options are either incorrect or incomplete for the task. References:

• Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 8.x - Configuring System Message Logging [Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS and SAN-OS Software], Configuring System Message Logging, Configuring Console Logging
• Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 8.x - Configuring the Command-Line Interface [Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS and SAN-OS Software], Configuring the Command-Line Interface, Configuring the CLI Timeout Value

To enable port security on all Cisco MDS series switches in the fabric and avoid the extensive manual configuration of the switch ports, the network engineer must activate the CFS (Cisco Fabric Services) distribution and enable the auto-learning port security feature on a per-VSAN basis. CFS is a protocol that allows the switches to distribute and synchronize configuration information across the fabric. By activating the CFS distribution for port security, the network engineer can propagate the port security configuration to all the switches in the fabric automatically, without having to configure each switch individually. The auto-learning port security feature allows the switches to learn and store the port security information of the devices that are already logged in and authorized on the ports, and prevent any unauthorized devices from logging in. The auto-learning port security feature can be enabled on a per-VSAN basis, which means that the port security information is specific to each VSAN and does not affect other VSANs. This provides more flexibility and granularity for the port security configuration. References :=

• Implementing and Operating Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) v1.2, Module 7: Data Center Storage Connectivity, Lesson 7.3: Fibre Channel Protocol
• Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Security Configuration Guide, Chapter: Configuring Port Security

Option C is the correct choice. The commands copy sftp://admin@192.168.10.100/backup.cfg bootflash:///backup.cfg vrf management followed by configure replace bootflash:///backup.cfg will copy the backup configuration file from the SFTP server to the switch’s bootflash and then replace the running configuration with the backup file without requiring a restart of the switch. This process is known as configuration replace and is a feature that allows for the replacement of the entire running configuration with a new one provided by the user1.

References: The procedure for performing a configuration replace on Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches can be found in the Cisco documentation1. It is important to ensure that the backup configuration file is a valid running configuration file and that the switch has connectivity to the SFTP server through the mgmt0 interface. The configure replace command intelligently calculates the difference between the current running configuration and the user-provided configuration, applying only the necessary changes

 The ‘iqn_pool’ attribute in Ansible is used to apply iSCSI initiator identifiers to all iSCSI vNICs for service profiles derived from a service template. This ensures that each iSCSI vNIC has a unique identifier for storage communication2

During the infrastructure firmware upgrade stage using the Auto Install feature, the I/O module is upgraded. The infrastructure firmware upgrade includes updates to the fabric interconnects and I/O modules, which are essential components of the UCS B-Series chassis network connectivity.

References: This information can be found in the Cisco UCS Manager Firmware Management Guide, which details the process and components involved in the firmware upgrade of Cisco UCS B-Series chassis.

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/do cs/unified_computing/ucs/ucs-manager/GUI-User-Guides/Firmware-Mgmt/4-0/b_UCSM_GUI_Firmware_Management_Guide_4-0/b_UCSM_GUI_Firmware_Management_Guide_4-0_chapter_0100.html

https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=g-4OgYigvRI

Bidirectional PIM is designed for scenarios where there are many sources and receivers that need to communicate with each other, such as in videoconferencing. Unlike traditional PIM sparse mode, which creates both (,G) and (S,G) entries, Bidirectional PIM only allows the (*,G) entry for the shared tree and does not build an (S,G) entry. This approach reduces the number of mroute state entries, conserving resources. Traffic can flow up and down the shared tree in Bidirectional PIM, and there is no RPF check; instead, a Designated Forwarder (DF) is used to prevent loops. References := Multicast Bidirectional PIM - NetworkLessons.com

 Multipathing iSCSI traffic is a technique to provide redundancy and load balancing for iSCSI connections between a server and a storage device. Multipathing can be achieved by using multiple initiators, multiple targets, or both. However, some design choices are more optimal than others, depending on the network topology and the capabilities of the devices involved. Option C, “dual initiators to a single target with bonded interfaces,” is a recommended design choice because it provides the following benefits:

• It allows the server to use two separate network interface cards (NICs) to connect to the same iSCSI target, which increases the bandwidth and availability of the connection.
• It enables the use of link aggregation or bonding on the target side, which combines multiple physical interfaces into a logical interface that can handle more traffic and tolerate link failures.
• It simplifies the configuration and management of the iSCSI sessions, as there is only one target to deal with, and the multipathing software can handle the path selection and failover.

References := The information is based on the Cisco Data Center Core Technologies (DCCOR) course, which covers the implementation of data center technologies including network, compute, storage network, automation, and security. More details can be found in the course material and official Cisco documentation on iSCSI multipathing

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Option C and E are the correct commands to verify the configuration and apply the device changes when no errors are returned using Session Manager. The verify command checks the syntax and validity of the configuration commands, and the apply command applies the configuration changes to the device. The other options are either not related to Session Manager or not required for the task. References:

• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x) - Configuring Session Manager [Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches], Configuring Session Manager, Using Session Manager
• Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide, Release 9.3(x) - Configuring Session Manager [Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches], Configuring Session Manager, Session Manager Commands

Option A is the correct command set to configure an extra keyring in Cisco UCS Manager. The commands create a keyring named “extra” with a modulus of 4096 bits, which provides a high level of encryption. The commands also generate a self-signed certificate for the keyring, which enables secure authentication when users use the web interface. References:

• Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring Key Management [Cisco UCS Manager], Configuring Key Management, Configuring Key Rings
• Cisco UCS Manager CLI Configuration Guide, Release 4.0 - Configuring Key Management [Cisco UCS Manager], Configuring Key Management, Configuring Certificates

Application Description automatically generated

The release of NFSv4 brought a revolution to authentication and security to NFS exports. NFSv4 mandates

the implementation of the RPCSEC_GSS kernel module, the Kerberos version 5 GSS-API mechanism,

SPKM-3, and LIPKEY. With NFSv4, the mandatory security mechanisms are oriented towards

authenticating individual users, and not client machines as used in NFSv2 and NFSv3.

https://web.mit.edu/rhel-doc/5/RHEL-5-manual/Deployment_Guide-en-US /s1-nfs-security.html

When connecting a Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnect (FI) directly to an external storage array using a Fibre Channel (FC) storage port, it is essential to configure the FI in FC switch mode. This mode allows the FI to manage FC traffic and zoning, which is necessary when bypassing an upstream SAN switch. Additionally, creating the required Virtual Storage Area Network (VSAN) within the SAN cloud is crucial for isolating and managing the traffic between the FI and the storage array. The VSAN provides a unique identifier that enables the direct connection and communication between these devices.

References: The configuration steps for direct attachment of a storage array to a Cisco UCS FI are detailed in Cisco’s official documentation and support forums1. Specifically, the process involves setting the FI in FC switch mode and creating the necessary VSAN for the connection1. These references provide guidance based on Cisco’s recommended practices for such configurations.

To establish a VSAN trunk between Switch 1 and Switch 2, you would typically configure E Port with Trunk Mode On. This is because Switch 1 is already configured with an E port in Trunk Mode Auto, and for trunking to be established, the other switch should also be set to trunk mode but with a static configuration (On) to ensure compatibility and trunk formation.

 In the context of configuring an FCoE connection between a Cisco UCS and a Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switch, changing the transport type to FCoE in the Cisco UCS Manager is essential. This action ensures that the data traffic is encapsulated using FCoE, enabling seamless communication over Ethernet networks while maintaining Fibre Channel protocol characteristics.

References := For more detailed information, you can refer to the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS Fibre Channel over Ethernet Configuration Guide1, which provides comprehensive guidelines on configuring FCoE, including the importance of changing the transport type to support FCoE deployment.

In Cisco ACI, a virtual Port Channel (vPC) allows links that are physically connected to two different ACI leaf nodes to appear as a single port channel to a third device. When configuring vPCs in ACI, you do not need to create multiple interface policy groups for each vPC. Instead, you create a single vPC interface policy group that can be applied to multiple vPCs. This is because the fabric itself serves as the multi-chassis trunk (MCT), and peer reachability is managed through the fabric, not through physical peer-links. Therefore, for the scenario described, where two vPCs are created from leaf switches A and B, only one vPC interface policy group is required.

References := The information is based on the best practices from the Cisco guide on Virtual Port Channel (vPC) in ACI1 and the Cisco ACI fabric access policies configuration guide

The In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) feature on Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches supports nondisruptive upgrades via nonstop forwarding. This allows the switch to continue forwarding traffic while the system software is being upgraded, thereby minimizing downtime and maintaining continuous network service