Cisco has disclosed a data center networking architecture that is intended to transform data centers to better address the demands of new and current applications in the Cloud era. The architecture, which has a number of components, is based on Cisco's recent investment in Insieme Networks, an enterprise data center development and integration firm. Key attributes of Cisco's new application-focused architecture will include Application Velocity, which is intended to reduce application deployment times via fully automated and programmatic network infrastructure. In addition, Cisco says it will be supporting a common open platform for physical, virtual and cloud infrastructure.
The vendor says it will also support a more holistic simplified approach with the integration of infrastructure, services, and security, coupled with real-time telemetry and extensibility to future services. The new architecture will also include a common policy management framework and operational model driving automation across network, security and application teams that is extensible to compute and storage in the future.
Cisco also announced two key innovative enhancements to its Unified Fabric, which automates network provisioning, simplifies fabric management and optimizes fabric for greater efficiency and scale. Second, extensions to the Nexus 7000 portfolio with new Nexus 7700 Series switches and new F3 Series I/O Modules that deliver industry leading 40G/100G scalability, with a more robust set of data center switching features.
Cisco Prime DCNM 7.0 provides centralized fabric management including automated network provisioning, common point of fabric access, and host, network and tenant visibility. Open APIs enable better integration with orchestration and automation tools, in addition to cloud platforms. CiscoPrimeDataCenter Network Manager (DCNM) 7.0 provides a single point of management designed to automate and simplify infrastructure deployment, enables dynamic infrastructure provisioning for virtual machine deployment and provides troubleshooting tools.
Learn more about Cisco Unified Fabric at www.cisco.com/go/unifiedfabric.