Cisco DCI Design & Implementation

Being involved in different Data Center design projects requires you knowing how to interconnect Data Centers. Below you’ll find my notes from Cisco Data Center Design & Implementation Guide, System Release 1.0.

DCI Business DriversHA Clusters/Geoclusters
  • Microsoft MSCS
  • Veritas Cluster Server (Local)
  • Solaris Sun Cluster Enterprise
  • VMware Cluster (Local)
  • VMware VMotion
  • Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC)
  • IBM HACMP
  • EMS/Legato Automated Availability Manager
  • NetApp Metro Cluster
  • HP Metrocluster
Active/Standby Migration, Move/Consolidate Servers
  • VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM)
  • Microsoft Server 2008 Layer 3 Clustering
  • VMware Vmotion

The applications above drive the business and operation requirement for extending the Layer 2 domain across geographically dispersed data centers. Extending Layer 2 domains across data centers present challenges including, but not limited to:

  • Spanning tree isolation across data centers
  • Achieving high availability
  • Full utilization of cross sectional bandwidth across the Layer 2 domain
  • Network loop avoidance, given redundant links and devices without spanning tree

Continue reading “Cisco DCI Design & Implementation”

Share this!

DCI L2 Extension Between Remote DCs

***Most of this document is the same as “Cisco DCI Design & Implementation“,  so those parts are eliminated.***

DCI Considerations

Figure 1 shows the main considerations when deploying a DCI solution:

  • Layer 3 interconnect (typically over an existing enterprise IP core)
  • Layer 2 interconnect
  • SAN interconnect
Share this!