Requirements

or

Why do we need DFA?

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Network Requirements

We need:

• Unlimited workload mobility - consolidate and split workload requirements across DC
• VM Mobility

This means we use:

• VLAN sprawl
• Layer 2 everywhere

This results in the following issues:

1. Large failure domains
2. Spanning-tree in the fabric
3. VLAN scalability
4. Forwarding resource depletion

Virtualisation Requirements

• Virtual connectivity defined by business requirements (internal addressing, services and security)
• Isolate segments
• Virtual QoS

Configuration Requirements

• Centralised configuration
• Single Point of Management
• Consistent, network wide, policy-based configurations
• Visibility of network and higher abstractions

Automation Requirements

• Integration with existing tools
• Open interfaces

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DFA

Dynamic Fabric Automation delivers to all of these requirements

Network

• Any subnet, anywhere, rapidly
• Failure domain size reduced
• Seamless L2 / L3 communication across fabric
• Vast scale
• Resilient
• Topologically flexible

Virtual Fabrics

• Any workload, any vFabric, anywhere
• Scalable and secure
• vFabric tenant visibility
• Segmentation at L2/L3

Configuration

• Automated Network Provisioning
• Common Point of Fabric Access
• Network, vFabric and Host Visibility

Workload automation

• Open standard interfaces (REST, XMPP)
• Orchestration integration

Additional References

Cisco DFA Documentation

Cisco DFA Solution Guide

Ciscolive session

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