Part 1: Deploying Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller in VMware ESXi

Lab Objective

• Deploy Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller and Setup Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN) Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN).
• Step by Step configurations and validations are performed

Topology

Lab Architecture

• DCI Core : 1 x 9K-C9300v
• Multisite Border Gateway : 2 x N9K-C9300v
• Spines : 2 x N9K-9500v
• Leafs : 3 x N9K-C9300v
• Hosts standalone : Virtual PC Simulator (VPCS)
• NXOS version : 10.4(4.M)
• Nexus Dashboard?: 3.2.1i

Part I : Deploying Nexus Dashboard in VMware ESXi

Step 1?: Download Nexus Dashboard image

1.?Obtain the Cisco Nexus Dashboard OVA image.

2.?Browse to the Software Download page.

https://software.cisco.com/download/home/286327743/type/286328258/

3.?Choose the Nexus Dashboard release version you want to download.

Step 2?: Deploy Nexus Dashboard as virtual machine from OVA file

Step 3?: Select Storage type and Datastore

Step 4?: Specify the Deployment options.

In the Deployment options screen, provide the following:

• From the Network mappings dropdowns, choose the networks for the Nexus Dashboard management (mgmt0) and data (fabric0) interfaces.
• From the Deployment type dropdown, choose the node profile (App or Data).? App on my lab
• For Disk provisioning type, choose Thick.
• Disable the Power on automatically option.

Step 5?: In the Ready to complete screen, verify that all information is accurate and click Finish to begin deploying the node.

Step 6?: Ensure that the VMware Tools periodic time synchronization is disabled, then start the VMs.

Step 7 : Open the node's console and power on the VM for the node's basic information. we’ll configure?:

• Admin password?: will be used for the rescue-user SSH login as well as the initial GUI password.
• Management network information.
• Designate this node it as the "Cluster Leader".

Review and confirm the entered information

Step 8: Wait the Node initialize and finish booting?:

Step 9: https://<node-mgmt-ip> to open the GUI and enter the admin password

Step 10: The rest of the configuration workflow takes place from one the node's GUI

Provide the Cluster Details

• Cluster Name for this Nexus Dashboard cluster (i’ll deploy only one node for this lab)
• Click +Add DNS Provider to add one or more DNS servers

• Click +Add NTP Host Name/IP Address to add one or more NTP servers.
• Skip Proxy.

• Possible to expand the Advanced Settings category and change the settings.
• Click Next to continue.

Step 11 : In the Node Details screen, update the node's information.

• Provide the Data network information
• Click Save to save the changes.

The management network is used for these functions:

• Accessing the Nexus Dashboard GUI (graphical user Interface).
• Accessing the Nexus Dashboard CLI (command‐line interface) via SSH (Secure Shell).
• DNS (Domain Name System) and NTP (Network Time Protocol) communication.
• Nexus Dashboard firmware upload.
• Installing applications from the Cisco DC App Center (AppStore).
• Intersight device connection.

The data network is used for these functions:

• Nexus Dashboard clustering.
• Application-to-application communication (SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) and SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) forwarding).

Step 12 : Verify the provided information and click Next to continue.

We are deploying a single-node cluster, skip this step otherwise you can click Add Node to add the second node to the cluster.

Step 13 : Choose the Deployment Mode for the cluster.

Starting with DCNM release 12.0, Cisco Data Center Network Manager is now Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller. NDFC is the network management platform for all NX-OS-enabled deployments. Prior to the Orchestrator Software Release 3.2(1), the component was named Multi-Site Orchestrator (MSO) allows you to interconnect separate Cisco ACI APIC cluster domains (fabrics). Whereas in newer releases it is supported only as an application running on the Cisco Nexus Dashboard (ND) compute platform, hence the new name Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO).

For Nexus Dashboard deployment, prior to release 3.1(1), you had to download and install individual services after the initial cluster deployment was completed. Now you can choose to enable the services during the initial installation.

Step 14 : Click Add Persistent Service IPs/Pools to provide one or more persistent IPs required Fabric Controller services.

• Add IP address in same management subnet and click save

Step 15?: In the Summary screen, review and verify the configuration information, click Save, and click Continue to confirm the correct deployment mode and proceed with building the cluster.

Step 15?: https://<node-mgmt-ip> to open the GUI and enter the admin password

Cluster bringup and install services – just wait , it may take up to 30 - 40 minutes for the cluster to form and all the services to start.

Step 16: After all the cluster is deployed and all services are started, you can check the Overview page to ensure the cluster is healthy:

Step 17: After service activation you should have Fabric Controller service otherwise connect via ssh with the rescue-user account and password and restart the service installation :

If Fabric Controller service fail to install with this message?: Release is not ready yet. Current state: FailedToActivate, this could be a bug Connect with ssh and run this command :

Step 18: Nexus Dashboard GUI Walk-through

Check Node

Check Software Management

Check Service Status

Check System Ressources

?

End of this lab. Next Session will focus Managing and Monitoring VXLAN EVPN Fabrics Using Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC)

?Author:?S. Oumar NDIAYE CCIE #63716 – Cisco Champion 2023 and 2024

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/dcn/nd/3x/collections/nd-user-content-321.html

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/dcn/nd/3x/deployment/cisco-nexus-dashboard-and-services-deployment-guide-311/nd-deploy-esx-31x.html#task_yvm_y5z_2qb

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/dcn/whitepapers/NDFC-12-1-3b-deployment.html

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/dcn/nd/3x/deployment/cisco-nexus-dashboard-and-services-deployment-guide-311/nd-prerequisites-platform-31x.html#concept_fdf_fxg_4mb