In December 2014, Cisco announced the Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), Cisco’s SDN solution. The Cisco ACI solution is based on the idea of the application profile, which allows the network to be configured once and then applied to multiple workloads. This results in a network that is more consistent, more secure, and easier to manage.
The Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches are a family of high-performance, low-latency, 10/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet switches that are designed for use in data center environments. The switches are available in a variety of form factors, including fixed-port, modular, and chassis-based.
The Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) is the heart of the Cisco ACI solution. It is a centralized controller that manages the network and enforces the application profiles. The APIC is available in both hardware and software-based versions.
The ACI Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Controller is a policy-based controller that allows the network to be configured and managed using software. The SDN Controller is available in both hardware and software-based versions.
The Cisco ACI solution is designed to work with a variety of Cisco and third-party products, including the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches, the Cisco Nexus 3000 Series Switches, the Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Switches, the Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers, the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches, and the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches.
The Cisco ACI solution is available now. For more information, please visit the Cisco ACI website.
