What do i need to know about Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) when preparing for a job interview?
Before attending an interview related to ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure), it’s essential to have a solid understanding of the following key concepts:
1. ACI Fabric: ACI fabric refers to the physical infrastructure that includes leaf switches, spine switches, and the interconnecting network. It provides the foundation for the ACI architecture.
2. Application Network Profile (ANP): ANP defines the policies and attributes required for a specific application or group of applications. It includes EPGs, contracts, and other configuration elements.
3. Endpoint Group (EPG): EPG represents a logical grouping of endpoints that have similar network requirements or belong to the same application tier. EPGs enable policy enforcement and define communication between endpoints.
4. Contracts: Contracts define communication policies between EPGs. They specify allowed communication (subjects) and associated filters (filters and filter entries) to permit or deny traffic flows.
5. Bridge Domain (BD): BD provides Layer 2 forwarding within the ACI fabric. It represents a Layer 2 domain and can span multiple EPGs.
6. Application Virtual Network (AVN): AVN allows extending the ACI fabric to external Layer 3 networks or data centers. It provides connectivity and policy enforcement across different domains.
7. Policy Enforcement Point (PEP): PEP enforces policies at the network edge and ensures that traffic adheres to the defined contracts and filters.
8. Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF): VRF provides logical separation and isolation of routing tables for different tenants or applications within the ACI fabric.
9. Quality of Service (QoS): QoS policies in ACI allow prioritization, classification, and marking of traffic to ensure proper handling of critical applications and services.
10. Programmability and Automation: ACI supports various APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), such as REST API and Python SDK, to automate provisioning, configuration, and management tasks.
Understanding these concepts will provide a solid foundation for discussing ACI architecture, design considerations, policy enforcement, troubleshooting, and automation during an interview.