Implementing Advanced Cisco Storage Networking Solutions (IASNS) v3.2 - 5-day Hands-on Cisco Authorized Course
Course Description
Implementing Advanced Cisco Storage Networking Solutions (IASNS) v3.2 is a 5-day lecture/lab course that provides learners with advanced skills in implementing and troubleshooting Cisco storage networks.
This course focuses on advanced storage networking topics for the Cisco MDS Family of switches, including building virtual SAN fabrics, building heterogeneous SAN fabrics, configuring management and security services, configuring iSCSI, and advanced troubleshooting skills. A significant portion of the course is devoted to troubleshooting.

Course Objectives
After you complete this course, you will be able to:
- Configure advanced fabric services, including CFS and DDAS
- Configure VSAN domain IDs and FCID persistence
- Implement inter-VSAN routing (IVR)
- Configure per-VSAN FSPF routing and QoS to prioritize application data flows
- Configure switch interoperability modes
- Configure a management infrastructure
- Monitor switch health and SAN traffic profiles
- Configure AAA services
- Configure port and fabric security
- Capture and view FC protocol traces using SPAN and RSPAN
- Troubleshoot physical port issues
- Troubleshoot Generation-2 hardware
- Troubleshoot Fx_Port errors
- Troubleshoot fabric services issues
- Troubleshoot Fabric Manager and Device Manager
- Define iSCSI concepts and terms
- Implement iSCSI-to-FC connectivity
- Explain iSCSI HA and security options
- Configure iSCSI server load balancing (iSLB)

Intended Audience
This course provides in-depth technical training for system engineers, network engineers, and field engineers who need to deploy, configure, and manage MDS 9000 Series switches.

Prerequisites
Implementing Cisco Storage Networking Solutions (ICSNS) or MDS 9000 Configuration and Troubleshooting (MDSCT).
Course Outline
Module 1: Building Enterprise SAN Fabrics
Lesson 1: Configuring Advanced Fabric Services
- Cisco Fabric Services
- Cisco Fabric Services Architecture
- Cisco Fabric Services Applications
- Configuring Cisco Fabric Services
- Basic Zoning
- Enhanced Zoning
- Broadcast Zoning
- LUN Zoning
- Read-Only Zones
Lesson 2: Implementing Virtual Fabric Addressing
- VSAN Internal Implementation
- Per-VSAN Parameters
- Dynamic Port VSAN Membership
- Domain ID Assignment
- CFS Distribution of Allowed Domain ID Lists
- FCID Assignment
- NPIV
- Distributed Device Alias Services
- Recommended Practices
Lesson 3: Implementing Inter-VSAN Routing
- IVR Overview
- IVR Capabilities
- IVR Implementation
- Configuring IVR
- Distributing IVR Configurations
- Configuring IVR With NAT and Auto
- Topology
- IVR Zones and Zone Sets
- FSPF and IVR
- IVR Recommended Practices
Lesson 4: Tuning Fabric Performance
- Implementing Traffic Engineering
- Virtual Output Queues
- Configuring FCC
- QoS Behavior with Generation 1 and 2
- Switching Modules
- Configuring QoS
- Zone-Based QoS
Lesson 5: Building Heterogeneous Fabrics
- Overview of Switch Interoperability
- Standard Interoperability Mode
- Brocade Native Interoperability Mode
- McData Native Interoperability Mode
- VSANs and Interoperability
- Domain ID Assignment
- Interoperability and FSPF
- Setting Timeout Values
Module 2: Implementing Management and Security Services
Lesson 1: Implementing the Management Infrastructure
- CLI Aliases
- Fabric Management Server
- Fabric Management Server Configuration
- Management VSANs
- Using FDMI
- Cisco Discovery Protocol
- Implementing CiscoWorks RME
Lesson 2: Monitoring Health and
- Performance
- System Message Logging
- Command Scheduler
- RMON
- Performance Manager
- Traffic Analyzer
- Network Statistics Summary
- Recommended Practices
Lesson 3: Configuring AAA Services
- AAA Solutions and Services
- Authentication Process
- Implementing RADIUS
- Implementing TACACS+
- AAA Server Groups
- AAA Service Options
- Distributing AAA Configurations
- Configuring NTP
Lesson 4: Implementing Port and Fabric
- Security
- Port Security Features
- Enabling Port Security
- Distributing Port Security
- Fabric Binding for Fibre Channel
- DH-CHAP Overview
- Configuring DH-CHAP
- Implementing RBAC
- Distributing RBAC Configurations
- Overview of IP ACLs
- Securing Management Paths
Module 3: Advanced Troubleshooting
Lesson 1: Basic Troubleshooting Tools Review
- Troubleshooting Methodology
- Monitoring Ports
- Cisco Fabric Manager Tools
- Using FC Ping and FC Trace
- Monitoring Processes and CPUs
- Using Syslog
- Syslog Levels and Facilities
- Troubleshooting CFS
Lesson 2: Capturing Protocol Traces
- SPAN Overview
- RSPAN Overview
- Implementing RSPAN
- Configuring a PAA
- Troubleshooting a PAA
- The Cisco Fabric Analyzer
- Overview of Ethereal
- Using Ethereal Filters
Lesson 3: Using Physical Port Diagnostics
- Troubleshooting Process
- Troubleshooting Port States
- Troubleshooting a Flapping Port
- Configuring Beacon Mode
- Loopback Testing
- SFP Diagnostics
- Displaying RIB and FIB Information
Lesson 4: Troubleshooting Generation 1 and Generation 2 Hardware
- Verifying Port Index Allocation
- Verifying Bandwidth Utilization
- Troubleshooting Supervisor Upgrades
Lesson 5: Troubleshooting Fx_Port Issues
- Overview of Symptoms
- Verifying Device Registration
- Troubleshooting VSAN Assignment
- Troubleshooting FCID Assignment
- Troubleshooting Device Alias Assignment
- Viewing the FLOGI Process
Lesson 6: Troubleshooting the Data Path
- Overview of Symptoms
- xE_Port Isolation
- Troubleshooting PortChannels
- VSAN and Zoning Issues
- Domain Manager Issues
- FSPF Issues
- Troubleshooting Interoperability
- FCIP Issues
- Troubleshooting IVR
- Troubleshooting Port Security
Lesson 7: Troubleshooting Fabric Manager and Device Manager
- Fabric Manager Installation Issues
- Java Issues
- SNMP Issues
- Clearing the Management Database
Module 4: Implementing iSCSI
Lesson 1: iSCSI Protocol Overview
- iSCSI Protocol Overview
- iSCSI Specifications
- iSCSI Packet Format
- The SCSI Architectural Model
- iSCSI Naming
- iSCSI Command Sequences
- The iSCSI Login process
- iSCSI Implementation on the IPS Modules
Lesson 2: Basic iSCSI Configuration
- FC-to-iSCSI Routing Overview
- Overview of Initial Configuration Steps
- Configuring Gigabit Ethernet Interfaces
- Configuring iSCSI Interfaces
- Enabling Dynamic Initiator Discovery
- Enabling Dynamic Target Importing
- Installing the Cisco iSCSI Driver
- Verifying the Configuration
- Viewing Session Statistics
Lesson 3: iSCSI Implementation Options
- iSCSI High Availability
- iSCSI Security
Lesson 4: iSLB
- Configuring iSLB
- Configure iSLB Prerequisites
- Configuring iSLB Initiators
- Configuring Load Balancing using VRRP
- Distributing iSLB Configurations

Course Labs
- Lab 1: Using Advanced Fabric Services
- Lab 2: Implementing IVR
- Lab 3: Implementing Management VSANs
- Lab 4: Monitoring Health and Performance
- Lab 5: Configuring AAA Services
- Lab 6: Implementing Fabric and Port Security
- Lab 7: Using RSPAN and the Cisco Fabric Analyzer
- Lab 8: Using Port and Host Diagnostics
- Lab 9: Troubleshooting Challenge Lab
- Lab 10: Deploying an iSCSI SAN
- Lab 11: Configuring iSLB
|