This comprehensive CCIE Data Center lab task list covers Nexus switching, VXLAN, ACI, storage networking, advanced security, automation, and troubleshooting—all essential for expert-level mastery in enterprise data center networking.
🟢 Section 1: Cisco Nexus & Data Center Architecture
🔸 Task 1.1 – Deploy Cisco Nexus 9000, 7000, 5000, and 3000 series switches in a multi-tier architecture
🔸 Task 1.2 – Configure Nexus Supervisor and Fabric Modules Redundancy
🔸 Task 1.3 – Implement Out-of-Band (OOB) Management with VRF separation
🔸 Task 1.4 – Deploy Nexus 2000 Fabric Extenders (FEX) with 5K & 9K switches
🔸 Task 1.5 – Integrate Nexus switches with VMware ESXi & Hyper-V for Virtual Networking
🟢 Section 2: VXLAN & Multi-Site Data Center Deployments
🔸 Task 2.1 – Deploy VXLAN with MP-BGP EVPN for DC Segmentation
🔸 Task 2.2 – Implement VXLAN Multi-Site Fabric & Multi-Pod Connectivity
🔸 Task 2.3 – Tune VXLAN EVPN Control Plane & Anycast Gateway
🔸 Task 2.4 – Optimize VXLAN BUM Traffic (Broadcast, Unknown Unicast, Multicast)
🔸 Task 2.5 – Troubleshoot VXLAN Tunnel Failures and Packet Drops
🟢 Section 3: FabricPath & vPC+ for Large-Scale Data Centers
🔸 Task 3.1 – Deploy FabricPath for Scalable Layer 2 Multipathing
🔸 Task 3.2 – Implement vPC+ (Virtual Port Channel Plus) for FabricPath Integration
🔸 Task 3.3 – Tune FabricPath TTL, Load Balancing, and vPC+ Peer-Link Redundancy
🔸 Task 3.4 – Validate FabricPath L2MP (Layer 2 Multipath) Functionality
🔸 Task 3.5 – Simulate vPC+ Failure Scenarios and Recovery Testing
🟢 Section 4: Layer 3 Routing & Interconnectivity
🔸 Task 4.1 – Deploy BGP (iBGP & eBGP) for Large-Scale Data Center Routing
🔸 Task 4.2 – Optimize BGP with Route Reflectors & Communities
🔸 Task 4.3 – Implement OSPF & EIGRP in Nexus 9K/7K Environments
🔸 Task 4.4 – Configure Policy-Based Routing (PBR) for Traffic Engineering
🔸 Task 4.5 – Troubleshoot Multi-Protocol BGP (MP-BGP) Issues in EVPN
🟢 Section 5: Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure)
🔸 Task 5.1 – Deploy Cisco ACI Fabric & APIC Controllers
🔸 Task 5.2 – Configure ACI Tenants, VRFs, Bridge Domains & EPGs
🔸 Task 5.3 – Implement ACI Contracts & Filters for Micro-Segmentation
🔸 Task 5.4 – Integrate Cisco ACI Multi-Pod & Multi-Site Architectures
🔸 Task 5.5 – Troubleshoot ACI Policy Enforcement & APIC Issues
🟢 Section 6: Storage Networking (FC, FCoE, iSCSI)
🔸 Task 6.1 – Configure Fibre Channel (FC) Zoning on Cisco MDS 9000 Series
🔸 Task 6.2 – Deploy FCoE on Nexus 5K/7K with Unified Ports
🔸 Task 6.3 – Implement iSCSI Storage Connectivity for Enterprise Applications
🔸 Task 6.4 – Optimize SAN Traffic with DCB (Data Center Bridging) & QoS
🔸 Task 6.5 – Troubleshoot Storage Path Failures & FC Buffer Credits Issues
🟢 Section 7: Data Center Security & Zero Trust
🔸 Task 7.1 – Implement Cisco TrustSec (CTS) for Network Micro-Segmentation
🔸 Task 7.2 – Secure VXLAN & EVPN Deployments with Route Filtering
🔸 Task 7.3 – Deploy 802.1X & RADIUS Authentication for Network Access Control (NAC)
🔸 Task 7.4 – Configure MACSec (802.1AE) Encryption for Data Center Links
🔸 Task 7.5 – Harden Data Center Control Plane using CoPP (Control Plane Policing)
🟢 Section 8: Advanced QoS for Data Center Traffic
🔸 Task 8.1 – Implement QoS Classification & Marking for Storage & Voice Traffic
🔸 Task 8.2 – Deploy Congestion Management with WRED & Tail Drop
🔸 Task 8.3 – Tune Priority Queuing for Storage, VoIP & Critical Applications
🔸 Task 8.4 – Optimize Data Center QoS in Multi-Tenant VXLAN Fabric
🔸 Task 8.5 – Troubleshoot QoS Policies using DCNM & Cisco CLI
🟢 Section 9: Automation & Programmability in Data Centers
🔸 Task 9.1 – Automate VXLAN Configuration using Ansible & Python
🔸 Task 9.2 – Implement REST API, NETCONF & YANG for Network Programmability
🔸 Task 9.3 – Deploy ACI Policy-Based Automation using Terraform & Python SDK
🔸 Task 9.4 – Monitor Nexus Telemetry Data with InfluxDB & Grafana
🔸 Task 9.5 – Integrate Cisco ACI with ServiceNow for IT Automation
🟢 Section 10: Troubleshooting & Performance Optimization
🔸 Task 10.1 – Perform SPAN & ERSPAN for Deep Packet Analysis
🔸 Task 10.2 – Enable NetFlow & sFlow for Traffic Monitoring
🔸 Task 10.3 – Configure Syslog & SNMPv3 for Network Visibility
🔸 Task 10.4 – Troubleshoot vPC, VXLAN, ACI & Multi-Site Failures
🔸 Task 10.5 – Use Cisco DCNM for Performance Optimization & Traffic Engineering