Network technologies and trends » Nexus 1000v

Key differences between NX-OS and Cisco IOS – Part 1

Yasir Irfan — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:59:29 +0000

Since long time we are used to Cisco IOS version and few Cisco Switches with CatOS, now the era of NX-OS is coming. These days I am seeing more and more Organizations are moving towards Nexus Switches for their Core and Server farm. Since Nexus Switches are pretty new and they work with NX-OS. NX-OS is different from IOS, in this article I will try to highlight on some of the key differences between NX-OS and IOS.

We are familiar with the traditional Cisco IOS command line interface (CLI); the CLI interface of NX-OS is pretty similar to Cisco IOS.

One of the key differences I have noted is NX-OS is when you first log into NX-OS, you go directly into EXEC ode.

NX-OS features are based on license model, where as in IOS what matter was the type of IOS you installed. A good beginning from Cisco as you can install the required features, more over you can try a 120 day license grace period for testing. After 120 days of testing the features will be automatically removed. This is some thing you never experienced in Cisco IOS.

Cisco NX-OS has the capability to either enable or disable the features OSPF, BGP, etc. by using the feature configuration command.

I will try to come up with some more details in the upcoming post.

NX-OS and Nexus rules the next generation Data Centers

Yasir Irfan — Sun, 16 May 2010 07:36:47 +0000

Since we all know Cisco Systems has introduced Nexus Switches and NeXt-generation Operating System (NX-OS). I was wondering how am I going to configure them in our expansion project? As we are expected to have Nexus 7000, Nexus 5000 and Nexus 2000 Series Switches.

Thanks to Cisco Press soon they are releasing a title NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching which addresses the operation, use and configuration of the NeXt-generation Operating System (NX-OS) for Cisco data center products.

Picture Courtesy: Cisco Press

Currently the rough-cut pages of the title NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching are available. I just had a glance of some sample pages for some chapters. The new title NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching has seven chapters

Chapter1: Introduction to Cisco NX-OS

Chapter 2: Layer 2 Support and Configurations

Chapter 3: Layer 3 Support and Configurations

Chapter 4: Multicast Configuration

Chapter 5: Security

Chapter 6: High Availability

Chapter 7: Serviceability

Chapter 1 deals with an Introduction to Cisco NX-OS and I liked the way sections covered in this chapter. The author starts with an overview of NX-OS and its advantages, some of the advantages of NX-OS are

Unified data center operating system

Robust and rich feature set with a variety of Cisco innovations

Flexibility and scalability

Modularity

Virtualization

Resiliency

IPv4 and IPv6 IP routing and multicast features

Comprehensive security, availability, serviceability, and management features

Currently the NX-OS platform is supported by following platforms

Nexus 7000

Nexus 5000

Nexus 2000

Nexus 1000V

Cisco MDS 9000

Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCS)

Nexus 4000

Overall this title seems to very interesting and useful for the Network Administrators who are exploring their skills in the world of NX-OS. Eagerly waiting for Cisco Press to release this title in book format until then keep enjoying the rough cuts.

Unlocking the Potential of Virtualization – Techwise TV Webcast on 30th July

Yasir Irfan — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:06:49 +0000

Starting July 30^th Cisco Systems’ TechWiseTV will be broadcasting the webcast by the title “Unlocking the Potential of Virtualization”. So act now and register for this online Webcast, learn how the revolutionary new Cisco Nexus 1000V, and Cisco VN-Link enable you to automatically empower virtual servers with the same network properties as physical servers. Learn how these new solutions will allow you to dramatically expand and accelerate your data center virtualization initiatives, so you can reap its full benefits.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/3vqPjyzh0F4" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

The agenda is as follows

Agenda

Segment 1: The Real Impediments to Virtualization

Virtualization severed a critical link between server and network activities creating a blindness that is hampering true adoption of virtualization benefits.Segment 2: Understanding VN-Link and the Nexus 1000v
Port Profiles will bring a smile to your face as you witness first hand how sanity is not just restored but enhanced beyond what it ever was in the purely physical world.

Segment 3: Network Interface Virtualization
We breakdown the innovation that brings the physical switch back into the mix and greatly expands your deployment options and architectural models.

Segment 4: Virtualization and your Storage Environment
Increased virtualization equals increased demand on the network to access storage – We show what you need to know for eliminating costly storage silos from your network.