Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations (CPLL-DCFNDU-V1)

The Understanding Cisco Data Center Foundations (DCFNDU) v1.0 course helps you prepare for entry-level data center roles.


In this course, you will learn the foundational knowledge and skills you need to configure Cisco data center technologies, including: networking, virtualization, SAN networking, and unified computing. You will get an introduction to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI™), automation, and cloud computing. You will get hands-on experience with configuring features on Cisco Nexus® Operating System (Cisco NX-OS) and Cisco Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS®).


Associated Certification: None

Associated Exam: None


Course Objectives

After taking this course, you should be able to:

  • Describe the foundations of data center networking
  • Describe Cisco Nexus products and explain the basic Cisco NX-OS functionalities and tools
  • Describe Layer 3 first-hop redundancy
  • Describe Cisco Fabric Extender (FEX) connectivity
  • Describe Ethernet port channels and virtual port channel (vPCs)
  • Introduce switch virtualization, machine virtualization, and network virtualization
  • Compare storage connectivity options in the data center
  • Describe Fibre Channel communication between the initiator server and the target storage
  • Describe Fibre Channel zone types and their uses
  • Describe N-Port Virtualization (NPV) and N-Port Identifier Virtualization (NPIV)
  • Describe data center Ethernet enhancements that provide a lossless fabric
  • Describe Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
  • Describe data center server connectivity
  • Describe Cisco UCS Manager
  • Describe the purpose and advantages of application programming interfaces (APIs)
  • Describe Cisco ACI
  • Describe the basic concepts of cloud computing


Target Audience

  • Data center administrators
  • Data center engineers
  • Systems engineers
  • Server administrators
  • Network managers
  • Cisco integrators and partners


Course Prerequisites

To fully benefit from this course, you should have the following knowledge and skills:

  • Good understanding of networking protocols
  • Good understanding of the VMware environment
  • Basic knowledge of Microsoft Windows operating systems

These are the recommended Cisco courses that may help you meet these prerequisites:

  • Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions (CCNA)
  • Introducing Cisco Data Center Networking (DCICN)
  • Introducing Cisco Data Center Technologies (DCICT)