Day 1: Cisco UCS X-Series Solution Architecture & Key Components
Module 1: Cisco UCS X-Series and Intersight Solution Architecture
• Cisco UCS-X 5th Generation overview and architecture details
• Cisco Intersight SaaS and on-prem management overview
• UCS-X chassis (X9508), compute nodes (X210c M6/M7, X410c M7)
• Fabric Interconnects (6400, 6500 models—Gen 4, Gen 5)
• Networking and storage infrastructure options
Module 2: Cisco Intersight Foundation
• Introduction to Cisco Intersight (cloud and on-prem architecture, SaaS model) vs legacy UCSM
• Intersight foundational elements: GUI navigation, inventories, profiles, policies, firmware baselines
• Core features: IMM-mode principles, pools, policies, templates
• Intersight Licensing
• Lab 0: Connecting to Lab Environment
• Lab 1: Exploring Cisco Intersight Interface and Setting Up IMM in Cisco Intersight
• Lab 2: Initial UCS-X Hardware Setup, component inventory, and IMM discovery
Module 3: Cisco UCS X-Series Management with Intersight Managed Mode (IMM)
• Configuring Pools, Policies (Firmware, Server, Network, Storage)
• Service profiles and templates management with Intersight
• Intersight Infrastructure Services & troubleshooting overview
• Lab 3: Configuring UCS-X with Intersight IMM – Profiles, Policies & Templates
Day 2: Installation, Migration, and Advanced Operations
Module 4: UCS X-Series Installation Considerations
• Detailed IMM deployment procedures, prerequisites, planning
• Migration strategies from classic UCS Manager to IMM/Intersight
• Cisco Intersight IMM Transition Tool deployment and operations
• Lab 4: Migration and Validation using Cisco Intersight IMM Transition Tool
Module 5: Advanced Day-2 Operations in Intersight
• Firmware lifecycle management & best practices
• Advanced resource optimization: Server, storage, network
• Monitoring, logging, alerts, and automated remediation
• Lab 5: Firmware management, monitoring, and Day-2 operational tasks
Module 6: UCS-X Power & Cooling Management
• Airflow optimization, thermal policy management
• Advanced power policies and future-proof cooling best practices
• Lab 6: Configure advanced thermal and power policies
Module 7: Structured Troubleshooting Approach with Intersight and CLI
• Troubleshooting fabric connectivity, IOM, vNIC/vHBA, and bandwidth issues
• Firmware and configuration issues; logs and CLI analysis techniques
• VLAN, VSAN, QoS, and CRC error troubleshooting
• Lab 7: Hands-on troubleshooting using CLI and Intersight GUI
Day 3: Red Hat OpenShift Integration with Cisco UCS-X and Intersight
Module 8: Deployment Considerations for Managing Container Platforms with Red Hat OpenShift Clusters
• UCS-X Hardware requirements for OpenShift deployment (compute, storage, network)
• Designing robust network fabric and storage for container platforms
• Provisioning OpenShift clusters through Cisco Intersight
• Lab 8: OpenShift Deployment using Cisco-validated methodologies
Module 9: Operational Management of Red Hat OpenShift on UCS-X
• Managing OpenShift lifecycle (upgrade, updates, node scaling) via Intersight
• Cross-platform observability, integration, and resource optimization
• Lab 8: OpenShift Operations through Intersight Automation
Day 4: AI Infrastructure Design, GPU Deployment & Optimization
Module 10: AI/ML Infrastructure Planning & GPU Integration with Cisco UCS-X
• GPU technology overview (Nvidia Ampere/Hopper architectures, CUDA cores, VRAM types)
• Selecting the right GPUs: performance, required quantities per workload, supported UCS-X GPUs/adapters
• Optimizing GPU-to-server ratios for typical AI model/training scenarios
• Lab 9: Validating GPU Performance, Monitoring GPU health and resource utilization in Intersight
Module 11: GPU Optimization and Best Practices
• GPU virtualization and orchestration via VMware/Nutanix/OpenShift/Kubernetes
• GPU tuning parameters for AI workloads (multi-instance GPU, vGPU modes)
• Troubleshooting GPU resource allocation and infrastructure bottlenecks
• Lab 10: Optimization for GPU-intensive workloads and troubleshooting GPU deployment
Day 5: Advanced Cisco Intersight Topics & API Automation
Module 12: Intersight API Integration and Automation Overview
• Cisco Intersight REST API fundamentals, architecture, authentication and endpoint exploration
• Automating Intersight operations via REST API, Ansible Modules, Terraform Providers
• Developing customized automation scripts and workflows with Cisco-provided SDKs (Python, PowerShell)
• Practical automation: typical workflows and SDK use-case demonstrations
Module 13: Advanced Cisco UCS-X and Intersight Topics
• Automated workload optimization and resource recommendations
• Partner Solution: IBM Turbonomic
• Hybrid Kubernetes cluster orchestration and container workload management
• Cisco Intersight Kubernetes Service (IKS)
• Infrastructure automation via Infrastructure-as-Code methodologies
• Cisco Intersight Service for Terraform (IST)
• Workflow and orchestration automation
• Intersight and ACI Application Profiles
• Design and operation of automated workflows
• Cisco Intersight Cloud Orchestrator (ICO)
• Advanced Forecasting and Optimization Tools in Cisco Intersight
• Resource usage prediction, infrastructure health analytics and recommendations
• Unified Observability with AppDynamics, ThousandEyes & Splunk
• Real-time insights and predictive analytics for seamless digital performance
• Other Third-Party Integrations
Lab Outline:
• Lab 1: Initial UCS-X Hardware Setup, component inventory, and IMM discovery
• Lab 2: Configuring UCS-X with Intersight IMM – Profiles, Policies & Templates
• Lab 3: Migration and Validation using Cisco Intersight IMM Transition Tool
• Lab 4: Firmware management, monitoring, and Day-2 operational tasks
• Lab 5: Configure advanced thermal and power policies
• Lab 6: Hands-on troubleshooting using CLI and Intersight GUI
• Lab 7: OpenShift Deployment using Cisco-validated methodologies
• Lab 8: OpenShift Operations through Intersight Automation
• Lab 9: Validating GPU Performance, Monitoring GPU health and resource utilization in Intersight
• Lab 10: Optimization for GPU-intensive workloads and troubleshooting GPU deployment
Bonus Labs
• Lab 11: Implementing and Troubleshooting RBAC using the Intersight API
• Lab 12: Utilizing Intersight Workload Optimizer (IWO) or IBM Turbonomic use cases demo