Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) - Data Center
1 Data Center Technologies
1-1 Data Center Fundamentals
1-1 1 Data Center Concepts
1-1 2 Data Center Infrastructure
1-1 3 Data Center Services
1-1 4 Data Center Design Principles
1-2 Data Center Network Architecture
1-2 1 Network Design Models
1-2 2 Network Virtualization
1-2 3 Network Automation
1-2 4 Network Security
1-3 Data Center Storage
1-3 1 Storage Technologies
1-3 2 Storage Area Networks (SAN)
1-3 3 Network Attached Storage (NAS)
1-3 4 Storage Virtualization
1-4 Data Center Compute
1-4 1 Server Technologies
1-4 2 Server Virtualization
1-4 3 Hypervisors
1-4 4 Virtual Machine Management
1-5 Data Center Management
1-5 1 Data Center Management Tools
1-5 2 Monitoring and Troubleshooting
1-5 3 Capacity Planning
1-5 4 Compliance and Governance
2 Data Center Infrastructure
2-1 Physical Infrastructure
2-1 1 Building and Site Considerations
2-1 2 Power and Cooling
2-1 3 Cabling and Connectivity
2-1 4 Physical Security
2-2 Network Infrastructure
2-2 1 Network Topologies
2-2 2 Switching and Routing
2-2 3 Load Balancing
2-2 4 High Availability
2-3 Storage Infrastructure
2-3 1 Storage Arrays
2-3 2 Storage Protocols
2-3 3 Storage Networking
2-3 4 Backup and Recovery
2-4 Compute Infrastructure
2-4 1 Server Hardware
2-4 2 Server Deployment
2-4 3 Resource Management
2-4 4 Scalability and Flexibility
3 Data Center Operations
3-1 Data Center Management Systems
3-1 1 Management Platforms
3-1 2 Automation Tools
3-1 3 Monitoring Solutions
3-1 4 Reporting and Analytics
3-2 Data Center Security
3-2 1 Security Policies
3-2 2 Access Control
3-2 3 Threat Detection
3-2 4 Incident Response
3-3 Data Center Maintenance
3-3 1 Preventive Maintenance
3-3 2 Corrective Maintenance
3-3 3 Asset Management
3-3 4 Documentation and Records
3-4 Data Center Optimization
3-4 1 Performance Tuning
3-4 2 Resource Optimization
3-4 3 Energy Efficiency
3-4 4 Continuous Improvement
4 Data Center Design
4-1 Design Principles
4-1 1 Scalability
4-1 2 Flexibility
4-1 3 Resilience
4-1 4 Cost Efficiency
4-2 Design Considerations
4-2 1 Business Requirements
4-2 2 Technical Requirements
4-2 3 Compliance Requirements
4-2 4 Future Growth
4-3 Design Process
4-3 1 Needs Assessment
4-3 2 Design Development
4-3 3 Implementation Planning
4-3 4 Testing and Validation
4-4 Design Tools
4-4 1 Design Software
4-4 2 Simulation Tools
4-4 3 Modeling Tools
4-4 4 Collaboration Tools
5 Data Center Evolution
5-1 Trends in Data Center Technology
5-1 1 Cloud Computing
5-1 2 Edge Computing
5-1 3 Software-Defined Data Centers
5-1 4 Artificial Intelligence in Data Centers
5-2 Data Center Modernization
5-2 1 Legacy System Migration
5-2 2 Infrastructure Upgrades
5-2 3 Technology Integration
5-2 4 Future-Proofing
5-3 Data Center Sustainability
5-3 1 Energy Management
5-3 2 Waste Reduction
5-3 3 Environmental Impact
5-3 4 Green Data Centers
5-4 Data Center Innovation
5-4 1 Emerging Technologies
5-4 2 Research and Development
5-4 3 Industry Collaboration
5-4 4 Innovation Strategies
4 Data Center Design Explained

4 Data Center Design Explained

Key Concepts

Scalability

Scalability refers to the ability of a data center to grow and adapt to increasing demands without compromising performance. This involves designing infrastructure that can easily expand to accommodate more users, data, and applications. Scalability ensures that the data center can handle sudden spikes in demand without downtime or performance degradation.

Example: A cloud-based data center uses a modular architecture that allows it to add more servers and storage as needed. This scalability ensures that the data center can handle sudden spikes in demand without downtime or performance degradation.

Redundancy

Redundancy involves designing a data center with multiple, independent components and systems to ensure continuous operation in the event of a failure. This includes redundant power supplies, network paths, and cooling systems. Redundancy minimizes the risk of downtime and ensures high availability.

Example: A data center implements a dual power supply system, where each server is connected to two independent power sources. If one power source fails, the server automatically switches to the other, ensuring continuous operation without interruption.

Modularity

Modularity involves designing data center infrastructure in a way that allows for easy addition, removal, or replacement of components. This approach enables flexible and efficient scaling, as well as quick responses to changing requirements. Modular designs often use standardized components and pre-configured units.

Example: A data center uses modular racks that can be easily added or removed as needed. Each rack is pre-configured with power, cooling, and network connections, allowing for quick deployment and scaling without disrupting the entire data center.

Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency aims to minimize the energy consumption of data center operations while maintaining performance. This includes using energy-efficient hardware, optimizing cooling systems, and implementing power management strategies. Energy efficiency reduces operational costs and environmental impact.

Example: A data center employs a hot aisle/cold aisle layout to improve airflow and cooling efficiency. Additionally, it uses energy-efficient servers and power supplies that consume less energy during operation, reducing overall energy costs.