HSRP Vs VRRP

 

Overview of VRRP and HSRP

Feature	VRRP	HSRP
Standard	Open standard (RFC 5798)	Cisco proprietary
Router Roles	One primary router, multiple backups	One active router, one standby, others in listening state
IP Address Usage	Uses router interface IP or virtual IP	Uses a virtual IP address
Election Criteria	Highest priority or highest IP address	Highest priority or highest IP address
Pre-emption	Enabled by default	Disabled by default
Timers	Advertisements every 1 second	Hello messages every 3 seconds
Tracking Support	Yes	Yes
Load Balancing	Supported	Supported
Multicast Address	224.0.0.18	224.0.0.2 (v1), 224.0.0.102 (v2)
Virtual MAC Format	0000.5E00.01XX (XX = VRID)	0000.0c07.acXX (XX = HSRP group)

Breaking Down the NX-OS Image Filename

Breaking Down the NX-OS Image Filename

Let’s take a closer look at a sample image filename:

nxos64-cs.10.5.1.F.bin

Here’s what each part means:

• nxos64-cs: Indicates a 64-bit NX-OS image for specific platforms (e.g., Nexus 9000-EX, -FX, -GX, -GX2).
• 10: Major release version.
• 5: Minor release version.
• 1: Maintenance release.
• F: Release designation.
• bin: Binary file extension.

This structured naming helps administrators quickly identify the right image for their hardware and software needs.

Understanding Image Prefixes

Cisco NX-OS images come in different formats based on platform architecture:

• 32-bit images: Start with nxos (e.g., nxos.10.1.1.bin)
• 64-bit images: Start with nxos64 (e.g., nxos64.10.1.1.bin)

Starting with Release 10.2(2)F, Cisco introduced two distinct 64-bit image types:

1. nxos64-cs: For Nexus 9000-EX, -FX, -GX, -GX2 modular switches and fixed switches.
2. nxos64-msll: For Nexus 9000-R, -R2 modular switches, Nexus 3600 fixed switches, and Nexus 3500-XL switches.

Release Designations Explained

Cisco uses specific letters to indicate the nature of a release:

• F (Feature Release): Includes new features, platform support, and bug fixes.
• M (Maintenance Release): Focuses on bug fixes and security patches, including PSIRT updates.

Each image ends with a .bin extension, confirming it’s a compressed binary file ready for deployment.

Conclusion

Understanding Cisco NX-OS coding is more than just decoding filenames—it’s about ensuring operational continuity, compatibility, and performance. As your infrastructure grows, especially in mission-critical environments like banking, being fluent in NX-OS versioning and image types will help you make informed decisions and maintain a resilient network.

Data Center Foundation Exam -1

 Q1 - Which two devices would you choose to be a part of the core layer in the three-tier network design? (Choose two.)

Top of Form

• Cisco Nexus 9500 Series Switch
• Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Switch
• Cisco UCS 6200 Series Fabric Interconnect
• hypervisor
• Cisco Nexus 9300 Series Switch

Ans – Cisco Nexus 9500 Series Switch and Cisco Catalyst 9800 Series Switch

 

Q2 - Which option lists the three tiers of a three-tier architecture?

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• core, aggregation, and access
• core, spine, and leaf
• base, spine, and leaf
• physical, data link, and networkBottom of Form

Ans - core, aggregation, and access

 

Q3 - Cisco Unified Data Center is based on which three pillars of Cisco innovation? (Choose three.)

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• Cisco Unified Computing System
• Cisco Unified Fabric
• Cisco Unified Access
• Cisco Unified Communications
• Cisco Unified Management
• Cisco Overlay Transport Virtualization
• Cisco FabricPath

Ans  - Cisco Unified Management, Cisco Unified Computing System and Cisco Unified Fabric

 

Q3- Which device would you choose to be a part of the core layer in a three-tier network design?

·       Cisco UCS 6400 Series Fabric Interconnect

·       Cisco Nexus 9500, Cisco Catalyst 6800, or Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switch

·       hypervisor

·       Cisco ASA security appliance

Ans - Cisco Nexus 9500, Cisco Catalyst 6800, or Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switch

 

Note - It is estimated that a spine-and-leaf model allows for 25 percent greater scalability over a three-tier model when used for data center designs.

·       Scalability - If oversubscription of a link occurs, the process for expanding capacity is straightforward. You can add an extra spine switch and extend uplinks to every leaf switch, resulting in the addition of interlayer bandwidth and reduction of the oversubscription. If device port capacity becomes a concern, you can add a new leaf switch by connecting it to every spine switch and adding the network configuration to the switch.

·       Low Latency - With a spine-and-leaf architecture, the traffic crosses the same number of devices to get to another server, regardless of the server to which the leaf switch is connected. This approach keeps latency at a predictable level because a payload only must hop to a spine switch and another leaf switch to reach its destination.

 

Q4 - Which option describes the topology design in a spine-and-leaf network?

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• The design uses a partial mesh of links at the leaf layer.
• The design uses a full mesh of links between the leaf and aggregation layers.
• The design uses a full mesh of links between the spine and leaf layers.
• The design uses a full mesh of links at the leaf layer.Bottom of Form

Ans - The design uses a full mesh of links between the spine and leaf layers.

 

Note - Converged solutions on the market:

• FlexPod (Cisco and NetApp)
• FlashStack (Cisco and Pure Storage)
• Hitachi Adaptive Solutions for CI (Cisco and Hitachi)

 

Q5 - What are three benefits of the two-tier storage network design? (Choose three.)

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• It is recommended for larger storage environments.
• It is elastic in case of failures.
• It is recommended for small-to-medium–sized environments.
• It is redundant through dual-fabric design.
• It is very expensive.
• It is a single point of failure.
• It is optimum for IP storage.

Ans – A. It is recommended for larger storage environments. B. It is elastic in case of failures. C. It is redundant through dual-fabric design.

 

Note - In most hyperconverged solutions, the minimum size group is three servers (commonly referred to as nodes).

Nutanix - Each server appliance contains three software layers:

• Server firmware: Cisco UCS
• Hypervisor: Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV) or vSphere ESXi
• Hyperconverged storage software: Nutanix Acropolis Operating System (AOS)

Q6 - Which statement about Cisco Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix is correct?

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• It provides network connectivity with the Cisco Nexus 9500 series switches.
• Hardware compute platforms used in Cisco Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix are Cisco UCS blade servers.
• The Cisco Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix solution is a combination of hardware and software.
• It uses SAN protocols like Fibre Channel and iSCSI for server addition and retiringBottom of Form.

 

Ans - The Cisco Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix solution is a combination of hardware and software.

Q7 - Cisco Unified Data Center infrastructure eliminates tiered silos and allows consolidation of which option?

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• LAN and WAN
• LAN and SAN
• LAN and WLAN
• performance and security management

Bottom of Form

Ans – LAN and SAN

 

Q8 - In a spine-and-leaf topology, what is the minimum number of spines if redundancy is taken into consideration?

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• one
• two
• four
• six

Bottom of Form

Ans -Two

 

Q9 - Top of Form

What are two benefits of the SAN storage network design? (Choose two.)

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• Allows for easier maintenance of servers.
• It is redundant through dual-fabric design.
• It is very affordable.
• It is a single point of failure.
• It is optimum for IP storage.

Ans – A. Allows for easier maintenance of servers. B. It is redundant through dual-fabric design.

Q10 - Which are the three characteristics of a hyperconverged storage system? (Choose three.)

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• easy expansion
• no SAN network
• usage of multiple storage arrays
• usage of redundant SAN switches
• easy deployment and maintenance
• fast convergence

Ans – A. easy expansion B. no SAN network C. easy deployment and maintenance

 

Q11 - Which option lists the two tiers of a Clos-collapsed core architecture?

Top of Form

• aggregation and access
• spine and leaf
• spine and access
• collapsed core and leaf

Bottom of Form

Ans – Spine and LeafQqBottom of Form

 

 

Q12 - You are working in the IT department of a small banking company that needs a new storage solution. The IT infrastructure consists of a single Cisco UCS server that hosts five VMs. Soon, the company will expand, a new server will be added, and a centralized storage array will be needed. Which network design approach is required in this case?

Top of Form

• cloud storage solution
• three-tier network with Cisco MDS multilayer switches
• directly attached network
• storage area network

Bottom of Form

Ans –

 

Q13 - If you are running out of physical ports, which action should you take to increase physical connectivity for end devices?

Top of Form

• Add an additional core switch and directly connect it to each leaf switch.
• Add an additional core switch and directly connect it to each core switch.
• Add an additional leaf switch and directly connect it to each core switch.
• Add an additional leaf switch and directly connect it to each leaf switch.

Ans- Add an additional leaf switch and directly connect it to each core switch.