Cisco Digital Network Architecture (DNA)

Digital Network Architecture (DNA) - opened, expanded, program configured the service-oriented architecture constructed on automation, virtualization, analytics, managed services and open API which are urged to provide support of digital business. The platform includes the automation equipment, a set of cloud services of administration, virtualization of functions of network and is focused on corporate clients.

The principal structural components of architecture Cisco DNA are the same switches, routers, wireless access points and controllers. However essentially in it the level of management which relies on the network factory formed by all network elements and is orchestrated by the Cisco DNA Center device is selected. Its software modules are responsible for basic functions: automation, reliability of work, security and compliance to the set politicians openness and programmability.

As show researches, still up to 95% of actions for network management network administrators manually through the command lines, thus perform that before 70% of violations in network functioning happens just because of human errors. The architecture of Cisco DNA essentially changes a situation as intentions of owners of network are automatically transferred to the necessary configurations of its elements. As a result network management is brought to the new level of efficiency, time and quantity of errors at settings is reduced, discrepancies the politician of access to network are eliminated and timely updating of versions of software on network elements is provided.

Cisco DNA collects telemetry about a status of network elements, the user devices and applications, saves the context information about the events in network, allowing to return if necessary to last statuses of network infrastructure and to study a situation because of which the level of "health" of network, the client device or the application decreased. Using machine learning technologies (MO) and the artificial intelligence (AI) information is analyzed and provided to the network administrator in the type convenient for decision making. Using MO and AI, the network constantly increases possibilities of self-treatment and self-adjustment. As a result the level of awareness of the administrator on the events increases, network management is facilitated.

Constantly collecting data on the status, the network verifies them with the regulation and announces deviations, pointing to caused their reasons. On the basis of the obtained data of Cisco DNA allows to carry out the analysis of "bottlenecks" and to predict future situations (for example that will be if to connect one more branch, to add one hundred employees at office or to pass to the new system of joint work).

All these properties significantly distinguish Cisco DNA from a traditional corporate network architecture and do it the era of digital transformation which is most conforming to high requirements.

2019

With emergence in April, 2019 of switches of the kernel level of Catalyst 9600 updating of a line of switches for Cisco DNA came to the end (a little earlier there were younger access switches Catalyst 9200/9200L). In addition to already known Catalyst 9K models they form a full range of solutions for creation of campus networks of any level.

Possibilities of segmentation develop in Cisco DNA. Ensuring uninterrupted software updatings on network, support of replacement of devices, new means for applications launch directly on the Catalyst platform are added. Functions of sending automatic notifications extend, interfaces for interaction with external systems (API) are improved. So, the Cisco DNAC interface it becomes permanent more convenient and intuitive.

New features of Cisco DNA are in many respects caused by development of MO and AI technologies. Thanks to them the quantity of the problems which are automatically detected in network is increased, possibilities of pro-active identification of degradation of network performance appeared. Now it is possible to use correlation of data on network, to define normal behavior and to fix deviations from it thanks to network analytics from a cloud^[1].

2016

On March 9, 2016 Cisco provided architecture of digital networks. It supplements the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) technology intended for data processing centers, extending the approaches and program strategy based on politicians to all network: from a campus to branch, from a wired network to wireless, from a core to the periphery.

Representation of Cisco Digital Network Architecture (2016)

Cisco DNA is implemented within a program line of Cisco ONE that simplifies licensing, helping to protect investments and providing flexibility.

Five basic principles of Cisco DNA:

• Complete virtualization for providing freedom of choice of any service to the organizations in any point, irrespective of whether the reference platform is physical or virtual and whether it is located on own
• The maximum automation providing simplicity of deployment, control and support of network and the services executed on it that cardinally changes approach to network management.
• The universal analytics allowing to obtain information on functioning of network, IT infrastructure and business which can
• Cloud implementation of management of services for unification the politician and orchestrations on all network that allows to integrate maneuverability of cloud computing with information security and control
• The openness, expansibility and programmability at all levels providing integration of Cisco technologies and the third firms, open API and the platform of development for support of an extensive ecosystem of network applications.

Digital network — the platform of digital business. For creation of such platform in the solution Cisco DNA we integrated virtualization, automation, analytics, cloud computing and programmability. The abbreviation of DNA appeared not accidentally: we considerably change [2] of network technologies. Rob Soderbery, senior vice president of Cisco for corporate products and solutions

For support of architecture of DNA Cisco provided functions of automation, virtualization and cloud management.

• Automation of DNA is the APIC-Enterprise Module platform (APIC EM)
  • APIC-EM Platform. The new version of the Cisco controller is available to the enterprises. One copy of the APIC-EM controller provides management of 4 thousand devices. It conforms to requirements of corporate scale and stability which are imposed by the most big customers. APIC-EM supports different services of automation, including:
    • Cisco Plug and Play. Software of automation eliminates need for any works on preset tuning and for departures on the remote objects, allowing to save from $200 to $2 thousand for the device. The agent of the Plug and Play is built in routers and switches Cisco and directly communicates with the network controller that reduces deployment terms from four weeks to several days at possible decrease in initial costs of deployment (Day 0 deployment costs) to 79% in comparison with traditional methods.
    • Easy Quality of Service (EasyQoS). This service the politician allows network to update dynamically the common network QoS parameters taking into account applied. Using EasyQoS, the IT personnel can provide priorities for these or those applications pursuing quality improvement of service of users.

• Cisco Intelligent WAN Automation
  • This service automates deployment of IWAN network and management of it, allowing to unroll and configure flexibly and quickly completely serviced branch only 10 mouse clicks. The IWAN automation service eliminates need of setup of advanced network functions and automatically activates the advanced techniques of Cisco, prioritization of applications, caching and the choice of a route for quality improvement of service of users.

• Virtualization of DNA: Evolved IOS-XE and Enterprise NFV
  • Evolved Cisco IOS XE is the network operating system optimized in terms of opportunities of programming, convenience of operation and automation on the basis of the controller. New OS provides the API interfaces opened, managed by models for application development by third parties, provides programmatically the defined management, placement of applications, peripheral calculations and abstraction from physical infrastructure for the purpose of virtualization. For March 9, 2016 OS supports models Cisco Catalyst 3850/3650, ASR 1000 and ISR 4000. Further it will extend to all portfolios of solutions for corporate networks.
  • B a part of Evolved Cisco IOS XE is the functionality of Enterprise Network Function Virtualization (Enterprise NFV) intended for separation program and the hardware and providing a possibility of start of various functions to the enterprises. This solution includes a complete program stack: Software of virtualization of infrastructure, the virtualized network functions (routing, the network screen, WAN Optimization and WLAN Controller, services of management) providing virtualization of services for branches. Enterprise NFV will give to IT departments the chance to simplify daily transactions and to deploy the new services in branches without departure on an object. The solution provides several options of implementation (the adapted Cisco platform, the server platform or any x86 platform).

• Management of cloud services of DNA: CMX Cloud
  • CMX Cloud provides a business intelligence and personalisation, using the data on presence and location received from wireless infrastructure of Cisco. CMX Cloud simplifies adaptation of Wi-fi in the operating infrastructure (Wi-Fi onboarding), provides access to the generalized data on consumer behavior and helps to stimulate the interest of customers.

Cisco DNA will be on sale on the software model Cisco ONE, at the same time customers will be able to select the platform and delivery conditions.

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