Adding Cisco ACI APIC Switches in a new datacenter

Creating the datacenter

  1. Create a datacenter using metalcloud-cli and yaml file provided as a template. Once file has been modified accordingly run the following command (changing “insertdatacentername” with datacenter name)

# metalcloud-cli datacenter create --config insertdatacentername.yaml --format yaml --id insertdatacentername --title "insertdatacentername" --return-id

  1. Make sure you have set the correct driver on the Datacenter Configuration page. For Cisco ACI SDN must be set as Switch provisioner type. Make sure to double check all Network settings after the Switch provisioner type dropdown are correct.

Adding ACI Switch Controller

Using UI

• Press the Add switch button located on the upper right side of the switches page.

• Go through the form, leave everything but fill in these fields.

  • Management address / network_equipment_management_address – IP of APIC Controller

  • Management username / network_equipment_management_username – Username for APIC controller

  • Management password / network_equipment_management_password – Password for APIC Controller User

  • Country / network_equipment_country

  • City / network_equipment_city

  • Datacenter (ext) / network_equipment_datacenter

  • Datacenter room / network_equipment_datacenter_room

• Press Add switch button, and that will automatically get all switches from the APIC Controller

Using metalcloud-cli

Install metalcloud-cli v3.3.2 or higher from here

  • Create a configuration yaml file of the switch controller named switch_controller.yaml changing datacenterName, managementAddress, managementUsername, managementPassword and primaryWANIPv6SubnetPool.

The IPv6 can be any dummy IPv6 subnet.

identifierString: Cisco ACI
description: Cisco ACI controllern 
datacenterName: test-aci 
provisionerType: sdn  
provisionerPosition: leaf  
driver: cisco_aci51  
managementAddress: 10.255.239.150 
managementProtocol: ssh  
managementPort: 22  
managementUsername: admin 
managementPassword: password 
managementMACAddress: 00:00:00:00:00:00  
primaryWANIPv6SubnetPool: fd1f:8bbb:56b3:2000:0000:0000:1000:0000 
primaryWANIPv6SubnetPrefixSize: 53  
primarySANSubnetPool: 100.64.0.1  
primarySANSubnetPrefixSize: 21  
primaryWANIPv4SubnetPool: 172.24.4.0  
primaryWANIPv4SubnetPrefixSize: 22  
quarantineSubnetStart: 172.16.0.0  
quarantineSubnetEnd: 172.16.0.255  
quarantineSubnetPrefixSize: 24  
quarantineSubnetGateway: 172.16.0.1  
requiresOSInstall: false  
isBorderDevice: false  
isStorageSwitch: false  
networkTypesAllowed:
- wan
- quarantine

• Run the following command (make sure environment variables are set for metalcloud-cli) where switch_controller.yaml is the file that you just created.

# metalcloud-cli switch-controller create --format yaml --raw-config ./switch_controller.yaml --return-id

• Once created, to see it you can use the following command (where 5 is the controller ID)

# metalcloud-cli switch-controller get --id 5 --format yaml --raw

Adding Shared VRF using metalcloud-cli

a. Create a new yaml file named update_sw_ctrl.yaml with the following contents

options:  
 vrf_shared_name: VRF_SHARED_NAME

b. Run the following command to update controller.

# metalcloud-cli switch-controller update --id 5 --format yaml --raw-config ./update_sw_ctrl.yaml

Note: This will take some time as it is polling for the switches

c. Other useful commands:

# metalcloud-cli switch-controller list 
# metalcloud-cli switch-controller switches --id 5

Add WAN subnet pool

  • Go to Subnets on the left-hand side menu of Admin UI

  • Click Add WAN subnet pool on the upper right side.

  • You can use any desired Label.

  • Select Datacenter onto which you would like to create a new WAN Subnet

  • Fill in the Subnet.

  • Leave rest of fields as they are and click on the Add subnet pool button.

Add OOB subnet pool.

  • Go to Subnets on the left-hand side menu of Admin UI

  • Click Add OOB subnet button on the upper right side.

  • Select Datacenter onto which you would like to create a new OOB Subnet

  • Fill in the Subnet and Gateway

  • Add any blacklisted ranges in needed.

  • Click the Add OOB subnet button to create the new subnet