APIC EM questions

[Sebastian Helmer]

hi there,

I'm starting to love that tool, but I'm not sure about some topics.

• I have some Switches they stuck in the process of collecting data. One with the newest IOS and one with a non recommended. How important is it realyl to have the recommended version. Others are working fine with a non recommended...
• I thought it is nothing to configure on the switch, thinking out of the box to make the path-trace for example working. But is that correcty as I'm seeing that ip device tracking needs to be enabled?
• I'd like to add sourcefire, is there a trial possible? How can I add that also if it is no trial possible and I need to talk to the account team.

May I didn't found the right documentation yet. I'm just a network engineed no developer but I like the idea behind it. Any help would be nice.

regards,
Sebastian

[Gurudatt Pai · Accepted solution]

Hi,

It is very important that you run the recommended version of software on the device. Yes, if you need the hosts behind your switch to show up under the Host inventory, you will need device tracking to be enabled. Source Fire is not officially supported on the APIC-EM today. Are you using the 1.0 version of APIC ?

Regards,

Gurudatt 

Technical Marketing Engineer (APIC-EM)

Cisco systems

[Sebastian Helmer]

Hi,

thanks a lot!

i was testing APIC after a session from Markus Harbeck at Cisco Germany I visited.

i like the idea but with using prime 3.0 I'm asking myself and my colleagues me what's the benefit because we have a big wifi installations with more than 1k APs and 8WLC around the globe. And planning to integrated the meraki which is in place in the prime. 

Also we plan to integrate the switches and have all the inventory stuff in prime as well. And option to work with templates.

so by now, there was no reason to convince my colleagues to use APIC-EM. Also the problem that u have to take care of the code on the switches more than on prime what I see was a point for prime.

path tracing is great in general but the biggest challenge for us in a big non homogene environment is the code. We have around 200 locations with 1-80 switches per side with different responsibilities.

so we don't we a big advantage currently in APIC-EM, BUT I would be happy to get some ideas! Maybe it is because it's free and hopefully some more I don't see actually today.

Sebastian