[Update: This topic is discussed further in another question regarding connecting vCenter to ACI OOB. You may wish to read my mini-tutorial response I wrote to that as well. RedNectar]
Hi Erfan,
Let me go through your questions one at a time:
If I use OOB management, should I need to connect APIC, Spine and Leaf in separate physical connectivity or I can connect all components using same physical connectivity for OOB and as well as for In Band Management .
There are special ports on your APIC and switches marked OOB for "Out of Band" - in fact the APIC has two of them. These ports should be connected to a common management network (dedicated switch or VLAN)
The OOB network CAN NOT be used or OOB as well as for Inband Management. Setting up inband management is quite a task - I suggest you do google search for Cisco ACI inband management tutorial- you might find the one I wrote!
In addition, what is the best practice to connect APIC contoller (CMIC or console). Please assist me, how I can proceed for Initial configuration.
It does not matter if you access the APIC controller via the console or via the KVM facility of the CIMC - both are equally good, but you would have to set up the CIMC IP address before being able to access it in this way, so I normally use the console.
Keep in mind that you would normally only ever need to connect to the console/CIMConce - during the initial configuration. Once the initial configuration is complete, you would normally use HTTPS or SSH to access the APIC.
I would suggest you connect the CIMC to the same management network that you use for OOB management. This will give you remote access to the console via the KVM utility within the CIMC.
Do I need separate in physical connectivity for OOB and In Band Management for APIC Controller, Spine and Leaf.
As I mentioned earlier, I would recommend connecting all OOB interfaces to a management network where your management PC can get direct access to the devices. However, once your ACI Fabric has completed the discovery process, you won't normally ever need to access the OOB management of the Leaf and Spines ever again - you can access the leaf and spine switches directly from an SSH session to the APIC.
I hope this helps
RedNectar
aka Chris Welsh
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RedNectar aka Chris Welsh.
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