How do you manage your infrastructure?

khatinsek · ‎06-20-2022

I've been out of the Cisco game for awhile now. We moved to Meraki a little over 5 years ago except for our gateways to external lines. I've done things by CLI with Cisco because it's always been older equipment, but we are considering moving back to Cisco equipment. Is it still managed via CLI and scripting to hit multiple pieces or have them moved on to something like a GUI? One of the sticking points it that the Meraki Dashboard is user friendly and someone at the helpdesk or a Sys Admin can take a look at it and actually understand it and make some changes. Where does Cisco stand in terms of their ISR's, Catalyst, and AP lines in 2021?

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Flavio Miranda · ‎06-20-2022

Hi @khatinsek

I´d say in transition. We still have network being managed in old fashion with CLI but we already have the possibility to manage everything through GUI.

For routing you can now use SDWAN with vManage. vManage is an NMS able to configure the whole SDWAN fabric infrastructure.

For Switching you can now use DNAC. DNAC is an orchestrator able to manage all switches fabric from on single point.

For Data Center you can now use ACI. ACI can manage Nexus fabric.

Leo Laohoo · ‎06-20-2022

Stay where you are (with Meraki).

Philip D'Ath · ‎06-20-2022

As a Cisco Partner, we've converted 99.9% of every customer Cisco Enterprise box across to the Meraki family.

The Meraki APs are excellent. So that is an easy choice there. Go Meraki.

I don't see any point in the Cisco Enterprise APs unless you want to use DNA Centre and the Cisco Enterprise management platform (but friends don't let friends use DNA Centre - just warning you).

ISRs have a lot of functionality that you don't get in Meraki. If you have only Ethernet presentations and are wanting to do basic routing you can use Meraki. If you only need to do Ethernet routing and OSPF, you can use a Meraki layer 3 switch.

If you are using the ISR to connect to the Internet you can probably use a Meraki MX. The MX is basically only suitable for static routing, but you do get AnyConnect and the amazing AutoVPN for SDWAN. You also get a million more features in the MX like contenting filtering, etc, and of course the amazing management you have already mentioned.

For switching, if you just want basic layer 2, you should go Meraki MS. If you just need basic layer 3, static routing or OSPF, stay with Meraki MS.

If you need to do BGP, policy routing, a chassis switch, or anything more advanced, you'll need to stay with Catalyst.

Leo Laohoo · ‎06-20-2022

@Philip D'Ath wrote:

you'll need to stay with Catalyst.

In addition to @Philip D'Ath's response: If going down the Catalyst range, make sure to have a system to monitor the CPU and memory utilization of the Catalyst switches, routers on a daily basis because IOS-XE (aka Polaris) leaks like a sieve. Look, I even have pictures:

Normal memory leak

Above is a "typical" control-plane memory utilization of a Catalyst 3850. See the slow rise?

A lot of systems only monitor the CPU and memory utilization of the data-plane. The above picture is the CPU and memory utilization of the control-plane. Different stuff.