When is Cisco Prime Infrastructure 2.0 released, and what does 2.0 offer?

[musicman798]

                   We are running Prime Infrastructure 1.3 primarily for wireless management at this point.  We have enough licenses to add all our switches, routers, and firewalls, but we're hesitant to do so until 2.0 comes out.  While there are some features for backing up and configuring switches and routers, 1.3 still seems pretty limited in regards to non-wireless features.  For example, nearly every report in 1.3 is for wireless controllers or AP's, there are no reports I've found relevent for switches and routers.  I've read a lot of blogs, cisco posts, and white papers talking about how Cisco Prime Infrastrucure 2.0 will finally consolidate Prime into a truly all-in-one network management suite that can manage the entire Cisco environment.  Does anyone know when it's officially being released?  Does anyone have an tech sheets on what's new in 2.0, or what its capabilities are?  I want to better understand what 2.0 has to offer, when it's coming out, how to upgrade, so I can start planning for the upgrade and eventually importing all our network devices to Cisco Prime for centralized management.  Any useful information or links would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Christian

[Leo Laohoo]

When is Cisco Prime Infrastructure 2.0 released

I think it will be announced during Cisco Live 2013 Orlando.

You need to "engage" your Cisco Wireless SE.

[Vinod Arya]

PI 2.0 is in Beta mode for testing in closed group already. However it may still take some time to get released on CCO for FCS.

I think it is expected to be released between aug-sep. BU has also started working on CPI 2.1, which you can see test uploads on CCO.

For what does it have for customers?

> As Cisco have a vision of one network Management software for both wired and wireless infrastructure, which started getting real partially with Cisco PI.

As WCS got evolved to NCS and eventually to Cisco Prime Infrastructure, but it doesnt yet have full Management capability for wired infra., which is there with LMS.

With CPI 2.x Cisco plans to blend entire LMS and WCS features together.

-Thanks

[Marvin Rhoads]

As Leo noted, PI 2.0 is slated for official release at Cisco Live Orlando next week. It will add many but not all features currently available in LMS 4.2. Notably, many compliance features and topology will not be in PI 2.0.

You can get a rough idea of the current feature sets and roadmap by looking at this link. For more information, tune into the weekly Webex series at www.tinyurl.com/primedemo (details in attached PDF).

[Leo Laohoo]

We are running Prime Infrastructure 1.3 primarily for wireless management at this point.

I really, really hope your CPI 1.3 is running on a VMware.

[andypenning]

Leo,

Why? Are there issues with running CPI on the Prime Appliance?

Andrew

[Leo Laohoo]

Why? Are there issues with running CPI on the Prime Appliance?

Well, there were some talk (back in October 2012) that starting from CPI 2.0, there will be no more appliance.  CPI 2.0 and onwards will be nothing but VMware.

When CPI 2.0 was released, there was a mention in the ordering guide of a CPI 2.0 appliance.  Now I'm reluctant to even consider the appliance unless someone from Cisco will verify that future CPI release, 2.X or 3.X, will be appliance or not.

[Marvin Rhoads]

There is not a new appliance announced with the PI 2.0 data sheet or ordering guide (here) but the system requirements for VMs are very hefty for the two higher tier installations (Standard and Pro) - 16 vCPUs! From what I've heard, this is mostly driven from what is necessary when Assurance is (potentially) parsing 100s of thousands of Netflow records.

The PI Appliance Hardware Installation Guide 2.0 indicates it meets the 16 vCPU requirements of the "Large" (now also known as "Pro") OVA.

[Leo Laohoo]

There is not a new appliance announced with the PI 2.0 data sheet or ordering guide

Errrr ... Marvin, what's this thingy in Table 2 of the Ordering Guide?

[Marvin Rhoads]

As I said, not a new appliance  - that's the same appliance (at least the same SKU) as was in the Table 2 of the Prime 1.2 Ordering Guide.

[Leo Laohoo]

Hmmmm ... going to get mighty confusing.

So what have you heard about the future releases of CPI 2.X or higher?  Will those future release still support appliance or are they going to go down the VMware-only releases?

[Marvin Rhoads]

Indeed, Leo.

The only things I've heard about 2.1 is that they hope to have Topology (completely rewritten - dare we hope Java-free?) and compliance templates in it and that it's targeted for December 2013 / January 2014.

Appliances seem to be eagerly adopted for many other products - ACS, ISE, NGA etc. so I would expect it to go forward for Prime too. ISE 1.2 came with new appliance offerings but PI 2.0 did not.

[Leo Laohoo]

dare we hope Java-free

LOL!  Hope Santa reads this.

Appliances seem to be eagerly adopted for many other products - ACS, ISE, NGA etc. so I would expect it to go forward for Prime too. ISE 1.2 came with new appliance offerings but PI 2.0 did not.

Not every organization have good "relationships" with the VMware team.  In our case, we still haven't found any incriminating photographs for us to get a slice of VMware to host CPI.

So if we can't get any guarantee about future CPI to be offered as an appliance then we won't bother upgrading our WCS.

[Joey Jia]

Hi All,

Sorry for repeating the equstion in this thread, but has the PI 2.0 been released yet? I can't find any thing on Cisco.com, download section. Or do you know the next possible release date from Cisco....Thanks.

[Leo Laohoo]

PI 2.0 has been out since September 2013.

Read the Release Notes carefully so you'll know what APs and what WLC codes are supported.