500-490 Practice Questions

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The three focus areas for reinventing the WAN are:

Secure Elastic Connectivity: This refers to the ability to provide secure and flexible connectivity to any application, anywhere, and anytime. Secure elastic connectivity enables the network to adapt to the changing business needs and user demands, while maintaining security and performance. Secure elastic connectivity leverages SD-WAN technologies, such as Cloud OnRamp, SASE, and ThousandEyes, to optimize the network path, encrypt the traffic, and monitor the end-to-end visibility across the WAN12.

Application Quality of Experience: This refers to the ability to ensure optimal and consistent user experience for any application, regardless of the network conditions. Application quality of experience uses SD-WAN technologies, such as vAnalytics, to measure and improve the application performance, availability, and reliability across the WAN3. Application quality of experience also uses intelligent policies and real-time analytics to prioritize the critical applications and steer the traffic to the best-performing path4.

Cloud First: This refers to the ability to embrace the cloud as the primary platform for delivering applications and services to the users. Cloud first enables the network to support the multicloud strategy and accelerate the cloud adoption. Cloud first leverages SD-WAN technologies, such as Cloud OnRamp, to simplify and automate the connectivity to the public cloud, SaaS, and cloud interconnect providers4. Cloud first also enables the network to operate as a cloud-native WAN overlay, using software-defined automation and orchestration tools5.

References:

Cisco SD-WAN Architecture Overview

SD-WAN and SASE: The new landscape of networking

Under the vAnalytics Hood: Enabling Total Network Visibility, Total Network Control

SD-WAN Capabilities - The New Landscape of Networking

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN): the new landscape of networking

The 4 Focus areas for reinventing the WAN are:

• Secure Elastic Connectivity

• Cloud First

• Application Quality of Experience

• Agile Operations

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 Cisco ISE use cases can be classified into four categories: device management, asset visibility, software-defined segmentation, and software-defined access. Each of these use cases has a different level of implementation complexity, depending on the network size, topology, security requirements, and integration with other technologies. Among these use cases, software-defined segmentation and software-defined access typically involve the highest level of implementation complexity, because they require:

A thorough understanding of the network architecture and design principles, such as hierarchical, modular, and scalable design.

A comprehensive assessment of the network devices, endpoints, users, applications, and policies, and their interdependencies and interactions.

A careful planning and testing of the network segmentation and access policies, using tools such as Cisco TrustSec, Cisco DNA Center, Cisco SD-Access, and Cisco ISE .

A smooth and secure migration from the existing network to the software-defined network, with minimal disruption and downtime.

A continuous monitoring and optimization of the network performance, security, and compliance, using tools such as Cisco Stealthwatch, Cisco Tetration, and Cisco ISE .

References:

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Use Cases, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/identity-services-engine/use-cases.html : Cisco Enterprise Network Architecture and Design, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/design-zone/networking-design-guides/enterprise-networking-design.html : Cisco ISE Network Discovery, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/ise/2-6/admin_guide/b_ise_admin_guide_26/b_ise_admin_guide_26_chapter_010011.html : Cisco TrustSec, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/enterprise-networks/trustsec/index.html : Cisco DNA Center, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/cloud-systems-management/dna-center/index.html : Cisco SD-Access, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/enterprise-networks/software-defined-access/index.html : Cisco ISE Software-Defined Access, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/ise/2-6/admin_guide/b_ise_admin_guide_26/b_ise_admin_guide_26_chapter_010110.html : Cisco SD-Access Migration Guide, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/solutions/CVD/Campus/sda-migration-guide.html : Cisco Stealthwatch, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/stealthwatch/index.html : Cisco Tetration, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/data-center-analytics/tetration/index.html : Cisco ISE Monitoring and Troubleshooting, https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/security/ise/2-6/admin_guide/b_ise_admin_guide_26/b_ise_admin_guide_26_chapter_010100.html

 Cisco SD-Access is a solution within Cisco DNA, which is built on intent-based networking principles. Cisco SD-Access provides visibility-based, automated end-to-end segmentation to separate user, device, and application traffic without redesigning the underlying physical network1. Cisco SD-Access also enables programmable overlays that allow network virtualization across the campus,branch, data center, and cloud2. Cisco SD-Access has two main components: the fabric and the policy3.

The fabric is the network overlay that consists of interconnected nodes that provide a consistent and scalable way of delivering network services and functions. The fabric nodes are classified into four types: edge nodes, border nodes, control plane nodes, and intermediate nodes. The edge nodes are the access switches or wireless controllers that connect to the end devices. The border nodes are the routers or switches that connect the fabric to external networks, such as the Internet, WAN, or data center. The control plane nodes are the routers or switches that maintain the mapping between the endpoint identifiers and the network locators. The intermediate nodes are the routers or switches that provide transit services within the fabric3.

The policy is the network configuration that defines the network behavior and outcomes, based on the business intent and requirements. The policy is composed of three elements: the endpoint groups, the contracts, and the virtual networks. The endpoint groups are the logical containers that group the endpoints based on their attributes, such as user identity, device type, or application. The contracts are the rules that specify the allowed interactions between the endpoint groups, such as the protocols, ports, and quality of service. The virtual networks are the logical partitions that isolate the endpoint groups and contracts from each other, based on the network scope and security3.

Cisco SD-Access addresses the following challenges and benefits:

It simplifies the network design and management, as it reduces the complexity and variability of the network elements and interfaces.

It enhances the network security and compliance, as it enforces granular and dynamic policies based on the endpoint identity and context, rather than the network topology and IP addresses.

It improves the network performance and user experience, as it optimizes the network path, load balancing, and traffic engineering based on the network conditions and application requirements.

It enables the network agility and scalability, as it supports the rapid deployment and integration of new devices, applications, and services, without affecting the existing network operations.

References:

Cisco Software-Defined Access - Cisco Software-Defined Access Solution Overview

What Is Software-Defined Access? - SD-Access - Cisco

Cisco SD-Access Architecture Overview

The overall health page of the assurance component in the Cisco DNA Center displays two primary categories: Client and Network1. The Client category shows the health score of all the wired and wireless clients connected to the network, along with the number of clients, the top issues affecting the clients, and the distribution of clients by type, OS, and SSID1. The Network category shows the health score of all the network devices, such as switches, routers, wireless controllers, and access points, along with the number of devices, the top issues affecting the devices, and the distribution of devices by site, family, and role1.

The other options are not primary categories on the overall health page. Server is not a category, but a type of client that can be filtered in the Client category1. Access-Distribution and Core are not categories, but roles of network devices that can be filtered in the Network category1. Wired is not a category, but a subcategory of the Client category that shows the health score of the wired clients only1.

References:

Cisco DNA Assurance User Guide, Release 1.3.1.0 - Monitor and Troubleshoot the Health of Your Network [Cisco DNA Center]

Designing Cisco Enterprise Networks (ENDESIGN) Exam Topics [Cisco]

Cisco Validated Design Guides [Cisco]