Configuring ACI Pods for Low Latency and Jitter-Sensitive Application

Supporting a Latency-Sensitive Application in ACI Pods

Question

A customer is deploying a new application across two ACI pods that is sensitive to latency and jitter.

The application sets the DSCP values of packets to AF31 and CS6, respectively.

Which configuration changes must be made on the APIC to support the new application and prevent packets from being delayed or dropped between pods?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

D.

https://www.ciscolive.com/c/dam/r/ciscolive/emea/docs/2019/pdf/BRKACI-2210.pdf

To support the new application and prevent packets from being delayed or dropped between pods, the following configuration changes must be made on the APIC:

Option A: Disabling DSCP translation policy DSCP translation policy is used to change the DSCP value of incoming or outgoing packets. Disabling this policy means that the original DSCP value set by the application will be preserved, and there will be no translation of the DSCP value by the ACI infrastructure. This option may be appropriate if the DSCP values set by the application are already appropriate for the QoS policy defined in the ACI environment.

Option B: Aligning the ACI QoS levels and IPN QoS policies This option involves ensuring that the QoS policies defined in the ACI environment are compatible with the QoS policies defined in the IPN (Inter-Pod Network). This ensures that the QoS policies are consistent across the infrastructure and packets are not delayed or dropped. QoS policies can be defined in different locations, such as ACI, IPN, or endpoint devices. It is important to ensure that these policies are aligned to avoid conflicts that may cause packet loss or delay.

Option C: Disabling DSCP mapping on the IPN devices DSCP mapping is used to map incoming or outgoing packets to a specific QoS class based on the DSCP value set in the packet header. Disabling DSCP mapping on the IPN devices means that the original DSCP value set by the application will be preserved, and there will be no mapping of the DSCP value by the IPN infrastructure. This option may be appropriate if the DSCP values set by the application are already appropriate for the QoS policy defined in the IPN environment.

Option D: Aligning the custom QoS policy on the EPG site in the customer tenant This option involves ensuring that the QoS policies defined for the endpoint groups (EPGs) are compatible with the QoS policies defined in the ACI and IPN environments. EPGs are logical groups of endpoints that share the same network policy, including QoS policy. Ensuring that the QoS policies are aligned across the infrastructure and the EPGs ensures that packets are not delayed or dropped.

In conclusion, to support the new application and prevent packets from being delayed or dropped between pods, one or a combination of the above options may be appropriate, depending on the specific requirements of the application and the QoS policies defined in the ACI and IPN environments. It is important to carefully evaluate and test the chosen configuration changes to ensure that they are effective in meeting the application's requirements.