Cisco gives intent-based networking a third leg to stand on

Cisco has delivered the missing piece of its intention-based network vision (IBN) and, as a result, is ready to maintain its position, as software-defined network developers are trying to paint it as a dinosaur.

When Switchzilla introduced the vision in mid-2017, he explained that automation was his heart: the company wanted networks that could be told what to do, then left and did it. . The plan required three things: a driver of policy, analysis and monitoring.

Cisco has already implemented the policy in the form of Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), the software-defined network product that enables the propagation of traffic and security policies across different networks. Cisco describes ACI as the tool it uses to write its intent.

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The next component is monitoring and Cisco has improved its Tetration analysis tool to do this: now you can observe the past behavior of the network and recommend how you can configure it to get what you want.

The last piece is what Cisco calls a "guarantee engine", a new software that monitors networks to make sure they do everything that ACI told them to do and adjusted Tetration. The software provides real-time verification that everything will be planned, which Cisco sees as more useful than occasional audits. There is also a network modeling tool that allows users to replicate their networks and play with the resulting simulator to see if planned changes can make life difficult or if network performance differs from plans.

Cisco's belief is that insurance goes even further in its mission to make networks more automated, less sensitive to human errors, and more efficient.

The proof of this pudding will be eating. More certain is that Assurance Engine is advancing Cisco's progress towards subscription and software services: it will have to be an ACI user to work and there is also a software subscription to subscribe.

For now, you'll also need another product called DNA Center Assurance that routes engine information to the Cisco Cloud Center Network Monitoring Tool, available as part of the ONE subscription offering.

At least the new hardware will be backed up: the Nexus 9000 Series switches are ready to work with the Assurance engine.

Take this, white boxers
Switchzilla is delighted to have a complete IBN suite on the market.

And that's a big problem because it's the main answer from Cisco to Software Defined Networks (SDN). The company believes that between Assurance Engine, Tetration and ACI can match the new SDN, but without users having to use the types of network administrators who can recite packet headers while they sleep. The company, therefore, expects users to find that the considerable effort required to adopt pure SDN with the white box kit is likely to offer few rewards for adopting IBN with the kit. they know and understand.

Cisco expects the argument to work well with its main users, but also knows that some very large network operators will find good reasons to complete the SDN. Losing the odd colossus will hurt, but if Cisco can convince most of its current customers to accompany the IBN trip, it will have a lot of company.

At this point, The Register imagines that readers who consider themselves Cisco's primary customers will report that they are not ACI users and do not plan to become one in the near future. Cisco said: The company told us that it plans to bring the warranty engine to non-ACI environments in the future.