Feature Management

Feature Management

In Cisco DCNM Release 11.x, you must choose the install mode while installing the DCNM. From Release 12.0.1a, Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller allows you to install the service on the Nexus Dashboard. After you launch the Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller UI, you will see three different Install modes on the Feature Management page.

Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller 12 allows you to dynamically enable the feature set and scale applications. Choose Settings > Feature Management to choose the installer type and enable or disable few features on the selected deployment.

When you launch Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller for the first time from Cisco Nexus Dashboard, the Feature Management screen appears. You can perform only Backup and Restore operations before you choose the feature set.

On the Feature Management page, you can choose one of the following install modes:

  • Fabric Discovery

  • Fabric Controller

  • SAN Controller

After you select a Feature Set, from the next login, Dashboard page opens when you launch Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller from Nexus Dashboard.

Choosing Feature Set

When you launch Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller 12 for the first time, none of the feature set is enabled. During this state, you can perform Backup and Restore to restore the DCNM 11.5(x) data on Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller 12. Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller will read the data from the backup file and select the installer type accordingly.

To deploy feature-set from Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller Web UI perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Choose Settings > Feature Management.

Step 2

Select a persona to view the default set of features.

For information about the features available in Cisco NDFC personas, see Features with each Persona.

Step 3

In the table below, select the check box against the feature name available with the feature set.

Step 4

Click Apply.

The feature-set will be deployed. The selected applications will be enabled. A message appears that the feature set is installed, and you must refresh to take effect.

Step 5

Refresh the browser to deploy Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller with the selected feature set and applications.

The left pane shows the features supported specifically with the deployed feature set.

Features with each Persona

SAN Controller
san-feature-management

Performance Monitoring

Enable this feature to monitor performance of fabrics in NDFC. See Configuring Performance for more information.

SAN Insights

The SAN Insights feature enables you to configure, monitor, and view the flow analytics in fabrics. SAN Insights features of SAN Controller enable you to visualize the health-related indicators in the interface so that you can quickly identify issues in fabrics. See SAN Insights for more information.


Note

Before you install or upgrade to SAN Controller Release 12.1.1e, ensure that you configure persistent IP address on Cisco Nexus Dashboard.

VMM Visualizer

Enable this feature to configure network visualization of Virtual Machines on fabrics. See Virtual Infrastructure Manager for more information.


Note

SAN Insights and VMM Visualizer features are not enabled after restore. You must choose check boxes on Settings > Feature Management and click Save to enable these features after restore.

Changing across Feature-Set

Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller 12 allows you to switch from one feature set to another. Choose Settings > Feature Management. Select the desired feature set and applications in the table below. Click Save & Continue. Refresh the browser to begin using Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller with the new feature set and applications.

There are a few features/applications supported with specific deployments. When you change the feature set, some of these features are not supported in the new deployment. The following table provides details about the pre-requisites and criteria based on which you can change the feature set.

Table 1. Supported Switching between deployments

From/To

Fabric Discovery

Fabric Controller

SAN Controller

Fabric Discovery

-

Only monitor mode fabric is supported in Fabric Discovery deployment. When you change the feature set, the fabric can be used in the Fabric Controller deployment.

Not supported

Fabric Controller

You must delete the existing fabrics before changing the fabric set.

If you’re changing from Easy Fabric to IPFM fabric application, you must delete the exiting fabrics.

Not supported

SAN Controller

Not supported

Not supported

-