Cisco Cisco Prime Infrastructure 3.1 White Paper

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Figure 2. Topology “n-Hop” Drill Down from Device 360 View

•  A related enhancement is the ability to view network connectivity up to three hops from any individual 

network node within the PI2.2 Device 360 View (see Figure 2). This helps network operators and engineers to 

quickly recognize network paths and dependencies for planning, monitoring, and troubleshooting workflows. 

 – While traditional LAN access networks are certainly 

still common, wireless access networks are fast becoming ubiquitous. PI2.2 includes newly integrated LAN/

WLAN management capabilities, eliminating the gaps that arise by having to use disparate tools to configure 

and manage wired LAN vs. WLAN access infrastructure. The release includes brand new configuration 

templates, based on Cisco Validated Designs, that address most common converged deployment scenarios.

 The PI2.2 release expands management scope to the full 

data center by adding direct monitoring of Cisco UCS, including schematic and Device 360 views into all 

of the elements present, from racks and blades to VMware vCenter instances, hosts, virtual machines, and 

physical/virtual server relationships. Also included are views for recognizing fabric interconnect and switch 

features, so it is possible to recognize how each server is connected to resources both within the UCS and 

across the broader environment. In order to support these new features, PI2.2 adds a newly defined operator 

role/persona for systems administrators. By adding UCS monitoring support, PI2.2 enables unified data 

center monitoring for better understanding and situational awareness of cross-domain dependencies and 

issues when planning or troubleshooting.

  – Perhaps the most significant architectural enhancement is the new capability to 

coordinate monitoring and management tasks across multiple instances of Prime Infrastructure via the 

new Operations Center features. Operations Center provides centralized visibility for large managed 

environments via common inventory, alarms, and reporting features, as well as single sign-on and 

consolidated search across multiple subtended instances of PI. Fully multi-tenant by design, Operations 

Center uses the published REST API for communicating with PI servers. This new distributed architecture 

greatly enhances the scalability of the Prime Infrastructure solution, allowing organizations to support tens 

of thousands of managed devices in a consistent, coordinated manner. 

 As of the PI2.2 release, a new approach is now available for keeping the PI 

platform current with new features and capabilities. The new Technology Packs are modular feature bundles 

that can be downloaded and installed as needed without requiring a full system upgrade. Cisco Prime 

Infrastructure will even alert the administrator directly when new Technology Packs become available.