Architecture

A single-pod deployment consists of a single ACI fabric, managed by a single Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) cluster. It's a self-contained environment, typically housed within a single data center.

Management

Management is centralized through the single APIC cluster. All policies, configurations, and monitoring are handled from this single point of control.

Use Cases

• Small to medium-sized data centers.
• Single-site deployments.
• Environments where low latency is critical.

Architecture

Multi-pod extends the ACI fabric across multiple physical locations or "pods." These pods are interconnected via an Inter-Pod Network (IPN) but are all managed by a single, stretched APIC cluster.

Management

Similar to single-pod, multi-pod is managed by a single APIC cluster. This provides a unified management plane across all pods, simplifying administration of a distributed environment.

Use Cases

• Large enterprises with multiple data centers in the same metro area.
• Disaster recovery solutions with lower latency requirements.
• Scaling a single ACI fabric beyond the limits of a single pod.

Architecture

Multi-site connects two or more independent ACI fabrics, each with its own APIC cluster. The Cisco Multi-Site Orchestrator (MSO) is used to manage policies and connectivity between these distinct sites, which are true separate availability zones.

Management

Provides a federated management model. The MSO manages inter-site policies, while each site's APIC cluster manages local fabric policies. This allows for both centralized governance and local autonomy.

Use Cases

• Geographically dispersed data centers (inter-continental).
• High-level disaster recovery and business continuity.
• Separating failure domains for maximum application resilience.

Architecture

Cloud ACI extends the ACI policy model into public cloud environments like AWS and Microsoft Azure. It uses a Cloud APIC instance running in the public cloud to translate ACI policies into the cloud provider's native constructs.

Management

Achieves consistent network and security policy management across on-premises data centers and public clouds. The on-prem APIC or MSO can communicate with the Cloud APIC for a unified hybrid or multi-cloud strategy.

Use Cases

• Hybrid cloud deployments.
• Seamless application migration to the cloud.
• Consistent security and governance across all environments.