Cisco Prime Infrastructure is a unified solution for monitoring, managing, and troubleshooting wired and wireless networks, streamlining network operations.
The update introduced licenses such as DataCenter, LifeCycle, Assurance, Base, and Cluster. Cisco has historically offered diverse platforms, including Cisco Works LMS, NCS, and WSC, for overseeing and overseeing both wired and wireless equipment and services. Recently, the company made the strategic decision to amalgamate these platforms into a unified product known as Cisco Prime Infrastructure. Abbreviated as PI, Prime Infrastructure represents Cisco’s latest and most encompassing solution for seamless and automated network monitoring and management at an elevated level of efficiency. Particularly valuable for troubleshooting and maintaining network health, the PI platform is available in both virtual and physical models, with the virtual version compatible for implementation on the VMware platform.
Prime Infrastructure serves as a unified solution, seamlessly managing the entire lifecycle of wired or wireless networks, encompassing access points, campus setups, and branch networks. It offers extensive visibility into end-user connectivity and assures the performance of applications. Prime Infrastructure plays a pivotal role in expediting the introduction of new services and facilitating the secure access and control of mobile devices, thereby transforming the concept of “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) into a practical reality for corporate IT. By closely integrating client awareness with visibility into application performance and network management, Prime Infrastructure is instrumental in ensuring an optimal end-user quality of experience. Its deep integration with the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) further expands this visibility, particularly addressing security and policy-related issues, providing a comprehensive overview of client access problems and guiding effective solutions.
The following are among the capabilities of Cisco Prime Infrastructure:
- The ability to integrate with other Cisco products such as ISE and MSE in order to monitor and manage all wired and wireless workstations as well as support BYOD technology.
- The possibility of automatic adjustment of raw equipment based on defined defaults.
- The possibility of checking the efficiency and service quality of the software available in the Assurance network.
- The ability to define different users and groups to manage different parts of the network.
- The ability to communicate directly with the Cisco website to fix bugs on the equipment and get the latest version of their operating system.
- Ability to integrate with WLC to manage access points.
Cisco Prime Infrastructure 3.10 download link – Cisco Prime
Download – PI-APL-3.7.0.0.159-1-K9.iso – Size: 1.74 GB
Download – PI-VA-3.7.0.0.159.ova – Size: 1.4 GB
Download – PI-Upgrade-35x_36x_to_3.7.0. 0.159.tar.gz – Size: 3.32 GB
Download – PI-Upgrade-31x_32x_33x_34x_to_3.7.0.0.159.tar.gz – Size: 4.20 GB
Download – CiscoPI3.7.pem – Size: 2.76 GB
Download – Device-Pack-1- PI3.7-15.ubf – Size: 20 MB
System Requirements
Prime Infrastructure is available in two primary formats:
- Virtual: The virtual version of Prime Infrastructure is delivered as an Open Virtualization Archive (OVA) file, designed for installation on a user-provided, qualified server running VMware ESXi. This allows users the flexibility to deploy it on hardware of their choice. The virtual appliance offers four different configurations, each tailored for optimal performance in enterprises of varying sizes. Detailed hardware requirements and capacities for each virtual appliance size option can be found in the documentation under “Virtual Appliance Options.”
- Physical: The physical variant of Prime Infrastructure is a rack-mountable server that comes pre-installed and configured with Prime Infrastructure. This option is convenient for users who prefer an out-of-the-box solution. For specifications and capacities related to the hardware of the physical appliance, refer to the documentation under “Physical Appliance Options.”
Virtual Appliance Options
During installation, you can choose one of four deployment configuration options. Table 1 summarizes the minimum server requirements for each option.
You can configure any combination of sockets and cores, the product of which must equal the number of virtual CPUs required. For example, if 16 virtual CPUs are required, you can configure 4 sockets with 4 cores, or 2 sockets with 8 cores, etc.
You have the flexibility to set up any of the Prime Infrastructure choices as an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) on your hardware, compatible with VMWare ESXi. If you opt for this setup, ensure that your provided server meets or surpasses the specified requirements outlined in the respective table for your chosen option. Alternatively, Cisco offers Prime Infrastructure pre-installed on hardware provided by them, available as a physical appliance. For detailed guidance on hardware installation, refer to the Cisco Prime Infrastructure 3.1 Appliance Hardware Installation Guide. To understand the maximum management capacities for each installation choice, consult the Scaling Prime Infrastructure resource.
Physical Appliance Options
Prime Infrastructure is accessible through the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Appliance. However, it’s important to note that Prime Infrastructure 3.1 is not compatible with the PRIME-NCS-APL-K9, commonly referred to as “Gen 1.” Instead, Prime Infrastructure 3.1 is designed to function on the Cisco Prime Infrastructure Appliance, specifically the second generation (Gen 2), which is UCS-based. For users currently running Prime Infrastructure 3.0.x on a Physical Appliance (Gen 2, UCS Based), there is an option to upgrade to Prime Infrastructure 3.1. The physical appliance adheres to specific specifications outlined for optimal performance and functionality.
- CPU (cores/threads)—10 C/20 T
- Memory—64 GB
- Disk Capacity—4×900 GB
- RAID Level RAID—10
- Disk I/O Speed—320 MBps
Web Client Requirements
Prime Infrastructure users access the product using a web browser client. Web client requirements are:
- Hardware—A Mac or Windows laptop or desktop compatible with one of the following tested and supported browsers:
Google Chrome 48 or later
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 (No plug-ins are required.)
Mozilla Firefox ESR 38
Mozilla Firefox 44 or later
Display resolution—Prime Infrastructure supports 1366 x 768 or higher, but we recommend that you set the screen resolution to 1600 x 900.