Summary
This chapter introduced the fundamentals of the NX-OS architecture—its key components and benefits. It presented the key built-in capabilities that enable application hosting and containers in Nexus switching platforms. It discussed various popular features such as Open Agent Containers (OAC), Guest Shell, Bash, and Docker containers—how to enable or instantiate them; how to configure them to communicate with external networks; how to enable console as well as SSH access; how to install simple Python or Python API-based applications and run those applications; how to instantiate Docker containers in supported platforms; and how to orchestrate them using Kubernetes.
Cisco NX-OS platforms have built-in capabilities helping developers deploy custom applications in the networking devices connected to the end hosts. These applications become more effective as they are brought closer to the data generated at the network edge, which can be processed in real time to gain insights. Above all, users can orchestrate and manage the lifecycle of containers and applications by activating or deactivating them, upgrading the applications or packages installed, and leveraging the abilities the platforms provide for automation and scalability.