Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) manages and automates the lifecycle of Cisco MDS and Cisco Nexus deployments across SAN, LAN, and IP fabric fo…
What Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller is
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) manages and automates the lifecycle of Cisco MDS and Cisco Nexus deployments across SAN, LAN, and IP fabric for media networking. Its capabilities cover management, control, monitoring, visualization, troubleshooting, and deployment automation. The available modes include Fabric Discovery and Fabric Controller for LAN, as well as SAN Controller. NDFC uses an HTML-based web interface and includes a device manager for individual switches or directors. It can manage Cisco MDS and Nexus switches, visualize Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects, discover VMware vCenter servers, and discover several storage arrays through SMI-S. Data collection uses SNMP, NX-API, streaming telemetry, and SMI-S. REST APIs with built-in documentation support connections to custom or third-party orchestration tools. Release 12 runs on Nexus Dashboard in virtual or physical deployments. Pricing is available on request, and each managed Cisco Nexus device requires an NDFC right-to-manage license; Release 12.0 onward uses Smart Licensing only.
Good
- Manages and monitors SAN, LAN, and IP fabrics.
- Offers LAN discovery, LAN controller, and SAN controller modes.
- REST APIs include built-in documentation.
- Role-based access can vary across fabrics.
- Supports virtual or physical Nexus Dashboard deployments.
Watch out
- Pricing is available only on request.
- Each managed Cisco Nexus device needs a right-to-manage license.
- Virtual LAN and IPFM deployments list 16 vCPUs, 64 GB RAM, and 500 GB SSD.
- Cisco reported a critical REST API and web UI command-execution vulnerability.
Who it suits
NDFC is intended for teams operating Cisco MDS and Nexus fabrics that need centralized control, automation, and monitoring. It may also fit environments integrating fabric management with orchestration tools through REST APIs.
Verdict
NDFC brings discovery, deployment, monitoring, and troubleshooting together for Cisco fabric environments. Review its device licensing, deployment requirements, and the reported security advisory when evaluating it.
Plans and prices
From Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller's own pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Cisco DCN Advantage subscription | — | Essentials features · advanced alerts and correlation · capacity and conformance · energy management · DNS integration · streaming export · 3-year, 5-year, or 7-year subscription terms |
| Cisco DCN Essentials subscription | — | Fabric inventory and provisioning · fabric and switch upgrades · basic alerts and correlation · platform integrations · 3-year, 5-year, or 7-year subscription terms |
| Cisco DCN Premier subscription | — | Advantage features · premier anomaly correlation · pre-change analysis · network telemetry and analytics · enhanced integrations · assurance and compliance · 3-year, 5-year, or 7-year subscription terms |
The facts
Each one read from Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Access control
- NDFC provides role-based access control for fabric objects, including granular roles that can differ across fabrics for the same user.checked 1 Oct 2026
- APIs and automation
- All northbound NDFC APIs are REST APIs, include built-in Swagger-style documentation, and support integration with third-party or custom orchestration tools such as Ansible.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Automation and compliance
- Cisco describes automation, graphical visibility, templated deployment with configuration-compliance alerts and automatic remediation, and day-two operations as NDFC benefits.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Core operations
- NDFC provides management, control, automation, monitoring, visualization, and troubleshooting across Cisco MDS and Cisco Nexus solutions.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Infrastructure limits
- For virtual Nexus Dashboard deployments, the datasheet lists 16 vCPUs, 64 GB RAM, and 500 GB SSD for LAN and IPFM modes; SAN requires a small or large node depending on SAN Insights.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Licensing requirement
- Each Cisco Nexus device managed by NDFC requires an NDFC right-to-manage license, and Release 12.0 onward is Smart Licensing-only.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Operating modes
- The AppCenter listing provides Fabric Discovery for LAN deployments, Fabric Controller for LAN deployments, and SAN Controller modes.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller provides complete lifecycle management and automation for Cisco MDS and Cisco Nexus deployments across SAN, LAN, and IP fabric for media networking.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Security advisory
- Cisco reported a critical NDFC arbitrary command-execution vulnerability in the REST API and web UI with a base CVSS score of 9.9.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Support
- Cisco Solution Support with Software Support Service is included in Cisco Data Center Networking subscriptions and legacy NDFC Smart Licenses, providing Cisco TAC support, knowledge-base access, and software downloads.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Supported environments
- NDFC can manage Cisco MDS and Nexus switches, visualize Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects, discover VMware vCenter servers, and discover Dell EMC, IBM, HDS, NetApp, and Pure Storage arrays through SMI-S.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Telemetry inputs
- NDFC collects data through SNMP, NX-API, streaming telemetry, and the industry-standard SMI-S provider interface.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Web interface
- NDFC uses an HTML-based web user interface as its main interface and includes an integrated device manager for individual switches or directors.checked 1 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Deployment platform
- NDFC Release 12 runs on Nexus Dashboard and supports virtual or physical Nexus Dashboard deployments for LAN, IPFM, and SAN.checked 1 Oct 2026
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