Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cisco ACI VS RackTables

Compare Cisco ACI VS RackTables and see what are their differences

Cisco ACI logo Cisco ACI

Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) simplifies, optimizes, and accelerates the application deployment lifecycle in next-generation data centers and clouds.

RackTables logo RackTables

Racktables is a nifty and robust solution for datacenter and server room asset management.
  • Cisco ACI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • RackTables Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-23

Cisco ACI features and specs

  • Centralized Management
    Cisco ACI provides a centralized point of management for the entire network infrastructure, making it easier to configure, automate, and manage policies across the network.
  • Scalability
    ACI allows for scalable design, accommodating the growth of network infrastructure with minimal disruption and extensive support for multi-cloud environments.
  • Policy-Based Automation
    ACI leverages policy-driven automation to reduce the complexity and potential for human error in network configurations. Policies can be applied uniformly across the network to ensure compliance and security.
  • Security
    By using micro-segmentation and other security features, ACI enhances network security by isolating segments of the network and ensuring consistent security policies.
  • Multi-Tenancy Support
    ACI supports multi-tenancy, allowing different segments or tenants within an organization to operate within their own isolated environments while sharing the same physical infrastructure.
  • Integration with Third-Party Tools
    The platform supports integration with a wide range of third-party tools and applications, streamlining workflows and improving operational efficiencies.
  • Visibility and Troubleshooting
    ACI provides extensive monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities, allowing for enhanced visibility into network performance and faster resolution of issues.

Possible disadvantages of Cisco ACI

  • High Initial Investment
    The upfront costs associated with deploying Cisco ACI can be significant, including both hardware and software expenses.
  • Complexity
    While ACI simplifies many aspects of network management, its sophisticated features and architecture can add layers of complexity, requiring specialized knowledge and training.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Implementing Cisco ACI often ties the organization to Cisco's ecosystem, which might limit flexibility with multi-vendor environments or introduce higher costs for future upgrades and expansions.
  • Learning Curve
    Network administrators and engineers may face a steep learning curve when transitioning to ACI, necessitating time for training and adjustment.
  • Dependency on APIC
    The Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) is a critical component of the ACI architecture, and any failure or issue with APIC can impact the entire network's operation.
  • Migration Challenges
    Migrating existing network infrastructure to ACI can be a complex and risky process, requiring careful planning and execution to avoid disruptions.

RackTables features and specs

  • Cost-Effective
    RackTables is open-source software, which means it is free to use. This can result in significant cost savings compared to commercial alternatives.
  • Customizable
    Being open-source, users have the flexibility to modify the code to fit their specific needs, providing a tailored solution for their data center management.
  • Community Support
    RackTables has an active user community that offers support and shares plugins, extensions, and solutions, which can be very helpful in troubleshooting and optimizing usage.
  • Comprehensive Features
    RackTables includes a wide range of features for data center management, such as asset tracking, IP address management, and rack space visualization.
  • Web-Based Interface
    The software is accessible through a web-based interface, making it easy to access from different locations without needing to install client software on multiple machines.

Possible disadvantages of RackTables

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find the interface and setup process complex, requiring a significant amount of time to learn and configure properly.
  • Limited Documentation
    While there is community support, the official documentation is sometimes lacking in detail, which can make setup and advanced configurations challenging.
  • No Official Support
    As an open-source project, RackTables does not offer official customer support. Users must rely on community forums and user contributions for help.
  • Scalability Issues
    For very large data centers, RackTables might struggle with performance and scalability, as it was primarily designed for smaller-scale environments.
  • User Interface
    The user interface can feel outdated and less intuitive compared to more modern data center management tools, potentially impacting user experience and efficiency.

Cisco ACI videos

Cisco ACI vs. VMware NSX: Which Software-Defined Solution is Right for You?

RackTables videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cisco ACI and RackTables)
Monitoring Tools
57 57%
43% 43
Log Management
57 57%
43% 43
DCIM Software
64 64%
36% 36
Product Deployment
45 45%
55% 55

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cisco ACI and RackTables

Cisco ACI Reviews

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RackTables Reviews

11 NetBox Alternatives
RackTables is a great application that is very useful and helpful for their clients in several niches like network addresses, space in racks, and much more that can explore. The most important feature this application offers is documenting hardware assets and network configuration, due to these features, this application is differentiated from other alternatives. This is a...
12 Open Source/Commercial Software for Data Center Infrastructure Management
RackTables is an open-source tiny tool for datacenter and server room asset management to keep track of hardware assets, network addresses, space in racks, network configuration, and much much more!
Source: www.tecmint.com

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cisco ACI and RackTables, you can also consider the following products

ManageEngine OpManager - Monitors routers, switches, firewalls, load-balancers, wireless LAN controllers, servers, VMs, printers, storage devices, and everything that has an IP and is connected to the network.

DCImanager - DCImanager is a platform for managing physical equipment. Connect any physical equipment to a single platform. Use the platform to manage your servers, switches, PDU as well as physical and virtual networks.

Cisco Data Center Network Manager - Cisco Data Center Network Manager offers network management system (NMS) support for traditional or multiple-tenant LAN and SAN fabrics.

NetBox - NetBox is an open source web application designed to help manage and document computer networks. NetBox was developed specifically to address the needs of network and infrastructure engineers.

Opendcim - a free, web based Data Center Infrastructure Management application.

Device42 - Automatically maintain an up-to-date inventory of your physical, virtual, and cloud servers and containers, network components, software/services/applications, and their inter-relationships and inter-dependencies.