What is the role of a Cisco APIC when configuring services for the Cisco ACl fabric?

While the APIC orchestrates services involving load balancers, it typically leverages device packages or service graph templates, which function as plug-ins, to integrate and communicate with various service appliances.

The APIC defines and orchestrates service graphs based on policy, which are then instantiated by the fabric switches, rather than building the graph by actively communicating with switches and routers to discover an existing topology.

The APIC defines the logical policies for connecting physical appliances to specific Endpoint Groups (EPGs) within the ACI fabric, but it does not physically connect appliances; that is a manual or automated task performed separately.

The Cisco APIC serves as the centralized controller for the ACI fabric, offering a single point of management and policy provisioning for all network services. This controller exposes a robust REST API, allowing for comprehensive automation and integration with external orchestration systems.