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Contracts define inbound and outbound permit, deny, and QoS rules and policies such as redirect. Contracts allow both simple and complex definition of the way that an EPG communicates with other EPGs, depending on the requirements of the environment. Although contracts are enforced between EPGs, they are connected to EPGs using provider-consumer relationships. Essentially, one EPG provides a contract, and other EPGs consume that contract. 
Reference: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/netmgtsw/ps13004/ps13460/white-paper-c11-729906_ns1261_Networking_Solutions_White_Paper.html

Cisco Unified Fabric is the interconnection point for applications, stored data, and users that can help you:
Build an intelligent, high-performing infrastructure with multidimensional scalability for the data center network 
Simplify your data center architecture and reduce costs with LAN and SAN convergence, helping you reduce capital costs with fewer devices, simpler management, and more flexible configuration policies 
Create an open, programmable network backbone that is easier and faster to deploy and manage 
Reference: http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-7000-series-switches/at_a_glance_c45-617345.pdf

The control plane: The control plane is the brain of the router. It consists of dynamic IP routing protocols (that is OSPF, IS-IS, BGP, and so on), the RIB, routing updates, in addition to other protocols such as PIM, IGMP, ICMP, ARP, BFD, LACP, and so on. In short, the control plane is responsible for maintaining sessions and exchanging protocol information with other router or network devices. 
Reference: http://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=2272154&seqNum=3

You can build Cisco UCS Director workflows to automate simple or complex provisioning and configuration processes. 
Reference: https://www1.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/ucs-director/HP-OA-Mgt-Guide/6-0/b_Cisco_UCS_Director_HP_OA_Management_Guide_60/b_Cisco_UCS_Director_HP_OA_Management_Guide_60_chapter_010.html

Cisco NX-OS introduces support for virtual device contexts (VDCs), which allows the switches to be virtualized at the device level. Each configured VDC presents itself as a unique device to connected users within the framework of that physical switch. The VDC runs as a separate logical entity within the switch, maintaining its own unique set of running software processes, having its own configuration, and being managed by a separate administrator. 
Reference: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-7000-10-slot-switch/White_Paper_Tech_Overview_Virtual_Device_Contexts.html

VF PortBeginning in Cisco NX-OS Release 5.0(2)N1(1), vFC interfaces always operate in trunk mode; vFC interfaces do not operate in any other mode. You can configure allowed VSANs on a vFC by using theswitchport trunk allowed vsan command under the vfc interface (which is similar to FC TF and TE ports). For vFC interfaces that are connected to hosts, port VSAN is the only VSAN that supports logins (FLOGI). We recommend that you restrict the allowed VSANs for such vFC interfaces to the port VSAN by using theswitchport trunk allowed vsan command in the interface mode to configure a VF port. 
Cisco NX-OS Release 5.0(2)N1(1) includes support for 160 vFC interfaces. 
The vFC VSAN assignment and the global VLAN-to-VSAN mapping table enables the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switch to choose the appropriate VLAN for a VF port. 
The VF port support over 10G-FEX interfaces feature is supported only in Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extender straight-through topologies where each Fabric Extender is directly connected to a Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switch. 
VE PortsA virtual E port (VE port) is a port that emulates an E port over a non-Fibre Channel link. VE port connectivity between Fibre Channel Forwarders (FCFs) is supported over point-to-point links. These links can be individual Ethernet interfaces or members of an Ethernet port-channel interface. For each of the FCF connected Ethernet interfaces you must create and bind an vFCinterface to the Ethernet interface. Configure vFC interfaces as VE ports by using the switchport mode e command in interface mode. 
VE ports have the following guidelines:
Auto mode on the vFC is not supported. 
VE Port trunking is supported over FCoE-enabled VLANs. 
VE Port interface binding to MAC addresses is not supported. 
By default the VE Port is enabled for trunk mode. 
You can configure multiple VSANs on the VE port. You must configure the FCoE VLANs that correspond to the VE port’s VSANs on the bound Ethernet interface. 
The Spanning Tree Protocol is disabled on the FCoE VLANs on any interface that a vFC interface is bound to, which includes the interfaces that the VE ports are bound to. 
Reference: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus5000/sw/san_switching/502_n2_1/b_Cisco_n5k_nxos_sanswitching_config_guide_rel502_n2_1/Cisco_n5k_nxos_sanswitching_config_guide_rel502_n2_1_chapter3.html