Unified Computing

Data Center Systems Engineer

DataCenter Switching: FC, Ethernet, FCoE, Blade Switching
WAAS, Content Switching, xWDM, Unified Computing Systems

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 1
 Virtualization architecture
With and without UCS
Virtualization has been promised as the answer. However, Virtualization Solutions to date only address part of the
problem, and has done so by increasing operational expenses, infrastructure complexity, and risk.

Current UCS

IT must try to weave together network, UCS is a fully integrated solution and brings
compute, virtualization and management together network, compute resources and
software virtualization services
= High complexity and cost = Simplify and automate setup and IT
operations, enable just-in-time provisioning
Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 2
 From cabling to your Data Center
organization – UCS simplifies
What does your Data Center organization look like?

From ad hoc …to structured, but

siloed, complicated …to simple, optimized
and
inconsistent… and costly… and automated
Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 3
 Key Benefits of Unified Computing
System

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 4
 Agenda
 What is UCS ?
 UCS Components
 What is the UCS differentiator ?
 Nexus 1000V briefly

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 5
 UCS

 Not a point product – it’s a complete solution

 UCS collapses the LAN, SAN and compute layers in
one package
 You said Compute layer ?
 Yes, it means Cisco is entering the blade server market
 UCS  blade servers, LAN/SAN access layers, unified
IO, central point of management all combined with
several innovative differentiators

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 6
 Why we are where we are
Mgmt Server
 Over the past 10 years
An evolution of size, not thinking
More servers & switches than ever
More switches per server
Management applied, not integrated

 An accidental architecture
Still a 1980’s PC model

 Result: Complexity
Server spawl
More points of management
More difficult to maintain policy coherence
More difficult to secure
More difficult to scale
Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 7
 How UCS Compares to Other Blades
Mgmt Server Mgmt Server
 Embed management
 Consolidate LAN & SAN
switches
 Remove
Blade switches
Adapters
Management modules

 Less than 1/3rd infrastructure

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 8
 Our Solution
 Consolidated Infrastructure
Natural aggregation point: Network
Less overhead per server
 Wire once: I/O on demand
LAN, SAN, IPC
 Centralized management
Embedded native management
Fewer switches, management modules
 Lower cost
Fewer switches, adapters, cables
Lower power consumption

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 9
 Agenda
 What is UCS ?
 UCS Components
 What is the UCS differentiator ?
 Nexus 1000V briefly

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 10
 The family

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 11
 Cisco Unified Computing System
Cisco UCS Manager
Embedded in Fabric Interconnect

Cisco UCS 6100 Series Fabric Interconnects

UCS 6120XP 20 Port Fabric Interconnect
UCS 6140XP 40 Port Fabric Interconnect
Cisco UCS 2100 Series Fabric Extenders
Logically part of Fabric Switch
Inserts into Blade Enclosure
Cisco UCS 5100 Series Blade Chassis
Flexible bay configurations
Logically part of Fabric Interconnect
Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers
UCS B-200 M1 Blade Server
UCS B-250 M1 Extended Memory Blade Server

Cisco UCS Network Adapters

Three adapter options
Mix adapters within blade chassis
Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 12
 UCS Cable Connections

California System

Cluster
Fabric A link Heartbeat Fabric B link
4x x4
Ethernet
•Mgmt
•FCoE
` •IP

Chassis
Up to 320
servers
Up to 40 Chassis

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 21
 Overall System (Front)
Top of Rack
Switch
Chassis

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 22
 Overall System (Rear)
Uplinks

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 23
 Agenda
 What is UCS ?
 UCS Components
 What is the UCS differentiator ?
 Nexus 1000V briefly

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 24
 Agenda
 What is UCS ?
 UCS Components
 What is the UCS differentiator ?
Management
 Nexus 1000V briefly

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 25
 UCS Management
UCM (Unified Computing Manager)

Management GUI is hosted inside

the built-in Management-Node

 As simple as pointing your browser to the switch’s IP

 The GUI (called UCM) is Java-based
 UCM is used to configure and monitor all aspects of the
solution (LAN/SAN/Compute)
 Key differentiator: the GUI is the one and only point of
contact for all configuration and monitoring tasks
 UCS is extremely extensible: it’s all XML behind the
scenes !

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 26
 Agenda
 What is UCS ?
 UCS Components
 What is the UCS differentiator ?
Stateless computing
 Nexus 1000V briefly

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 27
 Introducing Service Profiles
Server Profiles

 UCS Blades are very much like virtual Server Name

Server
UUIDName
machines in a Vmware environment UUID
MAC
MAC
WWN
WWN
 Configuration files store server Boot info
LANBoot info
Config
LAN Config
characteristics: SAN Config
SAN Config

Boot parameters
NIC and HBA configuration (MAC, WWN,
etc.)
UUID
Various policies (what happens when a link
fail, etc.)
 All those items can be grouped in resource
pools
 Those service profiles are then mapped to PHYSICAL SERVERS
physical servers to very quickly provision one
or more appropriate servers

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 30
Stateless Computing
SAN LAN
 Server identity no longer has to be tied
to physical server hardware
Profiles provide identity
Seamless server mobility
Stateless blades

Server Name: LS-A

 Boot over network (LAN or SAN) UUID: 56 4d cd 3f 59 5b 61…
MAC : 08:00:69:02:01:FC
Boot order and boot devices are part WWN: 5080020000075740
Boot Order: SAN, LAN
of the pre-defined logical server
profile Chassis-1/Blade-1
On-board disks can be used for temp,
swap, etc.

Chassis-9/Blade-5

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 31
 Agenda
 What is UCS ?
 UCS Components
 What is the UCS differentiator ?
Memory Capacity
 Nexus 1000V briefly

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 33
 Cisco Memory Expansion

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 34
 Cisco Memory Expansion

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 35
 Intel Xeon 5500 (Nehalem)
3 Channels
3 Dimm-Banks each =
9 Dimm-Banks (Total of 18)

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 37
 Agenda
 What is UCS ?
 UCS Components
 What is the UCS differentiator ?
Virtualization
 Nexus 1000V briefly

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 38
 Network I/O offerings

Palo (not at FCS) Menlo Oplin

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 39
 Virtualization Adapter
True wire once architecture – highly dynamic
Network policy and visibility brought to VMs
Hypervisor bypass support – increases performance
Reduce NIC and mezz card infrastucture

Switch

Today’s Server Cisco with Palo

Hypervisor Hypervisor
Soft
Switch

Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual

Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine Machine

02/10/2009
Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco
Cisco Inc., Company
Confidential Confidential - NDA Required 40 40
Unified Computing System Key Differentiation
Single Point of Management
Unified
Fabric

Expanded Virtualized Service

Memory Adapters Profiles
Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 41
 Agenda
 What is UCS ?
 UCS Components
 What is the UCS differentiator ?
 Nexus 1000V briefly

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 42
 Cisco Nexus 1000V
Industry First Third-Party Distributed Virtual Switch
 Nexus 1000V provides
enhanced VM switching for
VMW ESX environments Server 1 Server 2
 Features VN-Link VM VM VM VM VM
VM VM VM VM
capabilities: #1 #2 #3 #4 #1
#5 #5
#6 #7 #8
Policy-based VM connectivity
Mobility of network and security VMware vSwitch
Nexus 1000V1000VVMware
Nexus vSwitch
Nexus
DVS 1000V
properties
VMW ESX VMW ESX
Non-disruptive operational model
 Ensures visibility and
continued connectivity
during VMotion

Enabling Acceleration of Server Virtualization Benefits

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 44
 Some Nexus 1000V features

 Quality of service (QoS) : CoS, DSCP, Traffic policing

 Security: Private VLAN, L2 & L3 ACLs, Cisco TrustSec (roadmap),
Port Security, IP Source guard, Dynamic ARP inspection
 Monitoring: NetFlow, SPAN, ERSPAN, packet Capture and
analysis, Syslog
 CDP, NTP, LLDP, Ping, Telnet, SSHv2, SNMPv3, LACP, IGMP
Snooping, DHCP Snooping, Jumbo Frame Support , BPDU filter,
TACACs, Radius …

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 45
 Management Efficiency

Server Administrator Network Administrator

Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 46
Presentation_ID © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Confidential 48