Cisco Cisco UCS B420 M4 Blade Server Libro bianco
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Cisco UCS and Dell PowerEdge M1000e: A Comparison
June 2016
• Multiple internal switching devices are necessary to connect each chassis to the
outside world. This dependency, results in two switches for every 16 blades, or
one switch for every 8 blades.
one switch for every 8 blades.
Support for the full range of Intel® Xeon® processors is limited. Even with some Intel
Xeon processor E5-2600 family CPUs, Dell blade servers can use only 20 DIMMs
instead of the full 24 because they have to add a large heat sink for the higher-
wattage CPUs, and that occupies the space of 4 DIMMs. The end result is that
you can’t load the full number of DIMMs to support your applications (and may be
forced to use more expensive DIMMs to meet your memory needs). The use of 10
DIMMs per CPU (instead of the 12 per CPU that you would normally have) results
in an unbalanced configuration and has negative performance implications. A blade
chassis struggling to keep up with the latest technology from Intel will likely continue
to struggle to power and cool the system as Intel CPU generations continue to
evolve. Dell does support the powerful Intel Xeon processor E7 v3 CPUs running
up to 165 watts (W) in the Dell R930 rack server, but not in any of its blade servers,
limiting performance and choice.
Xeon processor E5-2600 family CPUs, Dell blade servers can use only 20 DIMMs
instead of the full 24 because they have to add a large heat sink for the higher-
wattage CPUs, and that occupies the space of 4 DIMMs. The end result is that
you can’t load the full number of DIMMs to support your applications (and may be
forced to use more expensive DIMMs to meet your memory needs). The use of 10
DIMMs per CPU (instead of the 12 per CPU that you would normally have) results
in an unbalanced configuration and has negative performance implications. A blade
chassis struggling to keep up with the latest technology from Intel will likely continue
to struggle to power and cool the system as Intel CPU generations continue to
evolve. Dell does support the powerful Intel Xeon processor E7 v3 CPUs running
up to 165 watts (W) in the Dell R930 rack server, but not in any of its blade servers,
limiting performance and choice.
When we developed Cisco UCS, we took an approach that solved these problems.
By simplifying the chassis with unified fabric and Cisco® fabric extender technology,
we removed the complexity, heat, and multiple touchpoints, providing architecture
ready for future technology generations.
By simplifying the chassis with unified fabric and Cisco® fabric extender technology,
we removed the complexity, heat, and multiple touchpoints, providing architecture
ready for future technology generations.
The Cisco UCS chassis:
•
Has no management modules: Cisco UCS was designed from the beginning
using a model-based unified management architecture that is fully redundant; has
revolutionary Cisco UCS service profiles for immediate, secure configuration and
reconfiguration; and adapts to changes in the environment, including the use of
multiple blade generations and types.
using a model-based unified management architecture that is fully redundant; has
revolutionary Cisco UCS service profiles for immediate, secure configuration and
reconfiguration; and adapts to changes in the environment, including the use of
multiple blade generations and types.
•
Has no switching in the chassis: Each chassis incorporates zero-management,
low-power fabric extenders that simply forward all blade traffic to the system’s
fabric interconnects—and they do so faster and more efficiently than switches do.
low-power fabric extenders that simply forward all blade traffic to the system’s
fabric interconnects—and they do so faster and more efficiently than switches do.
•
Enables incremental scaling: Cisco UCS eliminates the “seventeenth blade
server” problem, in which lots of expensive infrastructure must be purchased
to support one more blade server than a single Dell chassis holds. Instead of a
16-blade domain as in Dell’s system, Cisco UCS allows hundreds of blades per
domain.
server” problem, in which lots of expensive infrastructure must be purchased
to support one more blade server than a single Dell chassis holds. Instead of a
16-blade domain as in Dell’s system, Cisco UCS allows hundreds of blades per
domain.
•
Reduces network and management complexity: Cisco UCS offers flexibility,
scalability, and generational growth based on application needs.
scalability, and generational growth based on application needs.
The result is lower total cost of ownership (TCO) per server and greater business
agility.
agility.
Cisco Unified Fabric
Cisco UCS is the only integrated system that reduces the number of hardware
components and combines both blade and rack servers in a single unified fabric
and management domain (Figure 1). Our approach eliminates management and
networking devices in every chassis, reducing the cost of powering, cooling,
components and combines both blade and rack servers in a single unified fabric
and management domain (Figure 1). Our approach eliminates management and
networking devices in every chassis, reducing the cost of powering, cooling,
Cisco UCS Management
Streamlines Operations
Bluelock staff use automated
profiles and provisioning in Cisco
UCS Manager to quickly configure
environments. “Not only can we get
new clients started faster, but we
can shift resources on the fly if a
client experiences a sudden surge in
usage.”
- Pat O’Day, CTO, Bluelock