Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) (Data Center): A Complete Reference Guide to the Cisco Data Center Virtualization Server Architecture (Networking Technology) [Paperback]

Silvano Gai (Author), Tommi Salli (Author), Roger Andersson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1587141930 | ISBN-13: 978-1587141935 | Publication Date: June 11, 2010 | Edition: 1

The definitive guide to UCS and the Cisco^® Data Center Server: planning, architecture, components, deployment, and benefits

With its new Unified Computing System (UCS) family of products, Cisco has introduced a fundamentally new vision for data center computing: one that reduces ownership cost, improves agility, and radically simplifies management. In this book, three Cisco insiders thoroughly explain UCS, and offer practical insights for IT professionals and decision-makers who are evaluating or implementing it.

 

The authors establish the context for UCS by discussing the implications of virtualization, unified I/O, large memories and other key technologies, and showing how trends like cloud computing and green IT will drive the next-generation data center. Next, they take a closer look at the evolution of server CPU, memory, and I/O subsystems, covering advances such as the Intel^® XEON^® 5500, 5600, 7500, DDR3 memory, and unified I/O over 10 Gbps Ethernet.

 

Building on these fundamentals, the authors then discuss UCS in detail, showing how it systematically overcomes key limitations of current data center environments. They review UCS features, components, and architecture, and demonstrate how it can improve data center performance, reliability, simplicity, flexibility, and energy efficiency. Along the way, they offer realistic planning, installation, and migration guidance: everything decision-makers and technical implementers need to gain maximum value from UCS–now, and for years to come.

 

Silvano Gai has spent 11 years as Cisco Fellow, architecting Catalyst^®, MDS, and Nexus switches. He has written several books on networking, written multiple Internet Drafts and RFCs, and is responsible for 80 patents and applications. He teaches a course on this book’s topics at Stanford University.

 

Tommi Salli, Cisco Technical Marketing Engineer, has nearly 20 years of experience with servers and applications at Cisco, Sun, VERITAS, and Nuova Systems.

 

Roger Andersson, Cisco Manager, Technical Marketing, spent more than 12 years in the CLARiiON^® Engineering Division at EMC, and 5 years as Technical Product Manager at VERITAS/Symantec. He is now focused on Cisco UCS system management.

 

• Streamline data centers with UCS to systematically reduce cost of ownership
• Eliminate unnecessary server components–and their setup, management, power, cooling, and cabling
• Use UCS to scale service delivery, simplify service movement, and improve agility
• Review the latest advances in processor, memory, I/O, and virtualization architectures for data center servers
• Understand the specific technical advantages of UCS
• Integrate UCS 6100 Fabric Interconnect, Cisco UCS 2100 Series Fabric Extenders, UCS 5100 Series Blade Server Enclosures, UCS B-Series Blade Servers, UCS C-Series Rack Servers, and UCS Adapters
• Use Cisco UCS Manager to manage all Cisco UCS components as a single, seamless entity
• Integrate third-party management tools from companies like BMC^®, CA^®, EMC^®, IBM^®, Microsoft^®, and VMware^®
• Practice all this with a copy of Cisco Unified Computing System™ Platform Emulator Lite (UCSPE Lite) on the DVD in the back of the book

 

This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press®, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.

 

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Silvano Gai, who grew up in a small village near Asti, Italy, has more than twenty-seven years of experience in computer engineering and computer networks. He is the author of several books and technical publications on computer networking as well as multiple Internet Drafts and RFCs. He is responsible for 30 issued patents and 50 patent applications. His background includes seven years as a full professor of Computer Engineering, tenure track, at Politecnico di Torino, Italy and seven years as a researcher at the CNR (Italian National Council for Scientific Research). For the past thirteen years, he has been in Silicon Valley where in the position of Cisco Fellow, he was an architect of the Cisco Catalyst family of network switches, of the Cisco MDS family of storage networking switches, and of the Nexus family of data center switches. Silvano teaches a course on the topics of this book at Stanford University.

 

Tommi Salli, who was born and raised in Finland, has close to 20 years of experience working with computers. He has extensive server and application background from companies like SUN Microsystems and VERITAS Software, which later got bought by Symantec from where he moved to Nuova Systems that got bought by Cisco. He has held different positions from Sales Engineer to Technology Scouting in the office of CTO from product management to architect and during his journey, he has been responsible for seven patent applications. He started his career in Finland, and for the past five years, he has been in Silicon Valley and is currently working for Cisco systems as a Technical Marketing Engineer.

 

Roger Andersson was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He has spent 20 years in the computer industry in both Sweden and the United States. Roger’s experience includes more than 12 years in the CLARiiON Engineering Division at EMC and five years at VERITAS/Symantec where Roger worked as a Technical Product Manager focusing on systems management, server, and application automated provisioning. Roger is currently working at Cisco as a Manager, Technical Marketing, where he is focused on the system management aspects of a Unified Computing System.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Cisco Press; 1 edition (June 11, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587141930
• ISBN-13: 978-1587141935
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #235,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Computers & Technology > Hardware > Parallel Processing Computers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Architecture Overview for the Computing Platform, August 10, 2010

By 

Jason A. Myers "jamdatadude" (Murfreesboro, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) (Data Center): A Complete Reference Guide to the Cisco Data Center Virtualization Server Architecture (Networking Technology) (Paperback)

I just finished with the first Cisco Press book that covers the new UCS architecture. I found it to be a great source for information not only on the UCS but also how we got to this point. Its detailed review of previous data center and server architectures served as a good refresher to my old repressed knowledge. Where this book really shines is in the way it explains technologies that to me seems like buzz/market speak, and providing a clear view of their value. One example of this for me is the VNLink section. I had seen it in numerous PDFs and presentations, but this book finally made me understand the value of it. If you are a consultant like me, you will find this books review of all the elements that make up a UCS solution invaluable as a desk reference. It reviews almost every part number and details out reason to use each one. The book concludes with an excellent review of UCS Manager and the 3^rd party products that it ties into or integrates with and how to plan your first UCS project. The only part I wished was covered in more detail in the book is how UCS and VMWare should be architected together. You will not be disappointed with your purchase of this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book; Some Inaccuracies, April 2, 2011

By 

boobasan "> mu <" (bay area, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) (Data Center): A Complete Reference Guide to the Cisco Data Center Virtualization Server Architecture (Networking Technology) (Paperback)

As a guy who architected UCS's management stack (the UCSM), I can say that there are some small inaccuracies in the way management engine and its functions are described, esp when it comes to org, policy management and AAA. Otherwise, an excellent and exceptionally valuable read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A technical deep dive into server architecture and Cisco UCS, August 10, 2010

By 

Andy Kitzke - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) (Data Center): A Complete Reference Guide to the Cisco Data Center Virtualization Server Architecture (Networking Technology) (Paperback)

Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS), a complete guide to Cisco Data Center Virtualization Server Architecture is a mid to high-level deep dive into Cisco's newest product line and business goals. The best way to describe this book is by reading the second and third paragraphs from the Introduction section of the book where the authors describe that in researching for this book, they were unable to find a wealth of reference knowledge with which to finish the book. As a result, the book is about 50% applicable to any server architecture and 50% specific to UCS. The finished product is a book that covers many areas of server architecture and is a great companion to any server administrator.

Cisco has made it apparent that they wish to enter the data center in a big way, and the UCS platform appears to be that product. The book does a great job talking about the technical aspects of the UCS platform while also delving into the theoretical around why components and processes were integrated in the way they were. They deep dive into the memory expanders and the innovations Cisco has made with more memory per server. They also talk at great lengths about the merging of LAN and SAN. They explain how the converging of LAN and SAN into CNA's or converged network adapters work, and allow for more control over the datacenter and consolidation of a section of data centers that were and still are rapidly growing out of control (wiring/communication infrastructure).

One of the key selling points to UCS is the management suite that governs the whole environment. I was happy to see that the book talked about the management suite and how profiles work. They also discussed how third party software suites could and do integrate with the UCS management system to allow for seamless control of UCS devices and other devices.

Overall I found the book to be a semi-dry read focusing often on technical specifications however, this isn't a bad thing. The technical aspects of server architecture and UCS are critical to seeing their benefits and understanding how to design for and use them. This book is a great read for server administrators and anyone wanting to seriously look at Cisco as a server platform for their virtual infrastructure.