I have always discussed Cisco’s ultimate goal of datacenter deployment with our customer’s during deployment and knowledge transfer. Cisco is not deploying a new blade center technology, they are deploying a datacenter solution. The goal is to ease the deployment and standardization of compute hardware in the datacenter, not just deploy a few servers for a hardware refresh.  The next big step is to be able to manage multiple chassis through multiple datacenters. The Multi-UCS Manager is to be released the second half 2012. This manager provides a unified management fabric for geographically dispersed UCS pods including both blade chassis and rack mount servers. This technology will tie multiple sites together into one unified compute pool if up to 10,000 servers. This allows us to expand the single pane of glass that allows us to mange our whole infrastructure.

Cisco also released 3 new servers to add additional compute options to the datacenter.

• The Cisco UCS B200 M3 blades server is a half-blade form factor with an Intel^® Xeon^® E5-2600 processor product family, up to 384 GB of RAM across 24 DIMM slots, two hard drives, and up to 8 x 10GE with the VIC 1240.  http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps12288/index.html
• The UCS 220 M3 Rack server is a 1U server with an Intel^® Xeon^® E5-2600 processor product family and offers up to 256 GB of RAM, eight drives or SSDs, and two 1GE LAN interfaces built into the motherboard. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps12369/index.html

• The UCS C240 M3 Rack server is a 2U server with an Intel^® Xeon^® E5-2600 processor product family with up to 384 GB of RAM, 24 drives, and four 1GE LAN interfaces. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps12370/index.html

In addition to the new infra and blade hardware further development has been made in the UCS XML API. Details to follow. Reference: goUCS automation tool.

I am excited for things to come in the next year. Lets hope to see vMotion type service profile moves as well as vCenter/UIM integration into the VM tab. I can’t wait for the days of right click deployment of an ESX service profile, OS, and integration into vCenter.

Cisco is rolling out the UCS B200 blade server, powered by the Intel E5 and delivering up to 80 gigabits of I/O bandwidth.

Cisco is introducing two new rack servers, including the C220 M3, which is a 1U server, and the C240 M3, which is a 2U server. Schwarz noted that the C220 M3 is targeted for enterprise application use while the C240 is an ideal platform for Big Data. The C240 has up to 24 local drives and 384 GB of RAM.

When you’ve got a client on the phone and need to answer a question, being able to answer quickly matters. Same holds true for your employees when a coworker or supervisor has a question based on a report. Answers aren’t always needed in a few minutes; sometimes decisions will be made based on them.

Company-wide storage is ensures that files are backed up, that data is current and available, and that everyone who needs access has it. If your existing storage is slow and you’ve thought about upgrading, why not turn to an optimized solution like EMC VNX? Fast cache lets you know that the files your staff need the most are readily available, that updates are saved promptly, and that files load quickly.

By taking advantage of a faster read and write cache, you can rest assured that everyone from the executive team to entry-level staff are able to access exactly the information that they need – and that they’re able to access information and provide answers quickly. You won’t just get better storage, you’ll also put your business on the fast track for success.

Whatever information your staff need in order to perform at their best – and to communicate effectively with their teams and other members of your organization – knowing that you are storing data well will give you more peace of mind. And, knowing that you’re using EMC VNX from CDI as part of your server storage will be even better.

With EMC VNX from CDI, all of your staff, regardless of whether they are in the office or on the road and whether you have one office location or many, can access the info they need. Communication will improve. Data will be more readily available. And your staff will be able to share knowledge – bringing everyone up to the next level.

Okay, it’s true that some of them may be fine with slow-loading files; some of them are looking for the time to grab another cup of coffee or to Monday-morning quarterback Sunday’s games. But that’s not what keeps your business running smoothly.

Having quick access to files is critical in many circumstances: your have a customer whose shipment is running late, you have a client looking to make a big order and need to know whether or not you have the product on hand, you need to verify that the price a supplier has promised you is their best ever is really lower than what you’ve been paying for years. Delayed access to your files could mean an angry customer, an order that can’t be fulfilled, or paying more rather than getting the great deal you’ve been promised.

EMC VNX can speed up your servers, improve access to data, and ensure that you are doing all that you can to improve the working experience for your staff. With the right system, you can store your records, meet your obligations, and still know that all of your data is available right when you need it. It’s as simple as that.

Buying the latest and greatest server technologies – and maintaining a server room within your organization is not necessary to have cutting edge data protection. Maintaining call logs, instant messaging logs, as well as voice and email messages should not use so much space that testing platforms suffer or that additional systems must be purchased, installed, and maintained.

Tiered storage enables you to categorize data and files – and to reduce costs by storing files on systems based on the amount of security protections needed, the frequency of access, or other characteristics that you define. File de-duplication tools allow you to ensure that you aren’t increasing your costs by storing the same data multiple times or in multiple places. Easy to use management tools increase the efficiency of backups, speed the process of storing and retrieving data, and make it easier to manage files.

Not only will each of these individual elements allow you to cut data storage costs, but a unified storage platform will combine all of these elements. With unified storage platforms, you can save even more by bringing together computing, networking, data backups, and even server virtualization – all without increasing costs associated with storage or your company’s on site IT department.

Let’s say that you have staff members who are multitaskers. While I’m not going to suggest that they are responding to email from a mobile device while they’re driving, let’s say that you have a team who are on their way to a meeting. You know that some of the passengers are checking their email, and you’ve found out some information that’s guaranteed to be relevant to the meeting. Having a fast server will ensure that they get the info they need – without the extra distraction of a message that doesn’t want to load. Or maybe it’s not even about email. Let’s say that they’ve called into the office because they want to fact check the data in their presentation. Shouldn’t you know that the data they need is available to them on a moment’s notice?

Having a storage system with fast cache means that the data that fuels your business is there when you need it – and not a moment later. Whether it’s a matter of making sure that the message you send gets there promptly or a matter of ensuring that the products that have been ordered are currently available in your warehouse, knowing that your staff are able to act on up-to-the-minute data will let you rest more easily. More than that, they’ll know that they are empowered to act, with less risk of making a mistake.

Some notes to remember:

1. You must configure Unified Ports just like a 5548. Which means start populating Ethernet on the left at Port 1 and FC on the right at port 32.

2. You must configure unified ports using the slider as you cannot have FC and Ethernet uplinks intermingled.

3. You must use an ESXi 5.o ISO with Cisco drivers injected or you will not be able to see SAN for SAN boot. This is new to either the 6200 series or the 2.0.1(w) FW revision.

Every storage solution provider seems to know what you want: more storage at a better price. The problem is that, unless they’re offering you an EMC VNX solution, chances are good that you might have to compromise in order to get it.

With EMC VNX solutions, you won’t have to compromise. You’ll get an integrated storage solution that lets you quickly access the most recent versions of all of your important files. You’ll get a responsive storage environment – and whether you have a mid-sized staff that works out of a single office or a team of hundreds spread out across the city, state, or country, everyone will be able to access their info with very little drag time. And, thanks to virtualization, you’ll be able to do more with the storage space that you have available.

What would your company be able to accomplish with a better storage system? With an EMC VNX solution, you’ll be prepared to find out.

Having the right server matters in business. If you’ve ever had to work from your Blackberry from an airport – or even in your car when you’re stuck in traffic and running late to a meeting – you know how frustrating it can be to try to open a document or load an email message if the remote server isn’t immediately responding to the request. As much as you want to blame the wireless connection, deep down there are times when you know that the process would take just as long if you were sitting at your desk.

EMC VNX isn’t going to help you if you’re out of tower range for your mobile device, but it will help to eliminate server lag. The EMC VNX system allows you to increase the responsiveness of your servers, to take advantage of virtualization to increase space without increased costs, and automatically adjusts your storage to ensure that files you use the most are the easiest to access. As a result, you and your staff get exactly what you need: the right storage, better access to your files, and an affordable price that won’t slow you down.

The same principle applies when you’re choosing a storage system for your company’s files. You might have a system that meets most of your needs, but what happens if it runs slowly? When it comes to cars, you may not need a turbo engine and high horsepower; but when it comes to networks and computer systems? There’s a lot more to think about.

How quickly are your staff able to pull up the reports that they need to ensure that they’re making the best purchasing decisions or ensuring delivery of an item? Are the reports they are pulling the most accurate, or are you willing to run the risk of promising delivery, only to find that you don’t have enough supply on hand to fill the order? Have staff in more than one location or telecommuting? The time it takes to access files is going to become even more important.

Using an optimized storage environment like you’ll find with EMC VNX will change the speed at which you do business – and will ensure that you’re competitors don’t leave you behind on the superhighway of business.