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CHAPTER 2
Overview of Cisco Unified Computing System
This chapter includes the following sections:
• About Cisco Unified Computing System , page 9
• Unified Fabric, page 10
• Server Architecture and Connectivity, page 12
• Traffic Management, page 33
• Opt-In Features, page 38
• Virtualization in Cisco UCS , page 40
About Cisco Unified Computing System
Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) fuses access layer networking and servers. This
high-performance, next-generation server system provides a data center with a high degree of workload agility
and scalability.
The hardware and software components support Cisco's unified fabric, which runs multiple types of data
center traffic over a single converged network adapter.
Architectural Simplification
The simplified architecture of Cisco UCS reduces the number of required devices and centralizes switching
resources. By eliminating switching inside a chassis, network access-layer fragmentation is significantly
reduced.
Cisco UCS implements Cisco unified fabric within racks and groups of racks, supporting Ethernet and Fibre
Channel protocols over 10 Gigabit Cisco Data Center Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) links.
This radical simplification reduces the number of switches, cables, adapters, and management points by up
to two-thirds. All devices in a Cisco UCS domain remain under a single management domain, which remains
highly available through the use of redundant components.
Cisco UCS Manager GUI Configuration Guide, Release 2.0
OL-25712-04 9