June 2010
Intermediate to advanced
400 pages
8h 47m
English
book
Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) (Data Center): A Complete Reference Guide to the Cisco Data Center Virtualization Server Architecture
by Silvano Gai, Tommi Salli, Roger Andersson
Content preview from Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) (Data Center): A Complete Reference Guide to the Cisco Data Center Virtualization Server Architecture
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Chapter 3. UCS Enabling Technologies
Unified Fabric
The terms Unified Fabric or I/O consolidation are synonymous and refer to the ability of a network (both switches and host adapters) to use the same physical infrastructure to carry different types of traffic that typically have different traffic characteristics and handling requirements.
From the network side, this equates in having to install and operate a single network instead of three. From the hosts side, fewer CNAs (Converged Network Adapters) replace and consolidate NICs (Network Interface Cards), HBAs (Host Bus Adapters), and HCAs (Host Channel Adapters). This results in a lower number of PCIe slots required on rack-mounted servers, and it is particularly beneficial in the case of ...