Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) (Data Center): A Complete Reference Guide to the Cisco Data Center Virtualization Server Architecture (Networking Technology) |  | Authors: Silvano Gai, Tommi Salli, Roger Andersson
Publisher: Cisco Press
Category: Book
List Price: $50.00
Buy New: $40.55
as of 9/4/2010 23:45 CDT details
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Seller: BookSeller92
Rating:  6 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1 Pap/Dvdr
Pages: 400
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9 x 7.3 x 1
ISBN: 1587141930
Dewey Decimal Number: 004.35
EAN: 9781587141935
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
 Great guide for redesigning your infrastructure June 22, 2010
Ryan M. Adzima (Falconer, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have only had this book a few weeks, got it because we are doing a redesign on some infrastructure here and were planning on going the Cisco UCS route. This guide was an excellent reference tool when creating designs to bring to management. It delved into some of the technology in a way that allowed me to explain to the decision makers what it is, how it works, and why we need it. I would highly recommend having this around for anyone who crosses the boundaries between network and servers. But remember, this is only a reference guide, there are some assumptions made about previous experience and knowledge.
Must read if looking to buy or want to know more about Cisco UCS June 23, 2010
Greg Schulz
Hello,
I recently received a copy of Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and found it to be a very good, well laid out, organized and written book thus quick and easy to read or find what you are looking for.
There are many books related or overlapping books as well as complimentary ones in the market place however this one as a different angle in that it is a focused less on how to install or manage VMware vSphere/ESX or Microsoft HyperV or Citrix.
Instead it is about the inner workings of the hardware and software, servers, networking and tools that make up the Cisco UCS. Is it a neutral or general book?
Heck NO and if that is what you are looking for this is not it.
However I would add that there is some great back ground info on servers and networking architectures in general. On the other hand, if you are looking for something short of a Cisco installation manual, something more than a product guide PDF or slide deck or Webex demo or video that fills in the blanks, then this is what you are looking for.
Make no mistake, this is a Cisco centric book with some third party management tools tied to this solution that are mentioned.
Having said that, for those looking to buy, who have already bought a UCS, or those who need to know more about what it is and what it is not, then this should be on your book shelf.
Cheers GS
Greg Schulz - Independent IT Industry Advisor, Blogger and Consultant
Author of The Green and Virtual Data Center
and Resilient Storage Networks: Designing Flexible Scalable Data Infrastructures (Digital Press Storage Technology)
Cisco UCS Reference Guide August 3, 2010
G. Cody Bunch (San Antonio, Tx)
This book accomplishes its goal quite well and is laid out in such a way that it is easy to understand and find the information you need. There are two distinct sections: 1) Infrastructure/Architecture - From the Data Center level down to the hardware. 2) Cisco UCS.
This book is a good read even for those who are not otherwise going to deploy UCS. Why? Well, while the infrastructure/Architecture bits are covered elsewhere in books and on the web, the explanation here puts it together quite well and easy to understand fashion.
Overall I give this book a 5 out of 5 as it does three things quite well:
1) Covers the material it sets out to cover - Cisco UCS & Data Center Architecture.
2) Makes you think - At least, I was thinking from the infrastructure chapters till the end.
3) Makes you look for more - Between Google, [...], blogs and Wikipedia, there is so much supplemental material out there, the book does a good job as being a point at which you can dive into additional material.
All and all a worthwhile read for anyone in server architecture or looking at Cisco UCS.
Excellent Architecture Overview for the Computing Platform August 10, 2010
Jason A. Myers (Murfreesboro, TN United States)
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 3rd 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.
 roadmap for planning a data center June 14, 2010
W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
From this 2010 book, you can see detailed descriptions of how data centers have evolved in the last 10 years and, more importantly to some readers, upcoming hardware abilities for the next 2 or so years. The latter projections may be the best aspect of the book, as it lets you intelligently plan what should go into your data center. The hardware specs come from key players like Intel, Broadcom, Emulex and Cisco.
Chapter 2 on server architecture is a good quick summary of common hardware in this field. For example, it furnishes ready explanations of memory boards like DDR, DDR2 and DDR3, along with UDIMM and RDIMM.. While the equivalent of UDIMM existed some 15 years ago, the other types have come into being in the interim and reflect the continual [and hopefully continuing] massive increases in chip capacity engendered by Moore's Law.
The book lays out the Intel Westmere hardware. Most impressive in many ways. Including the ability to do in hardware the Advanced Encryption Standard [AES], which far outstrips a software implementation. Plus the hardware AES is presumably safer than an incorrect or subverted software AES.
Also, Westmere has the Trusted Execution Technology, which can prevent insertion of a feral rootkit hypervisor in place of the legitimate hardware Virtual Memory Monitor. Important because the book emphasises in many places the need and use of virtualisation in a data center to improve hardware usage. But the still increasing use of virtualisation can also be expected to lead to attacks against it. Hence Intel's preemptive moves in Westmere are welcome news.
The book cleaves into 2 de facto parts. The first deals with topics like those mentioned above, where Intel is the most significant vendor. While the second part concerns more directly Cisco's UCS. The latter is an integration of the items in the first part with Cisco's custom hardware.
One quibble I do have is the cluttering of the narrative with copyright symbols. Do we really need to see a copyright next to every instance of "Intel"? An improvement would have been to do what is commonly done in other books of this ilk, where the copyrights are factored out into the copyright page and possibly an introductory section.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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