Note: Not all UC apps support all hardware options. For supported options, check the application's page in At a Glance.

This web page describes supported compute, storage and network hardware for Virtualization of Cisco Unified Communications, including UC on UCS (Cisco Unified Communications on Cisco Unified Computing System). See the "How to..." links for guidelines on how to design, quote and procure a virtualized UC solution that follows Cisco's support policy.

Cisco uses three different support models:

• UC on UCS Tested Reference Configuration (TRC), some of which are available as packaged collaboration solutions like Cisco Business Edition 6000 or Cisco Business Edition 7000.
  • "TRC" used by itself means "UC on UCS Tested Reference Configuration (TRC)".
• UC on UCS Specs-based
  • "UC on UCS" used by itself refers to both UC on UCS TRC and UC on UCS Specs-based.
• Third-party Server Specs-based
  • "Specs-based" used by itself refers to the common rules of UC on UCS Specs-based and Third-party Server Specs-based.

• Virtual machine (OVA) definitions
• VMware product, version and feature support
• VMware configuration requirements for UC
• Application/VM Co-residency policy (specifically regarding application mix, 3rd-party support, no reservations / oversubscription, virtual/physical sizing rules and max VM count per server).

For more details on Cisco UCS servers in general, see the following:

• Includes specification of server model and loal components (CPU, RAM, adapters, local storage) at the orderable part number level.
  • UCS B-Series servers, do NOT include specification of blade server chassis or switching.
  • UCS E-Series servers, do NOT include specification of Cisco Integrated Server Router (ISR) chassis unless purchased as part of a Cisco Business Edition 6000S appliance.
• For TRCs using DAS storage, includes specification of required RAID configuration (e.g. RAID5, RAID10, etc) - including battery backup cache or SuperCap.
• Includes guidance on hardware installation and basic setup (full Cisco UCS installation documentation is on http://www.cisco.com/go/ucs and is the authoritative source).
  • Does not include specification of virtual-to physical network interface mapping as this is design-dependent.
  • Does not include specification of adapter settings (such as Cisco VIC, 3rd-party CNA / NIC / HBA) as this is design-dependent.
  • Does not include configuration settings or step by step procedures for hardware BIOS, firmware, drivers, RAID setup outside the guidance in the Cisco Collaboration on Virtual Servers document. See the Cisco UCS documentation for details.
• Does not include design, installation and configuration of external hardware such as:
  • Network routing and switching (e.g. routers, gateways, MCUs, ethernet/FC/FCoE switches, Cisco Catalyst/Nexus/MDS, etc.)
  • QoS configuration of route/switch network devices.
  • Cisco UCS B-Series chassis and switching components (e.g. Cisco UCS 6100/6200, Cisco UCS 2100/220, Cisco UCS 5100)
  • Storage arrays (such as those from EMC, NetApp or other vendors)
• Does not include configuration settings, patch recommendations or step by step procedures for required VMware virtualization software.

Click here for basic guidance on TRC hardware setup.

If you have a UCS C-Series server and need assistance identifying its hardware specs for comparison with the configurations below, see the Cisco UCS C-Series Servers Integrated Management Controller GUI Configuration Guide.

	Hardware Configuration Name and Part Numbers / SKUs / BOM	Form Factor and Physical Specs	Capacity Available to VMs (using required Sizing Rules)
Extra-Small  UConUCS TRC  (XS TRC)	UCS E160S M3 TRC#1 (blade-only) Click here for BOM	TRC = Cisco ISR Single-wide Blade Server Single D-1528 (6-core / 1.9 GHz) 32 GB RAM VMware + UC apps boot from DAS (2x 900GB SAS, RAID1) Onboard internal and external ethernet ports	6 total physical cores (note: Intel Xeon Processor-D only supported on this TRC and only for select deployment models) 28 GB physical RAM ~900 GB External port for CIMC, internal and external 1Gb ports used for LAN access.
	Click here to download specifications and BOM for End of Sale Servers.

	Hardware Configuration Name and Part Numbers / SKUs / BOM	Form Factor and Physical Specs	Capacity Available to VMs (using required Sizing Rules)
Cisco Business Edition 6000M or Small UConUCS TRC (S TRC)	BE6000M (M5) UCS C220 M5SX TRC#1 Click here for BOM	1RU Rack-mount Server Single Xeon 4114 48 GB RAM VMware + UC apps boot from DAS (single 6-disks-RAID5 of 300GB 12G SAS 10K SFF) Ethernet ports on motherboard	10 total physical cores ("Restricted UC Performance" CPU type) 40 GB physical RAM ~1TB 1x 1GbE (CIMC), 2x 10GbE (LOM)
	Click here to download specifications and BOM for End of Sale Servers.

	Hardware Configuration Name and Part Numbers / SKUs / BOM	Form Factor and Physical Specs	Capacity Available to VMs (using required Sizing Rules)
Cisco Business Edition 6000H or Small Plus UConUCS TRC (S+ TRC)	BE6000H (M5) UCS C220 M5SX TRC#2 Click here for BOM	1RU Rack-mount Server Dual Xeon 4114 64 GB RAM VMware + UC apps boot from DAS (single 8-disks-RAID5 of 300GB 12G SAS 10K SFF) Ethernet ports on motherboard and single NIC	20 total physical cores ("Restricted UC Performance" CPU type) 56 GB physical RAM ~1TB 1x 1GbE (CIMC), 2x 10GbE and 4x 1GbE (LOM)
Click here to download specifications and BOM for End of Sale Servers.

	Hardware Configuration Name and Part Numbers / SKUs / BOM	Form Factor and Physical Specs	Capacity Available to VMs (using required Sizing Rules)
Cisco Business Edition 7000M or Medium UConUCS TRC (M TRC)	BE7000M (M5) UCS C240 M5SX TRC#1 Click here for BOM	2RU Rack-mount Server Single Xeon 6132 96 GB RAM VMware + UC apps boot from DAS (dual 7-disks-RAID5 of 300GB 12G SAS 10K SFF) Ethernet ports on motherboard and dual NIC	14 total physical cores ("Full UC Performance" CPU type) 88 GB physical RAM Two volumes, each with ~1TB usable disk space 1x 1GbE (CIMC), 2x 10GbE and 8x 1GbE (LOM)
	Click here to download specifications and BOM for End of Sale Servers.

Just like some of the UC applications, vCenter can be configured to save more performance data. The more historical data saved, the bigger disk space needed by the database used by vCenter. Note, this is one of the main areas where you need vCenter rather than going directly to the ESXi host for performance data. vCenter can save historical data that the ESXi host does not keep.

The configurations to change the amount historical data saved by vCenter is located in the vSphere client under Administration > Server Settings. For each interval duration and save time the statistic level can be set. The statistics levels range from 1 to 4 with level 4 containing the most data. View the data size estimates to ensure there is enough space to keep all statistics.

For a UC on UCS Specs-based or Specs-based 3rd-party infrastructure, Statistics Level 4 is required on all statistics. Configuring VMware vCenter to capture detailed logs, as shown in Figure 1 below, is strongly recommended. If not configured by default, Cisco TAC may request enabling these settings in order to troubleshoot problems.

Figure 1

VMware virtualization software is required for Cisco TAC support.

The server model only matters in the context of:

Read the notes and BOTH CPU tables below to understand these support policy differences before locking in CPU parts choices.

Note:

• If an application has application-specific rules on its page on www.cisco.com/go/uc-virtualized, that rule takes precedence over this policy. Check EVERY app that will share a physical server before finalizing CPU choice.
• CPU architectures are NOT allowed for Specs-based until explicitly listed below. Until listed below, they are not allowed, even if believed to be "better" since "newer".
• Some CPU architectures, or CPU models within an architecture/family, are not a good fit for Collaboration requirements and will NEVER be allowed or listed below. Do not assume that all CPU architectures, or all models with an architecture, will be allowed.
• Collaboration application support for new CPU architectures/models may lag the release date from Intel and/or server vendors.
• Collaboration applications require minimum physical core speeds on allowed CPU architectures (normal not turbo). Higher capacity VM configurations will usually require higher minimum physical core speeds. Expect these speeds to be higher than what is required for many traditional business applications. Speeds need to be what is shown at ark.intel.com in the CPU model's description, or for Cisco UCS in the description of the CPU SKU. This is normal speed not "turbo". This speed may not be what is actually returned by running software such as OS CLIs.
• Slower-speed CPUs categorized as "Restricted UC Performance" are only allowed for certain VM configurations of certain Collaboration apps, and they are usually lower capacity points of those applications. Do not assume large capacity VMs are allowed on slow-speed CPUs.
• Physical CPU choices for UC on UCS Tested Reference Configurations are stricter. They are a subset of what is allowed for Specs-based. See CPU Table 2.
• Physical CPUs shipping as part of a Packaged Collaboration Solution like Cisco Business Edition may not be changed.

	UC on UCS TRC	Specs-based (UCS or 3rd-party Server)
Physical RAM	Total available is listed in Table 1. Additional memory may be added.	Total available depends on the server chosen.
	Total required is dependent on the virtual machine quantity/size mix deployed on the hardware: 2-4 GB required for virtualization software, depending on version. See Memory/RAM section of General sizing rules. plus the sum of UC virtual machines' vRAM. while following co-residency support policy rules. Per these rules, recall that UC does not support physical memory oversubscription (1 GB of vRAM must equal 1 GB of physical RAM). Cisco TAC is not obligated to troubleshoot UC app issues if the deployment has insufficient physical RAM.
Memory Module/DIMM Speed and Population	For what was tested in a TRC, see Table 1. Follow server vendor guidelines for optimum memory population for the memory capacity required by UC. For Cisco UCS, use the Specs Sheets at UCS Quick Catalog. E.g. for a UCS B200 M3 with 96GB total RAM, optimal is 4x8GB DIMM + 4x4GB DIMM. Using 6x16GB DIMM is not optimal. Otherwise, there are no UC-specific requirements (primarily because UC does not support memory oversubscription). UC allows any DIMM speed (e.g. 1333 MHz, 1600 MHz, etc.). UC allows any memory hardware module size, density and quantity (including changing the DIMM population on a Tested Reference Configuration) as long as UC-required RAM capacity is met, and the server vendor supports the intended memory configuration.

• Compatible with the VMware HCL and compatible with the supported server model used
• Host-level kernel disk command latency < 4ms (no spikes above) and physical device command latency < 20 ms (no spikes above). For NFS NAS, guest latency < 24 ms (no spikes above)
• Published vDisk capacity requirements of UC VMs.
  • See VM specs of application pages in At a Glance table on http://www.cisco.com/go/virtualized-collaboration
  • For DAS-only TRCs (including Cisco Business Edition 6000, Thin Provisioning (either from VMware or from storage array) is not supported. Thick provisioning must be used.
  • For diskless TRCs and any Specs-based server, thin provisioning (either from VMware or from storage array) is allowed with the caveat that disk space must be available to the VM as needed. Running out of disk space due to thin provisioning will crash the application and corrupt the virtual disk (which may also prevent restore from backup on the virtual disk).
• Published IOPS capacity requirements of UC VMs (including excess capacity provisioned to handle IOPS spikes such as during Cisco Unified Communications Manager upgrades).
  • See IOPS Requirements of application pages in At a Glance table on http://www.cisco.com/go/virtualized-collaboration
• Other storage system design requirements (click here).

Note: UC on UCS TRCs using only DAS storage (such as C220 M3S TRC#1) have been pre-designed and tested to meet the above requirements for any UC with UC co-residency scenario that will fit on the TRC. Detailed capacity planning is not required unless deploying

• non-UC/3rd-party apps
• VM OVA templates created later than the TRC
• VM OVA templates with very large vDisks (300GB+).

See below for supported storage hardware options.

	UC on UCS TRC	Specs-based (UCS or 3rd-party Server)
Supported Storage Options	TRCs are only defined for: DAS-only with UC-specified configuration (C260 M2, C240 M3S, C220 M3S, C210 M1/M2, C200 M2) FC SAN with VMware local boot from DAS (B200 M1/M2, C210 M1/M2) Diskless / boot from FC SAN (B440 M2, B230 M2, B200 M3, C210 M2) (only supported with VMware vSphere ESXi 4.1+ and compatible UC app versions)	DAS with customer-defined configuration (including local disks, external SAS, etc.) FC, iSCSI, FCoE or Infiniband SAN Diskless / boot from SAN via above transport options (only supported with VMware vSphere ESXi 4.1+ and compatible UC app versions). NFS NAS

DAS Support Details

	UC on UCS TRC	Specs-based (UCS or 3rd-party Server)
Disk Size and Speed	B-Series TRC may use the disk size/speed listed in Table 1 BOMs, or any other orderable size/speed for the blade server (since local disks are only used to boot VMware). C-Series TRC Both must be same or higher than specs listed in Table 1. E.g. for a TRC tested with 300 GB 10K rpm disks, then: 300GB 15K rpm is supported (faster) 146GB 10K rpm not supported (too small) 7.2K rpm disk of any size not supported (too slow) HyperFlex M5 TRC For Capacity Disks, may substitute other disk technologies (SFF/LFF SAS, SED, SSD) on HyperFlex HCL that provide same or higher space and speed. For Boot / System / Cache Disks, may substitute other disks on HyperFlex HCL.	DAS is supported with customer-determined disk size, speed, quantity, technology, form factor and RAID configuration as long as: compatible with the VMware HCL and compatible with the server model used all UC latency, performance and capacity requirements are met. To ensure optimum UC app performance, be sure to use Battery Backup cache or SuperCap on RAID controllers for DAS.
	TRC BOMs are updated as orderable disk drive options change. E.g. UCS C210 M2 TRC#1 was tested with 146GB 15K rpm disks, but due to 146GB disk EOL, the BOM now specifies 300GB 15K rpm disks (still supported as TRC since both size and speed are "same or higher" than what was tested).
Disk Quantity, Technology, Form Factor	C-Series TRCs Must exactly match what is listed in Table 1. E.g. if the TRC was tested with ten 2.5" SAS drives, then that must be used regardless of disk size or speed. HyperFlex M5 TRC See previous row.
RAID Configuration	C-Series TRCs RAID configuration, including physical-to-logical volume mapping, must exactly match Table 1 and the RAID instructions in the document Cisco Collaboration on Virtual Servers here. N/A for HyperFlex M5 TRC (does not use RAID).

SAN / NAS Support Details

• Applies to any TRC or Specs-based configuration connecting to FC, iSCSI, FCoE or NFS storage.
• No UC requirement to dedicate arrays or storage groups to UC (vs. non-UC), or to one UC app vs. other UC apps.
• The storage solution must be compatible with the server model used. E.g. for Cisco Unified Computing System: Cisco UCS Interoperability
• The storage solution must be compatible with the VMware HCL. For example, refer to the "SAN/Storage" tab at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=
• No UC requirements on disk size, speed, technology (SAS, SATA, FC disk), form factor or RAID configuration as long as requirements for compatibility, latency, performance and capacity are met. "Tier 1 Storage" is generally recommended for UC deployments. See the UC Virtualization Storage System Design Requirements for an illustration of a best practices storage array configuration for UC.
• There is no UC-specific requirement for NFS version. Use what VMware and the server vendor recommend for the vSphere ESXi version required by UC.
• Use of storage network and array "features" (such as thin provisioning or EMC Powerpath) is allowed.
• Otherwise any shared storage configuration is allowed as long as UC requirements for VMware HCL, server compatibility, latency, capacity and performance are met.

	UC on UCS TRC	Specs-based (UCS or 3rd-party Server)
Physical Adapter Hardware (NIC, HBA, VIC, CNA)	For UCS B-Series TRC Adapter vendor/model/technology - either match the adapters listed in Table 1 BOMs or substitute with any other supported adapter for the blade server model (which adapter "should" be used is dependent on deployment, design and UC apps). Adapter quantity may be one or two. For UCS C-Series TRC: must exactly match adapter vendor/model/technology (e.g. Intel i350 for 1GbE or QLogic QLE2462 for FC) listed in Table 1 BOMs. Allowed NIC quantity must be same or higher than what is listed in Table 1 BOMs. Allowed HBA/VIC/CNA quantity must exactly match Table 1 BOMs. Any other changes are not allowed for a UC on UCS TRC, but are allowed for UC on UCS Specs-based. For HyperFlex M5 TRC: For VIC, may substitute quantity 1+ of any 10/25/40GE or faster VIC on HyperFlex HCL. If TRC being used with HyperFlex Edge, must use 10/25/40GE interfaces (1GE interface options not supported). For NIC, may substitute quantity 1+ of any NIC 1GE or faster on HyperFlex HCL.	Only the following I/O Devices are supported: HBA for storage access Fibre Channel - 2Gbps or faster InfiniBand NIC for LAN and/or shared storage access Ethernet - 1Gbps or faste. Includes NFS and iSCSI for storage access. Cisco VIC or 3rd-party Converged Network Adapter for LAN and/or storage access FCoE - 10Gbps or faster RAID Controllers for DAS storage access SAS SAS SATA Combo SAS-RAID SAS/SATA-RAID SATA The customer is also responsible for configuring redundant devices on the server (e.g. redundant NIC, HBA, VIA or CNA adapters). There are no UC restrictions on hardware vendors for I/O Devices other than that VMware HCL and the server vendor/model must be compatible with them and support them.
IO Capacity and Performance	In most cases detailed capacity planning is not required for LAN IO or storage access IO. TRC adapter choices have been made to accommodate the IO of all UC on UCS app co-residency scenarios that will fit on the TRC. For guidance on active vs. standby network ports, see the Cisco UC Design Guide and QoS Design Considerations for Virtual UC with UCS It is the customer's responsibility to ensure the external LAN and storage access meet UC app design requirements.	LAN access adapters must be able to accommodate the LAN usage of UC VMs (described in UC app design guides). Storage access adapters must be able to accommodate the storage IOPS (described in the Storage section of this policy). Cisco TAC is not obligated troubleshoot UC apps issues in a deployment with insufficient or overloaded I/O devices.

• If the bundle meets TRC requirements on this page, it may be quoted for UC on UCS TRC.
• If the bundle does NOT meet TRC requirements but DOES meet Specs-based requirements, then it may be quoted for UC on UCS Specs-based only.
• If the bundle does NOT meet TRC requirements and also does NOT meet Specs-based requirements, then it may NOT be quoted for UC on UCS at all without modification.