Deploy a Private Cloud in Hours, Not Days
FlexPod is now validated for Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track 2.0.
FlexPod is a pre-designed and pre-validated base data center configuration. It is built on Cisco Unified Computing System, Cisco Nexus data center switches, NetApp FAS storage components, and a range of software infrastructure options from our partner ecosystem.
Entry-Level FlexPod Solution
Explore the efficient configuration options for smaller-business data centers.
Read Data SheetA Transformational Partnership
Cisco and NetApp leaders explain what their partnership means for customers. (3:10 min)
Watch VideoFlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud
Read this overview and reference architecture to learn how to reap the full benefits. (PDF - 1.9 MB)
Download NowThe FlexPod platform is the result of Cisco and NetApp collaborating with operating system, hypervisor, and application technology providers.
Use Cases
You can scale FlexPod up for greater performance and capacity, or scale it out for environments that need consistent, multiple deployments. You can also size and optimize FlexPod to accommodate different use cases, including application workloads such as:
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Microsoft Exchange 2010
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Virtual desktop infrastructure (Citrix XENDesktop, VMware View)
- Secure multitenancy (SMT) environments
Key Benefits
FlexPod is built on leading computing, networking, storage, and infrastructure software components. It provides an ideal virtualized data center solution with:
- Validated technologies from industry leaders in computing, storage, networking, and server virtualization
- One platform built from unified compute, fabric, and storage technologies, with popular and trusted software virtualization
- Integrated components that help enable you to centrally manage all your infrastructure pools
- An open design management framework that integrates with your existing third-party infrastructure management solutions
The Cisco UCS Manager performs the critical role of abstracting hardware components into service templates that simplify FlexPod configuration and greatly facilitate operations management.
Get Details
The FlexPod overview describes the major components of the FlexPod program in more detail. Additional perspectives are included in the solutions brief.
For a concise description of the FlexPod elements, see:
FlexPod and Cisco Validated Designs
Cisco Validated Designs can help you deploy FlexPod platforms in a wide range of operating environments. Use these proven designs and best practices to help ensure rapid deployment and superior performance for mission-critical workloads.
FlexPod Platform
These guides document the requirements for supporting industry-leading hypervisors and system management tools on FlexPod.
- VMware vSphere Built On FlexPod with IP-Based Shared Storage
- FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud
- FlexPod Deployment Guide
- VMware Built on FlexPod Deployment Guide
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Built on FlexPod Deployment Guide
FlexPod for Virtual Experience Infrastructure (VXI)
FlexPod provides platform support for virtual desktop deployments across the globe. The following design guides can help you configure industry-leading VXI solutions on a variety of FlexPod configurations.
- VMware View 4.5 on FlexPod for VMware Design Guide
- Citrix Xen Desktop with Xen Server on Cisco UCS and NetApp Storage
- Citrix Xen Desktop with VMware vSphere on Cisco UCS and NetApp Storage
- Citrix Xen Desktop with HyperV on Cisco UCS and NetApp Storag
Applications on FlexPod
Workloads ranging from Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Private Cloud, VMWare vSphere, SAP and Oracle applications are validated over FlexPod and documented in these Cisco Validated Designs.
- Oracle RAC Built on FlexPod with VMware vSphere 5.0
- SharePoint 2010 for FlexPod on VMware for 100,000 users
- Microsoft Sharepoint 2010 on FlexPod for VMware
- Microsoft Exchange 2010 with VMware VSphere on Cisco UCS with NetApp
- FlexPod for SAP Applications
Other Reference Guides
Management partners provide infrastructure management and orchestration capabilities to FlexPod, helping enterprises to create FlexPod-based private clouds.
Technology partners deliver key hypervisor, operating system, and application workloads to FlexPod. Taken together, these validated technologies support a growing list of requirements for private cloud implementations.
Management Partners
- Cloupia
Cloupia provides single-click infrastructure provisioning of FlexPod, so you can begin FlexPod resource deployments, monitoring and analytics, and management within a few hours.
- CA Technologies
CA Technologies validated management solutions provide customers peace of mind when using CA Technologies solutions to help provision, orchestrate, automate and manage their FlexPod environment.
- Gale Technologies
The GaleForce Turnkey Cloud Solution for FlexPod is a complete, end-to-end automation system that manages and provisions the entire FlexPod infrastructure stack for both physical and virtual resources, spanning across the compute, network, and storage domains.
Technology Partners
- Microsoft
FlexPod with Microsoft Private Cloud helps organizations expedite private cloud deployments.
- VMware
VMw are provides virtualization and cloud management technologies for FlexPod.
- Citrix
Citrix delivers high-performance VDI solutions on FlexPod.
- Red Hat
RedHat offers validated Enterprise Linux on FlexPod.
Additional Resources
- Channel Partners: Cisco Partner Login
- FlexPod Premium Partner List (PDF - 150 KB)