A. Cisco announced Cisco Unified Edge, an edge-optimized AI-ready platform that combines compute, storage, networking, security, observability, and centralized cloud management into a single offering.
Q. When will this solution be orderable?
A. It is orderable now.
Q. What are the key components of Cisco Unified Edge?
A. Cisco Unified Edge is made up of the following items:
· Cisco UCS® XE9305 chassis
o Three-rack unit (3RU) form factor
o Five front-facing flexible slots for compute and networking nodes
o Two Cisco Unified Edge edge chassis management controllers (eCMCs)
· Cisco UCS® XE130c M8 Compute Node
o Intel® Xeon® 6 SoC with P-core processor with 12-/20-/32-core options
o Up to 768 GB of memory
o Up to 120 TB with four NVMe E3.S drives
o Up to two M.2 SATA drives with HW RAID
o GPU support: one GPU with 1 x HH/HL PCIe G5 slot
· Cisco Intersight®
o SaaS-based infrastructure lifecycle management and fleet management
Q. Which capabilities will Cisco Intersight provide for Cisco Unified Edge?
A. Easy onboarding
Remote server launch requiring no on-site IT staff
· Zero-touch provisioning with consistent, repeatable deployment of infrastructure and workloads across distributed locations
· Curated blueprints enabling reliable deployments at edge scale through code for hardware, operating systems, clusters, and applications
Global fleet visualization
· Inventory and health of all data center and edge infrastructure observable in one place
· Cross-domain visibility (compute/networking)
Automated lifecycle management
· Configuration updates that can be scheduled, automated, and deployed
· Configuration conformance reporting and updates
Q. Which observability features are available with Cisco Unified Edge?
A. Cisco Unified Edge offers robust observability capabilities, including:
· Intersight plug-in for Splunk: Transforms machine data such as logs, metrics, and events into actionable insights. This integration provides real-time visibility and analytics across your global server environment, enabling rapid identification and resolution of issues.
· ThousandEyes: Delivers end-to-end visibility into both network and application performance. With proactive monitoring, you can detect and resolve problems before they affect user experience, ensuring digital experience assurance.
Q. What is the form factor for Cisco Unified Edge?
A. The dimensions are 17.32 inches wide, 3 rack units high, and 18 inches deep (not including bezel). The chassis has multiple mounting options, including four-post racks, two-post racks, foldable mounting brackets for vertical mounts (against a wall) or horizontal mounts (on a flat surface), and feet for vertical positioning on a horizontal surface (such as a tower server).
Q. Does the chassis include a bezel?
A. Yes, an optional locking bezel is available to provide physical security and air filtration.
Q. What are the chassis power requirements?
A. The chassis has two hot-swappable redundant AC power supplies providing 2400W at a high line input of 220V or 1300W at a low line input of 120V. Power supplies are front-serviceable.
Q. What is the Cisco UCS XE130c M8 Compute Node?
A. The XE130c is a 1RU, half-width, one-socket compute node supporting an Intel® Xeon® 6 SoC with P-core processor.
Q. Which specific processors are supported in the Cisco UCS XE130c M8 Compute Node?
A. Intel® Xeon 6 SoC with P-core processors
Q. How many cores does the Intel® Xeon® 6 SoC with P-core processor support?
A. The Intel® Xeon® 6 SoC with P-core processor supports 10/20/32 cores, depending on the model.
Q. What are some of the benefits of the Cisco UCS XE130c M8 Compute Node?
A. The Intel® Xeon® 6 SoC with P-core processor delivers workload-optimized performance in space- and power-constrained edge environments. These innovative system-on-chip processors support edge computing solutions with a range of integrated security, network, and acceleration capabilities.
Q. How much memory is supported?
A. Up to 768 GB of memory with 96G DIMMs in 8 memory DIMM slots.
Q. How many drives are supported?
A. Up to four NVMe E3.S drives supporting up to 120 TB with 30 TB drives.
Please refer to the specification document for drive details.
Q. How is the Cisco Unified Edge managed?
A. The Cisco Unified Edge chassis and compute nodes are managed through Cisco Intersight® using Intersight Managed Mode (IMM).
Q. Is there GPU support?
Q. What infrastructure software will be supported?
A. Infrastructure software for edge environments will be supported, such as those available from VMware, Nutanix, Red Hat, Intel, and SUSE.
Please refer to the
Cisco UCS XE130c M8 Compute Node data sheet for specific infrastructure software support.
Q. What are the use cases for Cisco Unified Edge?
A. The Cisco Unified Edge solution supports a wide range of use cases across various industries by enabling real-time data processing closer to the source. Some common use cases include:
· Manufacturing and industrial IoT: Edge computing supports real-time monitoring and control of machinery, predictive maintenance, and quality assurance, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing downtime.
· Retail: In-store analytics, personalized customer experiences, and inventory management are improved through edge computing, allowing retailers to process data quickly and respond to customer needs in real time.
· Healthcare: Edge infrastructure enables remote patient monitoring, telemedicine, and real-time analytics of medical data, improving patient care and operational efficiency.
· Financial/banking: Edge computing supports bank analytics, fraud detection, branch office experience delivery, and security.
Q. What are the operational benefits?
A. Cisco Unified Edge simplifies management by providing unprecedented visibility, consistency, and control across highly distributed edge environments. Leveraging SaaS operations, Cisco Unified Edge offers centralized fleet management, policy-based configuration templates, and automated orchestration that simplifies operations and enables zero-touch deployments at a global scale.
Q. Which technologies are utilized in Cisco Unified Edge?
A. Cisco Unified Edge integrates compute, networking, storage, and security into a modular, edge-optimized, AI-ready, SaaS-managed platform. By integrating these components, edge IT teams can simplify deployment, streamline lifecycle management, and better secure edge infrastructure by leveraging platform-level compute and networking security capabilities.
Q. Which workloads are supported by Cisco Unified Edge?
A. Any standard workload can be supported using an Intel® Xeon® 6 SoC with P-core processor. Support for AI inferencing, cloud-native, containerized environments and virtualized infrastructure ensures that IT teams can efficiently meet evolving workload demands without compromising on performance or efficiency.
Q. What are the security capabilities of Cisco Unified Edge?
A. Security capabilities include comprehensive security for applications and data at the edge with physical, hardware, and policy-based protections to ensure a consistent repeatable security profile. Plus, multi-layered security capabilities across edge infrastructure, applications, and AI models protect systems, workloads, and data.
· Centrally managed and enforced security policies ensure consistent protection at scale..
· Physical locks and anti-tampering features safeguard devices from unauthorized access.
· Continuous compatibility checks identify issues and provide recommended remediation steps.
· Virtualized threat defense, network segmentation, firewall, visibility, and compliance capabilities (VNF) protect network environments.
· Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD), AI model protection, and Kubernetes workload defense for modern environments deliver comprehensive security capabilities.
Q. Where can I go to learn more?