Defense Agencies Modernizing Core IT Case Study
Available Languages
Bias-Free Language
The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.
| Executive Summary |
|
| Industry: Defense |
|
| Challenges |
●
Reduce server and cabling footprints
●
Simplify infrastructure management and scaling
●
Minimize operating costs
|
| Solutions |
●
Cisco® Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS®) C-Series Multinode Rack Servers, powered by AMD EPYC™ processors
●
Cisco UCS Manager
●
Cisco Intersight™ Private Virtual Appliance
|
| Results |
●
Consolidated 20 racks of gear down to a single rack
●
Reduced 200 cables down to 80
●
Lowered power consumption and licensing costs
|
Challenge: Modernize and simplify IT infrastructure within the defense industry
Defense agencies around the world are working to modernize their IT infrastructure, taking advantage of high-performance servers that are more dense, less costly, and easier to manage than legacy systems. In fact, various defense departments in multiple countries are now using the powerful combination of:
● Cisco UCS C4200 Series Rack Server Chassis, which hosts four rack server nodes in two rack units (2RU) with shared power and cooling
● Cisco UCS C125 M5 Rack Server Nodes, which are powered by AMD EPYC processors that deliver the highest core density in the industry
Footprint and cost consolidation
One defense agency wanted to expand its private cloud, but had limited physical space in a shared environment. The agency replaced its legacy servers with Cisco UCS C-Series to get more performance and capacity without additional rack space.
Instead of three chassis and 24 nodes in a single rack, the agency now has 10 Cisco C4200 chassis and 40 Cisco UCS C125 M5 server nodes in a single rack. Two-hundred cables have been reduced to 80. And because of the improved performance of the new environment, the agency was able to significantly reduce its hypervisor licensing costs.
Another defense agency had a mishmash of rack and blade servers, with an equally varied collection of management tools. The agency wanted to reduce 20 racks of gear down to a single rack and was able to do so with the Cisco UCS C-Series. The deployment significantly reduced the agency’s IT footprint, power consumption, and operating costs, and was easily replicated across 25 field sites and within an associated agency’s server environment..
Simplified management and scaling
Leveraging Cisco UCS Manager, service profiles are easily deployed to both rack and blade servers – up to 160 nodes simultaneously. As a result, the defense agency has streamlined infrastructure management, established greater consistency of server configuration and security, and simplified scaling without the need for downtime.
Another defense agency is using the Cisco Intersight Private Virtual Appliance to simplify and centralize server management. In addition to enabling thousands of nodes to be managed collectively, the appliance aligns seamlessly with Ansible and other open source tools for infrastructure automation and orchestration.
All of the defense agencies have noted the exceptional performance and unwavering reliability of Cisco UCS C-Series servers. Often deployed in the field where technical skills, physical spaces, and power resources are limited, the robust and resilient Cisco C4200 chassis with Cisco UCS C125 M5 server nodes help ensure mission success.
Cisco UCS C4200 Series Rack Server Chassis
● Support for four nodes
Up to four Cisco UCS rack server nodes can populate this 2RU chassis
● Up to 512 cores per chassis
With the AMD EPYC processor, industry-leading core density is achieved
● Shared power and cooling
N+1 redundant power supplies support all four servers and provide sufficient power to support top-bin processors
● Up to 24 Small-Form-Factor (SFF) drives
The drive bays are allocated so that each rack server node has access to six SAS, SATA, or up to four disk drives and two NVMe drives
Cisco UCS C125 M5 Rack Server Nodes
● Up to 2 AMD EPYC processors
Choose the number of cores you need for your workload with consistent processor features, from 8 to 64 cores per CPU
● 16 DIMM slots
Up to 2 TB of memory
● 2 PCIe 3.0 slots
Use to connect to the I/O infrastructure that best suits your needs
● Optional fourth-generation Cisco VICs
Complete programmability of the number and type of I/O devices, making it easier to host different workloads
● Flexible OCP 2.0 slot
For third-party I/O devices
● Internal drive connectivity
Up to 6 SAS or SATA drives or up to 2 NVMe drives plus 4 SAS or SATA disk drives
● Internal SD or M.2 boot options
Learn more about the capabilities of Cisco UCS C-Series C4200.