Cisco Fabric Interconnects are the foundational components and the central nervous system of a Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) environment, providing unified network access, storage connectivity, and management capabilities for all connected servers and infrastructure.
They serve as the main point of connection for servers within the UCS domain, offering both Ethernet and Fibre Channel connectivity. Servers connect directly to the fabric interconnects, which then provide the pathway to the broader Local Area Network (LAN) for data traffic and the Storage Area Network (SAN) for storage access. Each Cisco Fabric Interconnect, such as the Cisco UCS 6400 Series, runs Cisco UCS Manager, which is crucial for fully managing all elements within the Cisco UCS domain, from servers to networking and storage resources.
Understanding the Role of Fabric Interconnects
Cisco Fabric Interconnects simplify datacenter operations by consolidating multiple network and storage connections into a single, highly available architecture. They eliminate the need for separate LAN and SAN switches for each server, streamlining cabling, reducing power consumption, and enhancing management efficiency.
Key Functions and Features
- Unified I/O: They converge Ethernet (LAN), Fibre Channel (SAN), and management traffic onto a single set of cables, reducing complexity and costs.
- Centralized Management: Running Cisco UCS Manager, they provide a single pane of glass for managing all physical and virtual resources within the UCS domain. This includes server provisioning, network configurations, storage policies, and firmware upgrades.
- High Performance and Scalability: Designed for demanding datacenter workloads, Fabric Interconnects offer high throughput and low latency, supporting large-scale server deployments and virtualization environments.
- Redundancy and High Availability: Fabric Interconnects are typically deployed in redundant pairs to ensure continuous operation and eliminate single points of failure.
- Policy-Based Provisioning: They enable the creation of service profiles, which abstract server identity, connectivity, and storage away from the hardware. This allows for rapid deployment and redeployment of servers with consistent configurations.
How Fabric Interconnects Work
Servers, typically blade or rack servers equipped with Converged Network Adapters (CNAs), connect to the Fabric Interconnects. The Fabric Interconnects then virtualize the network and storage connections, presenting them as logical interfaces to the servers. This setup allows for:
- Ethernet Connectivity: Providing high-speed data access to the enterprise LAN.
- Fibre Channel Connectivity: Offering dedicated or FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) connections to the SAN for block storage.
- Management Access: Enabling out-of-band management of servers and chassis via Cisco UCS Manager.
This converged infrastructure simplifies cabling, as fewer cables are needed per server. It also enhances flexibility, allowing IT administrators to rapidly provision and reconfigure servers without physical rewiring.
Benefits of Cisco Fabric Interconnects
Cisco Fabric Interconnects bring significant advantages to modern datacenters:
- Reduced Complexity: Simplifies network and storage infrastructure by consolidating components.
- Lower Costs: Decreases cabling, power consumption, and cooling requirements.
- Increased Agility: Enables rapid provisioning and deployment of servers through policy-based automation.
- Enhanced Manageability: Centralized management through Cisco UCS Manager streamlines operations and reduces human error.
- Scalability: Supports growth from small to very large UCS deployments with consistent performance.
Cisco Fabric Interconnect Series
Cisco offers different series of Fabric Interconnects, each designed to meet varying performance and port density requirements. The Cisco UCS 6400 Series Fabric Interconnects are a prominent example, offering high-density ports and advanced features for modern datacenter needs.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Connectivity | Provides both Ethernet (LAN) and Fibre Channel (SAN) connectivity for servers. |
| Management | Runs Cisco UCS Manager for unified, policy-based management of all Cisco UCS components (servers, chassis, networking, storage). |
| Role in UCS | Acts as the central point of connectivity and management for all servers within a Cisco UCS domain, consolidating I/O. |
| Key Advantage | Simplifies infrastructure, reduces cabling, enables rapid server provisioning, and offers high availability and performance for converged networking. |
| Typical Series | Cisco UCS 6400 Series, 6300 Series, etc., offering various port speeds (e.g., 10/25/40/100 Gbps Ethernet and 8/16/32 Gbps Fibre Channel) and densities to suit different datacenter scale and performance needs. |
| Deployment | Always deployed in a redundant pair for high availability and load balancing, connecting to server chassis, rack servers, and uplink to existing LAN/SAN infrastructure. |
Cisco Fabric Interconnects are pivotal to the UCS architecture, providing a highly efficient, scalable, and manageable foundation for modern virtualized and cloud-ready datacenters.
