FlexPod

2018: NetApp Solution Support

On October 30, 2018 the Netapp company provided Solution Support for FlexPod which includes:

• The support which is working by the principle of "single window" and having profound practical knowledge on work with each key solution component — DWH, the storage area network, servers and their operating systems, LAN networks and a hypervisor.
• Software of Netapp Converged System Advisor (CSA), simplifying workflows on the party of the customer and management of lifecycle of FlexPod. The CSA functions on monitoring and state management of a system by means of the single interface help to reduce time of solution which customers handle in support.

2015: FlexPod plus UCS Mini

Products and technologies

• Cisco UCS B200 M4 servers
• Management system of Cisco UCS Manager 2.2
• Cisco UCS Director
• Cisco switches Nexus 9000

• NetApp Data ONTAP 8.2

Solutions • FlexPod Data Center плюс Microsoft SharePoint 2013 и Cisco ACI

• FlexPod Datacenter плюс Microsoft Exchange 2013 и Cisco ACI
• FlexPod Data Center плюс Microsoft Private Cloud 4.0

Today more and more calculations are executed outside DPC on network edge. FlexPod plus UCS Mini is the simple, manageable and expanded small-size solution allowing to use all power of integrated solutions of Cisco UCS on remote platforms in branches and on other objects which though are not data centers, but generate data and need computing powers. Management of UCS Management the politician in the distributed configurations including a set of objects provides remote operation, automation and implementation. Thanks to it the customers who implemented FlexPod in the central data processing centers can use these investments for support of remote offices and branches.

2013

Renaming, development, upgrade

On July 31, 2013 from the press release of the partner companies in work on FlexPod product family - Cisco and NetApp, became known of change of the name: the solution earlier known as FlexPod, received the name FlexPod Datacenter.

Now the Cisco switch Nexus 7000 supporting the highest level of availability of networks during the continuous work is a part of the solutions FlexPod Datacenter.

This switch does the FlexPod platform of one of the scalablest in the industry, allowing it to support the highest density of ports 10 of Gigabit Ethernet in the industry (to 768 ports 10 GE). The FlexPod configuration with the Cisco switch Nexus 7000 supports also complex Fibre Channel over Ethernet technology (FCoE) for construction of the unified Ethernet factory and function DCI in the environment with a set of data processing centers.

In addition, Cisco and NetApp bring to the market the solution FlexPod Datacenter with the SnapProtect system for full-scale reservation and data recovery according to the scheme "disk-disk-film" (D2D2T) and with support of solutions of VMware, NAS and Microsoft Exchange.

FlexPod updating: support of several DPCs is implemented

On October 31, 2013 the companies NetApp also Cisco announced updating of FlexPod for support of several DPCs.

NetApp, Cisco Systems and VMware carried out the analysis of development of the FlexPod project for the last three years and considered it successful and deserving continuation. After updating of FlexPod can use hypervisors of VMware, Citrix, Microsoft and has additional functions, including automation of the integrated infrastructure.

Advantages

FlexPod uses arrays of storage of Netapp, servers and network equipment of Cisco for DPCs and is intended for service of heavy workloads when implementing cloud computing using hundreds of servers. A system is a competitor of the unified system from servers, storage devices and network equipment of VBlock of VCE company (EMC joint venture, VMware and Cisco) which is also using servers and network equipment of Cisco. It competes also with some EMC VMAX systems.

According to IDC analytical company, in the second quarter 2013 of sale of the FlexPod systems provided income in $203 million, what is 47% more, in comparison with the same period of 2012. Income from VBlock was $176 million — 35% more, than in 2012.

On October 31, 2013 NetApp, Cisco Systems and VMware reported - Citrix joined them - she offers additional software for management of IT and clouds.

The updated FlexPod can use hypervisors of VMware, Citrix or Microsoft and have additional functions, including automation of the integrated infrastructure, the solutions providing business continuity, check of new products and reference architecture.

In January, 2013 Cisco and NetApp decided to expand the agreement on FlexPod and to continue development of this solution for DPCs. Result - the new version, of October 31, 2013.

Components

• FlexPod Datacenter and NetApp MetroCluster - provide end-to-end recovery after accidents and continuous availability of the major services;
• FlexPod Datacenter and Cisco Virtualized Multiservice Data Center 2.3 - provide the scalable, highly protected elastic infrastructure helping service providers to create clouds;
• UCS Director 4.1 integrated with the clustered NetApp Data ONTAP and facilitating end-to-end administration and automation of FlexPod;
• addition of Citrix to the FlexPod Cooperative Support program - provides to FlexPod the broad support in the field of IT and management of clouds.

Integration of software of Netapp MetroCluster allows FlexPod to use in several DPCs, without use of additional resources of software works with Cisco Nexus switching matrix.

Expansion of scope of application on several DPCs

Level of storage MetroCluster creates the infrastructure of data having high availability, it performs mirroring of these two platforms in city boundaries. If on one of these platforms there is an accident, without interruption in service there will be a switching to another which will continue work.

2012

Structure and architecture

The solution FlexPod is founded on the platform of the unified calculations Cisco UCS. For April, 2012 it includes network switches Cisco and unified storage systems NetApp, working running the software Data ONTAP.

The architecture of FlexPod is tested in advance and includes the network means, computing resources and storage systems working in uniform, shared infrastructure. This architecture helps the organizations to accelerate implementation, to reduce risk level and to reduce total cost of ownership.

FlexPod supports a set of applications and work assignments, allowing customers and partners to accelerate and simplify transition to cloud computing. Flexible, scalable, shared infrastructure is tested in advance that allows to reduce risk level at installation, to increase efficiency of DPC and to create flexible infrastructure of sharing.

Cisco and NetApp about sharing of architecture of FlexPod

The companies Cisco also NetApp announced in the spring of 2012 that the shared architecture of FlexPod will become the first solution for DPC which will be certified by the company Microsoft on compatibility with the new version Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track of solution 2.0. This declaration is of special interest for the customers wishing to use the latest version of the solution System Center 2012 and technologies of Microsoft for a private cloud. Cisco and NetApp actively cooperated with Microsoft within the Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track 2.0 program to reduce terms of deployment of infrastructure and implementation of applications at customers from several days till several o'clock and to increase load of physical and virtual resources.

Besides, especially for virtualization of desktops of Cisco and NetApp released the checked architecture for a private cloud of Microsoft working with the software of Citrix XenDesktop in shared infrastructure of FlexPod. Delivery of desktops, applications and data as services using XenDesktop gives to the enterprises the chance to support quickly existing and to quickly implement new applications, to pass to new operating systems and to provide corporate resources to billions of new devices appearing in workplaces.

FlexPod with a private cloud of Microsoft uses the Windows Server 2008 R2 and System Center 2012 resources. This first solution of this sort checked by Microsoft company for compatibility with the updated program Microsoft Private Cloud Fast Track 2.0.

Cisco UCS Management Packs and NetApp OnCommand (the connected modules to System Center 2012) allow customers to carry out monitoring via the single interface and to operate the solution FlexPod and any application working in this architecture. In the solution System Center 2012 customers receive all control functions by a storage system of Netapp and the unified system of calculations Cisco UCS. Besides, they can automate accomplishment of computing works and management dannymiv to cloud infrastructure.

Cisco supports all control functions by infrastructure in the environment of Windows PowerShell using a management system of Cisco UCS PowerTool with a user-friendly interface of the command line. Operators can use the Cisco UCS PowerTool system for simplification and unification of management of means of storage, computing resources and software applications within the single complete solution differing in ease of use and developments of scripts.

The checked design integrates recently announced solution Microsoft System Center 2012 and Netapp FlexClone® technology and also the Windows PowerShell automation equipment, allowing to create automatically virtual desktops 25 times faster, than in the solutions VDI with traditional storage systems. In addition, the checked design takes advantages a cache memory of Netapp Flash Cache allowing to load virtual machines with the unknown speed unavailable to traditional solutions (up to 2,000 machines less than in 25 minutes).

And, at last, in the field of the virtualized desktops the solution Citrix XenDesktop for Windows Server Hyper-V became the first solution checked and authorized by Cisco and Netapp companies for work over FlexPod with a private cloud of Microsoft. This integrated solution helps the companies to implement mobile methods of work and to give to employees the accessibility to Windows desktops, applications and data in any place and at any time.