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Today’s applications live across a complex, multidomain world — from enterprise data- centers and private and public clouds, to campus, branch, and edge locations. Cisco HyperFlex™ systems with Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors make it easy to modernize and simplify deployments and operations. Engineered with Cisco Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS®) technology, and managed through the Cisco Intersight™ cloud-operations platform, Cisco HyperFlex systems deliver flexible, scale-out infrastructure that can rapidly adapt to changing business demands.
We have created Cisco HyperFlex Express to simplify the onboarding process, especially for new customers, to get products on site quickly. Cisco HyperFlex Express delivers “high-velocity transactions” with simplified ordering and fast delivery. With HyperFlex Express, we have taken our most popular Cisco HyperFlex node configurations, added a few simple and important options, priced them attractively to deliver optimal value, and reduced transaction times to help keep your plans on track.
With hybrid, all-flash-memory, or all-Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) storage configurations and cloud-based management, Cisco HyperFlex Express systems are deployed as a preintegrated cluster with a unified pool of resources that you can quickly provision, adapt, scale, and manage to efficiently power your applications and your business (Figure 1). Based on Intel Xeon Scalable processors, these servers have faster processors, more cores, and faster and larger-capacity memory than previous-generation servers. In addition, they are ready for Intel Optane™ persistent memory (PMem) which can be used as both storage and system memory, increasing your virtual server configuration options and flexibility for applications.
Cisco HyperFlex systems product family
Cisco HyperFlex Express HX220c M6 Node family
The Cisco HyperFlex HX220c M6 Node family delivers mission-critical, high performance in a small footprint. Physically, the system is delivered as a cluster of three or more Cisco HyperFlex Express HX220c M6 Nodes, HX220c M6 All NVMe Nodes, or HX220c M6 All Flash Nodes. The nodes are integrated into a single system by a pair of Cisco UCS 6300 or 6400 series fabric interconnects, creating clusters that support general-purpose deployments (HX220c M6 nodes) and mission-critical high-performance environments (HX220c M6 All NVMe and HX220c M6 All Flash nodes).
Incorporating Intel Xeon Scalable processors and next-generation DDR4 memory, these Cisco HyperFlex HX-series nodes offer an improved price-to-performance ratio that ranks them among the best values in the industry. Cloud-based management makes it easy for you to scale your cluster to support more workloads and deliver performance, efficiency, and adaptability in a 1-Rack-Unit (1RU) form factor.
Powering next-generation applications
Cisco HyperFlex Express HX220c M6 All NVMe, All Flash, and Hybrid nodes with Intel Xeon Scalable processors are excellent for a wide range of enterprise workloads, including cloud computing, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), databases including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and SAP, and server virtualization.
Table 1. Summary of features and benefits of Cisco HyperFlex Express HX220c M6 Node, HX220c M6 All Flash Node, and HX220c M6 All NVMe Node
Feature |
Benefit |
|||
Memory |
● High memory capacity
● Up to 8 TB memory (32 x 256 GB DDR4 DIMMs1) or
● Up to 12 TB memory (16 x 256 GB DDR4 DIMMs) and 16 x 512 GB Intel Optane persistent memory modules (PMem)
|
|||
Intel Xeon |
● High performance
● 10-nanometer (nm) processor technology
● Massive processing power
● Top-of-the-line memory-channel performance
● Improved scalability and intercore data flow
● Intel Automated Vector Extensions 2 (AVX2)
|
● Agility
● Supports highly dense virtual-machine deployments
● Offers flexible virtualization technology that optimizes performance for virtualized environments, including processor support for migration and direct I/O
|
● Efficiency and security
● Low-power, high-speed DDR4 memory technology
● Automated energy efficiency reduces energy costs by automatically putting the processor and memory in the lowest available power state while delivering the performance required
● Hardware-assisted security advancements
|
|
Unified network fabric |
● Low-latency, lossless, 2 x 40 Gigabit Ethernet connections
● Wire-once deployment model, eliminating the need to install adapters and re-cable racks and switches when changing I/O configurations
● Fewer interface cards, cables, and upstream network ports to purchase, power, configure, and maintain
|
|||
Expansion |
● Support for up to 3 half-height PCIe risers or 1 to 2 full-height PCI risers
● Flexibility, increased performance, and compatibility with industry standards
● High I/O bandwidth, increased flexibility, and backward compatibility with support for PCIe 2.0
|
|||
Virtualization optimization |
● I/O virtualization and Intel Xeon Scalable processor features, extending the network directly to virtual machines
● Consistent and scalable operational model
● Increased security and efficiency with reduced complexity
● Capability to move virtual machine security features and policies from rack to rack or rack to blade
|
|||
Cloud-based management |
Cisco Intersight simplifies operations across on-premises data centers, edge sites, and public clouds.
● Use a software-as-a-service platform that bridges applications with infrastructure
● Gain instant access to clusters regardless of where they are deployed
● Correlate visibility and management across bare-metal servers, hypervisors, Kubernetes, and serverless and application components
● Transform operations with artificial intelligence to reach needed scale and velocity
● Collaborate and work smarter and faster by automating lifecycle workflows
● Support compliance and governance with extensible, open capabilities that natively integrate with third-party platforms and tools
● Proactively respond to impending issues with a recommendation engine that determines when capacity needs to be scaled
|
Additional management capabilities include:
● Support for the VMware vSphere plug-in
● Support for the Cisco HyperFlex Connect interface with an HTML 5 presentation layer accessible on desktop and laptop computers and mobile devices
|
||
Storage |
● All-flash, all-NVMe, or hybrid storage configurations
(combination of Hard-Disk Drives [HDDs], and solid-state-disks [SSDs])
● Deliver high-capacity configurations for the Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform capacity layer
|
|||
Enterprise data protection |
● Pointer-based snapshot capabilities
● Native snapshots for iSCSI LUNs, including a consistency group for snapshot operations, instantaneous snapshot creation, and RESTful APIs for snapshot creation and third-party backup use
● Snapshot integration with MEDITECH BridgeHead for electronic health records and databases
● Near-instant cloning
● Inline deduplication and compression
● Native replication for disaster recovery
● N:1 replication for data center clusters with fabric interconnects and more than 4 nodes, as well as a flexible retention policy for local and remote point-in-time copies
● Data-at-rest encryption using self-encrypting drives and enterprise key management integration
|
|||
Security |
● Locking bezel option to protect against unauthorized access to disk drives
● Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a chip (microcontroller) that can securely store artifacts, including passwords, certificates, and encryption keys, which are used to authenticate the platform (node)
● Supports TPM 2.0
|
|||
Software |
● Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform Software (software subscription)
● VMware vSphere 6.7 or 7 software preinstalled
|
|||
Table 2. Common specifications for Cisco HyperFlex Express HX220c M6 Node, HX220c M6 All Flash Node, and HX220c M6 All NVMe Node.
Feature |
Common specifications across the HX220c M6 Node family |
Chassis |
● 1RU of rack space per node
|
Processors |
● One or two 3
rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors (Ice Lake)
● A 2-CPU configuration is required when using NVMe caching drives or All NVMe systems
|
Interconnect |
● 3 Intel UPI channels per processor, each capable of 10.4 Gigatransfers Per Second (GTPS)
|
Chip set |
● Intel C621A series
|
Memory |
● Capability to use 256- or 512-GB DIMMs
● 8 TB using 32 x 256-GB DDR4 DIMMS
● 12 TB using 16 x 256-GB DDR DIMMS and 16 x 512-GB Intel PMem modules
● Advanced Error-Correcting Code (ECC)
● Independent channel mode
● Lockstep channel mode
|
Storage |
● Specific drive options are available for HyperFlex HX220c nodes:
● HX220c Node (hybrid): 2.4 TB 10K rpm (data) & 480G SATA (cache)
● HX220c All Flash Node: 2.4 TB 10K rpm (data) & 8000G SAS (cache)
● HX220c All NVMe Node: 3.8 TB or 7.6 TB NVMe (data) & 375G Intel Optane (cache)
|
PCIe |
● Support for up to 3 half-height PCIe risers or 1 to 2 full-height PCI risers
● Support for the following NICs:
◦ Intel i350 quad-port 1 Gigabit Ethernet network interface card ◦ Intel X710-DA2 dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet network interface card ◦ Intel X710 quad-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet network interface card ◦ Intel X710-T2LG dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet network interface card ◦ Intel XXV810-DA2 dual-port 25 Gigabit Ethernet network interface card ◦ Intel XXV810-DA2 quad-port 25 Gigabit Ethernet network interface card |
Expansion slots |
● 2 full-height, ¾-length slots with x24 connector and x16 lane
● 3 half-height, half-length slots with x24 connector and x16 lane
● Dedicated SAS HBA slot, reserved for use by the Cisco 12G SAS HBA
|
Modular LAN on Motherboard (mLOM) |
● Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1467
● Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1477
● Up to 256 I/O devices programmable on demand for hypervisor and virtual machine support
● 2 x 100-Gbps network connectivity to Cisco UCS 6300 Series Fabric Interconnects through the Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1477
|
Network |
● Dual 10-Gbps Ethernet ports per node
● Support for the Wake-on-LAN (WoL) standard
|
Cisco Integrated Management Controller (IMC) |
● Integrated Baseboard Management Controller (BMC)
● IPMI 2.0 compliant for management and control
● One 10/100/1000 Ethernet out-of-band management interface
● Command-Line Interface (CLI) and web GUI management tool for automated, lights-out management
● Keyboard, Video, and Mouse (KVM) console
|
Advanced reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) features |
● Highly available and self-healing architecture
● Robust reporting and analytics
● Hot-swappable, front-accessible drives
● Dual-redundant fans and hot-swappable, redundant power supplies for enterprise-class reliability and a convenient latching lid for easy access to internal server
● Tool-free CPU insertion, enabling processor upgrades and replacements with less risk of damage
● Tool-free access to all serviceable items, and color-coded indicators to guide users to hot-pluggable and serviceable items
● Nondisruptive rolling upgrades
● Cisco Smart Call Home and onsite 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week (24 x 7) support options
|
Front-panel connector |
● 1 KVM console connector per node
(supplies 2 USB connectors, 1 VGA connector, and 1 serial connector) |
Front-panel locator LED |
● Helps direct administrators to specific servers in large data-center environments
|
Additional rear connectors |
● 1 Gigabit Ethernet management port
● 2 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports
● 1 RS-232 serial port (RJ45 connector)
● 1 Video Graphics Array (VGA) video port (DB15 connector)
● 2 USB 3.0 ports
|
Power and cooling |
● One or two hot-pluggable power supplies
● Second power supply provides 1+1 redundancy
● 1050W, 1600W, or 2300W
● 8 hot-swappable fans
|
Rail-kit options |
● Cisco ball-bearing rail kit with optional reversible cable-management arm
● Cisco friction rail kit with optional reversible cable-management arm
|
Software |
● Cisco HyperFlex HX Data Platform Software (software subscription, data center license)
|
Table 3. Predefined options for Cisco HyperFlex Express ordering
|
HX220c M6 Hybrid |
HX220c M6 All Flash |
HX220c M6 All NVMe |
Cisco HyperFlex Express PID |
● HX220C-M6S-EXP
*
|
● HXAF220C-M6S-EXP
*
|
● HXAF220C-M6SN-EXP
*
|
Housekeeping |
● HX-SD240GM1X-EV
|
● HX-SD240GM1X-EV
|
● HX-NVME2H-I1000
|
Boot |
● HX-M2-240GB
|
● HX-M2-240GB
|
● HX-M2-240GB
|
Cache |
● HX-SD480G63X-EP
|
● HX-SD800GK3X-EP
|
● HX-NVMEXPB-I375
|
MLOM/VIC |
● HX-M-V25-04
|
● HX-M-V25-04
|
● HX-M-V25-04
|
CPU options |
● HXE-CPU-I6348
|
● HXE-CPU-I6348
|
● HXE-CPU-I6348
|
|
● HXE-CPU-I5320
|
● HXE-CPU-I5320
|
● HXE-CPU-I5320
|
|
● HXE-CPU-I4314
|
● HXE-CPU-I4314
|
● HXE-CPU-I4314
|
Data options |
● HXE-HD24TB10K4KN
|
● HXE-SD38T61X-EV
|
● HX-NVMEI4-I3840
|
|
|
● HXE-SD76T61X-EV
|
● HXE-NVMEI4-I7680
|
Cisco HyperFlex Express specification documents are available at: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/hyperconverged-infrastructure/hyperflex-hx-series/datasheet-listing.html.
Cisco Unified Computing Services
Cisco and our industry-leading partners deliver services that accelerate your transition to Cisco HyperFlex systems. Cisco Unified Computing Services can help you create an agile infrastructure, accelerate time-to-value, reduce costs and risks, and maintain availability during deployment and migration. After you have deployed your system, our services can help you improve performance, availability, and resiliency as your business needs evolve and help you further mitigate risk.
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Reference links to information about key environmental sustainability topics (mentioned in the “Environment Sustainability” section of the CSR Report) are provided in the following table:
Sustainability topic |
Reference |
Information on product material content laws and regulations |
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Information on electronic waste laws and regulations, including products, batteries, and packaging |
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For more information about Cisco HyperFlex systems, refer to http://www.cisco.com/go/hyperflex.
New or revised topic |
Described in |
Date |
Initial release |
Spec sheet |
March 2022 |