This document discusses several factors to consider when choosing between hybrid and all-flash storage options for a cloud platform:
Hybrid storage is more economical and suitable for workloads with random disk access in smaller blocks, like development or proof-of-concept activities. All-flash storage provides the fastest read/write speeds and is better for workloads that require high performance and large memory capacities. The document provides recommendations on when each option is most appropriate.
Let’s talk for a minute about how we built the Cisco Unified Computing System.
We started with x86-architecture servers and, through Cisco innovations, deliver world-record-setting performance for powering mission-critical workloads.
Patented innovations such as Cisco Extended Memory Technology provide the larger memory capacities that virtual environments demand for scalability.
Cisco UCS is a self-integrating, self-aware system that is designed from the ground up to have every aspect of a server’s configuration manipulated through software.
Every aspect of a server’s configuration is abstracted so that it can be applied in minutes.
The system’s unified, embedded management allows administrators to create a Cisco service profile, associate the profile with a hardware resource, and the system configures itself to match the model.
(Keep but don’t read: You can even preconfigure servers even before they arrive on your loading dock. When the server’s serial number is recognized, the service profile can be automatically applied, putting resources to work in less time than any other approach.)
The resulting system is defined by having a single management and connectivity domain that integrates all of the system’s resources into an agile, flexible resource pool.
(Keep but don’t read: Cisco UCS helps organizations go beyond efficiency. It helps them become more effective through technologies that breed simplicity rather than complexity.)
The result is a flexible, agile, high-performance, self-integrating information technology, reduced staff cost, increased uptime, and more rapid return on investment.