Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI): Hyperflex
Hyperflex is Cisco’s hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform. Hyperflex systems combine software-defined storage and data services software with Cisco UCS (Unified Computing System), a converged infrastructure system that integrates computing, networking, and storage resources to increase efficiency and enable centralized management.
Cisco Hyperflex systems with Intel Xeon Scalable processors deliver hyperconvergence with power and simplicity for any application, anywhere. Engineered with Cisco UCS technology and managed through the Cisco Intersight cloud operations platform, Cisco Hyperflex systems can power your applications and data anywhere, optimize operations from your core data center to the edge and into public clouds, and increase agility by accelerating DevOps practices.
In today’s world, this adaptable platform acts as your on-premises and edge infrastructure that complements and integrates with the workloads you deploy into public clouds. Tight integration with Cisco Intersight cloud operations platform enables full lifecycle management of your workloads wherever you want to deploy them—locally, at the edge, and into the cloud. With management hosted in the cloud, you have access to unlimited deployment locations and scale.
Cisco Hyperflex systems help you bridge the gap by providing the IT capabilities you need to thrive in an always-on world:
• App-centric platform: You can deliver any app, to any location, at any scale, both predictably and securely. Cisco’s infrastructure provides cloud-like resource delivery that complements what you get from the cloud, so you can differentiate your services from the competition.
• Cloud operations platform: A cloud operating model helps you manage distributed operations at scale—from physical and virtual infrastructure deployment to workload placement and resource optimization based on real-time analysis of application performance. With true IT as a Service, your business can deliver more applications in more locations.
• Adaptable infrastructure: An open, futureproof infrastructure supports your applications. A hyperconverged application platform is optimized to deliver cloud-native apps as microservices. Traditional application hosting supports both VMware vSphere and Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V virtual machines. Together, these capabilities support the DevOps processes your teams are embracing and opens the door to more growth opportunities.
Figure 3-32 illustrates Cisco Hyperflex systems supporting the data center core, cloud, and edge.
Figure 3-32 Cisco Hyperflex systems supporting the data center core, cloud, and edge
Cisco UCS provides a single point of connectivity and hardware management that integrates Cisco Hyperflex nodes into a single unified cluster. The system is self-aware and self-integrating so that when a new component is attached, it is automatically incorporated into the cluster. Rather than requiring you to configure each element in the system manually through a variety of element managers, every aspect of a node’s personality, configuration, and connectivity is set through management software. You can choose the combination of CPU, flash memory, graphics acceleration, and disk storage resources you need to deliver an optimal infrastructure for your applications. Also, incremental scalability allows you to start small and scale up and out as your needs grow. Figure 3-33 illustrates Cisco Hyperflex systems architecture.
Figure 3-33 Cisco Hyperflex systems’ architecture
