Flexpod as a Service

Cisco and NetApp have developed the FlexPod platform to meet these demanding requirements.

FlexPod is a data center platform that hosts infrastructure software and business applications in virtualized and bare-metal environments. The platform has been tested and validated across leading hypervisors and operating systems from VMware, Red Hat, and Microsoft and can be managed by FlexPod ecosystem partner software.

FlexPod combines servers, storage resources, and the network fabric to create an agile, efficient, and scalable platform for hosting applications. FlexPod allows hardware to be abstracted into service profiles, resulting in a very agile platform. The platform is configured and tested with industry-leading virtualization and native OS environments using the Cisco® Validated Design methodology. The resulting design guides are used by FlexPod partners and Cisco and NetApp service teams to deploy the platform across many different industries. FlexPod is delivered with a unique set of programmable interfaces that allow automation of deployment, fault monitoring, and use-based billing.

FlexPod components

FlexPod builds on the core capabilities of both the Cisco and NetApp portfolios of industry-leading products.

• Cisco Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS™): Deploys high-performance, expanded-memory server architecture
• Cisco Nexus® switching: Converges Fibre Channel and Ethernet on a unified 10 Gigabit Ethernet fabric.
• NetApp storage: Provides storage access through Network File System (NFS) and Common Internet File System (CIFS) using Small Computer System Interface over IP (iSCSI) or Fibre Channel over 10 Gigabit