Redundant fabric interconnects are required in the FlexPod architecture. When you add multiple Cisco UCS chassis to a pair of fabric interconnects, remember that the maximum number of chassis in an environment is determined by both an architectural and a port limit.

The part numbers that are shown in the following table are for the base fabric interconnects. They do not include the power supply unit (PSU) or SFP+, QSFP+, or expansion modules. Additional fabric interconnects are supported; see the NetApp IMT for a complete list.

To use Cisco UCS B-Series blades, you must have a Cisco UCS B-Series chassis. The table below describes the Cisco UCS BSeries chassis option.

Each Cisco UCS 5108 blade chassis must have two Cisco UCS 2200/2300/2400 Series IOMs to provide redundant connectivity to the fabric interconnects.

Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers are available in half-width and full-width varieties, with various CPU, memory, and I/O options. The part numbers that are listed in the following table are for the base server. They do not include the CPU, memory, drives, or mezzanine adapter cards. Multiple configuration options are available and are supported in the FlexPod architecture.

Previous generations of Cisco UCS B-Series blades can be used in the FlexPod architecture, if they are supported on the Cisco UCS Hardware and Software Compatibility List. The Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers must also have a valid SmartNet support contract.

To use Cisco UCS X-Series compute nodes, you must have a Cisco UCS X-Series chassis. The following table describes the Cisco UCS X-Series chassis option.

Each Cisco UCS 9508 chassis must have two Cisco UCS 9108 Intelligent Fabric Modules (IFMs) to provide redundant connectivity to the fabric interconnects.

Cisco UCS X-Series compute nodes are available with various CPU, memory, and I/O options. The part numbers listed in the following table are for the base node. They do not include the CPU, memory, drives, or mezzanine adapter cards. Multiple configuration options are available and are supported in the FlexPod architecture.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are available in one and two rack-unit (RU) varieties, with various CPU, memory, and I/O options. The part numbers that are listed in the second table below are for the base server. They do not include CPUs, memory, drives, Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) cards, or the Cisco Fabric Extender. Multiple configuration options are available and are supported in the FlexPod architecture.

The following table lists the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Server options.

Previous generations of Cisco UCS C-Series servers can be used in the FlexPod architecture, if they are supported on the Cisco UCS Hardware and Software Compatibility List. The Cisco UCS C-Series servers must also have a valid SmartNet support contract.

Redundant Cisco Nexus 5000, 7000, or 9000 Series Switches are required in the FlexPod architecture. The part numbers that are listed in the table below are for the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series chassis; they do not include SFP modules, add-on FC, or Ethernet modules.

Redundant Cisco Nexus 5000, 7000, or 9000 Series Switches are required in the FlexPod architecture. The part numbers that are listed in the table below are for the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series chassis; they do not include SFP modules, line cards, or power supplies, but they do include fan trays.

Redundant Cisco Nexus 5000, 7000, or 9000 Series Switches are required in the FlexPod architecture. The part numbers that are listed in the table below are for the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series chassis; they do not include SFP modules or Ethernet modules.

When deploying Cisco ACI, you must configure the three Cisco APICs in addition to the items in the section Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches. For more information about the Cisco APIC sizes, see the Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure Datasheet.

For more information about APIC product specifications refer to Table 1 through Table 3 on the Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller Datasheet.

Redundant Cisco Nexus 2000 Series rack-mount FEXs are recommended for large FlexPod architectures that use C-Series servers. The table below describes a few Cisco Nexus FEX options. Alternate FEX models are also supported. For more information, see the Cisco UCS Hardware and Software Compatibility List.

Cisco MDS switches are an optional component in the FlexPod architecture. Redundant SAN switch fabrics are required when you implement the Cisco MDS switch for FC SAN. The table below lists the part numbers and details for a subset of the supported Cisco MDS switches. See the NetApp IMT and Cisco Hardware and Software Compatibility List for a complete list of supported SAN switches.

Licenses are required to enable storage protocols on the Cisco Nexus switches. The Cisco Nexus 5000 and 7000 Series of switches all require a storage services license to enable the FC or FCoE protocol for SAN boot implementations. The Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches currently do not support FC or FCoE.

The required licenses and the part numbers for those licenses vary depending on the options that you select for each component of the FlexPod solution. For example, software license part numbers vary depending on the number of ports and which Cisco Nexus 5000 or 7000 Series Switches you choose. Consult your sales representative for the exact part numbers. The table below lists the Cisco software licensing options.

Valid SmartNet support contracts are required on all Cisco equipment in the FlexPod architecture.

The required licenses and the part numbers for those licenses must be verified by your sales representative because they can vary for different products. The table below lists the Cisco support licensing options.