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FlexPod

Minimum hardware requirements

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This section describes the minimum hardware requirements for the different versions of FlexPod Express.

FlexPod Express with NetApp FAS

The hardware requirements for FlexPod Express solutions that use NetApp FAS controllers for underlying storage include the configurations describe in this section.

CIMC-based configuration (standalone rack servers)

The Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) configuration includes the following hardware components:

  • Two 10Gbps standard Ethernet switches in a redundant configuration (Cisco Nexus 31108 is recommended, with Cisco Nexus 3000 and 9000 models supported)

  • Cisco UCS C-Series standalone rack servers

  • Two AFF C190, AFF A250, FAS2600, or FAS 2700 series controllers in a high-availability (HA) pair configuration deployed as a two-node cluster

Cisco UCS-managed configuration

The Cisco UCS-managed confirmation includes the following hardware components:

  • Two 10Gbps standard Ethernet switches in a redundant configuration (Cisco Nexus 3524 is recommended)

  • One Cisco UCS 5108 alternating current (AC) blade server chassis

  • Two Cisco UCS 6324 fabric interconnects

  • Cisco UCS B-Series servers (at least four Cisco UCS B200 M5 blade servers)

  • Two AFF C190, AFF A250, FAS2750, or FAS2720 controllers in an HA pair configuration (requires two available unified target adapter 2 [UTA2] ports per controller)

FlexPod Express with E-Series

The hardware requirements for the FlexPod Express with E-Series starter configuration include:

  • Two Cisco UCS 6324 fabric interconnects

  • One Cisco UCS Mini chassis 5108 AC2 or DC2 (the Cisco UCS 6324 fabric interconnects are only supported in the AC2 and DC2 chassis)

  • Cisco UCS B-Series servers (at least two Cisco UCS B200 M4 blade servers)

  • One HA pair configuration of an E-Series E2824 storage system loaded with minimum 12 disk drives

  • Two 10Gbps standard Ethernet switches in a redundant configuration (existing switches in the data center can be used)

These hardware components are required to build a starter configuration of the solution; additional blade servers and disk drives can be added as needed. The E-Series E2824 storage system can be replaced with a higher platform and can also be run as an all-flash system.