Cisco UCS Manager vs. Rocket Servergraph

It [Cisco UCS Manager] is extremely well suited to large virtual infrastructure environments with resource dense blades. This solution is also great if you want to consolidate a large number of servers (if they are servers that need to stay physical, but can fit in the profile of a blade) - this would reduce data center space utilization as well as power and cooling. Cisco UCS Manager is also great if you're looking for centralized management of a larger number of servers. This would not be a great solution if you have a very small shop - it's not cheap and probably wouldn't give you a ROI if you only have a couple dozen servers total. I'd say it would be overkill for small shops, but if you have the money and don't care, you'll still like it.

Incentivized

Rocket Servergraph is well suited for any backup environment where the end user wants a more comprehensive understanding of their systems. I have not found one OEM supplied reporting system that can hold a candle to the job that Rocket does.

• It is very all inclusive for management of every part our our Cisco blade center.
• It allows us to directly connect to a hardware-based server in the blade center as though we were physically at the console.
• It allows us to monitor the entire system for faults.
• It lets us manage connectivity.
• It is set to alert us via email if a fault occurs.

Incentivized

• Failed backup reporting is easily tailored to specific person, group or function
• The TSM console makes a novice admin more productive quickly as it builds the command syntax for you.
• Alerts when a backup system is down or a resource like a storage pool will soon require expansion
• Trend analysis and historical reporting support capital expenditures

• Automation: There is a simple power-shell CMD lets, but it leaves more to be desired.
• Navigation: Navigating the interface can be confusing.
• Integration: Integration with ESXi hosts while doing FW upgrades would be hugely beneficial without the need for additional tools.

Incentivized

• It would be nice to have an administrator console for Networker and Datadomain the likes of the one in TSM which is so incredibly helpful.

Cisco UCS Manager allows for integrated management of all UCS components, streamlining processes like server provisioning, networking, and storage configuration

Incentivized

The automation capabilities of Cisco UCS Manager help streamline tasks such as provisioning, configuration, and monitoring, leading to increased efficiency

Incentivized

Cisco UCSM Support has been very quick to reply and address our concerns, issues, and questions. We have found that Cisco's documentation is clear and concise and fairly easy to find. With Cisco support's help, we are able to quickly and safely meet the demands of our end-users, consistently.

Incentivized

I think UCS Manager would be able very comparable to other vendors offerings when it comes to server configuration. I think Cisco did a good job in giving you full access to many options that you might not see with Dell or HPE. Every manufacturer would need a similar tool to control their server environment, but I think what Cisco has built into their Manager is a little better than others I've used. You can just see and change so many settings. I would say that is also a bit of a negative by a little bit because sometimes it is hard to dig in and find what you need to change and often might need to reach out to TAC or take a training course to understand all of the interface.

Incentivized

This is the most reliable platform that ensures that data is controlled successfully. It has helped our IT department utilize time used to monitor data storage disks manually. The overall cost of maintenance is lower as compared to other backup plans. It has reduced time taken for auditing our databases due to automatic data auditing system installed on this application.

• The positive is I was able to consolidate my small server infrastructure from 3 racks to one rack giving me space back and much power savings
• The negative would be it could feel a little daunting to manage as there are many tabs and pieces to the interface.

Incentivized

• Less need for close backup system oversight so it frees resources for other tasks
• Found 50 plus tapes that were available scratches
• You can more confidently determine the need for backup resources throng the systems predictive analysis.