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It's better as a server, faster, and more durable
August 18, 2022

It's better as a server, faster, and more durable

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Modules Used

  • Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers
  • Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco UCS Series

When it comes to our virtual environment, UCS is the primary computer both at our primary production location and here at our office. Due to our switch to UCS blades, we no longer operate in a traditional server environment. With UCS and VMWare, upgrading firmware is simple and causes no service interruptions. When adding more blades to scale, we may pre-configure them in advance so that they work right out of the box once they're inserted into the template.
  • When used with VMWare, firmware changes cause minimal disruption.
  • Simple system software updates using all-inclusive firmware bundles covering the individual parts.
  • UCS, in contrast to other Cisco products, is stable and reliable, with relatively few hardware failures during its lengthy lifespan.
  • Some OS memory vulnerabilities existed for a while.
  • We ended up swapping out several DIMMS, however the newest firmware appears to have resolved the issue for for now.
  • Though not as user-friendly as other Cisco products, the template system is often adequate.
  • The HVAC systems in our buildings are extremely grateful to us for installing Cisco Blade Chassis, since it has lowered our energy use in half.
  • One member of the server team is now responsible for the work that formerly required three.
  • After that, it's simpler to implement and utilize.
Citrix presented a nice tale of scalability and simplicity of maintenance. While UCS with VMware is extremely dependable, our tiny cluster deployment fell far short of expectations. There was a centralized point of administration, but installing machines under their proprietary hypervisor still required certain workarounds. I can see them giving Cisco a run for its money in a few years, but right now they aren't mature enough to pose a real challenge to our UCS options.
A simple question to answer. Due to Cisco UCS Series, we are now more nimble as a team since a single individual can do the duties of three. Once upon a time, we had one person in charge of server upgrades, another of network fabric updates, and still another of installing and configuring operating systems and servers. At least one life has been saved because to UCS.
The template approach at first appeared cumbersome and complicated. Cisco has significantly enhanced the procedure for launching new servers throughout the years. The initial template configuration of fiber addresses, VLANs, and uplinks is the only challenging part. When dependable layouts are in place, introducing new virtual local area networks (VLANs) & servers is a simple. This is how it seems to us, anyhow. Getting some sort of education or lab experience initially is essential.

Do you think Cisco UCS Series delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco UCS Series's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco UCS Series live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco UCS Series go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco UCS Series again?

Yes

For a long time, we experimented with Supermicro and relied on Citrix. There is no alternative to UCS because it is the only one that offers such a comprehensive set of features. Ability to control all aspects of operation, including hardware, software, and firmware, from a single location. In our perspective, Cisco was among the first to completely overhaul the standard server architecture. Even though there are several attractive new hyper-converged options on the market, we continue to upgrade our infrastructure using just UCS.