Cisco has announced a range of new joint technologies and integrated solutions targeting data centers that use Microsoft’s Cloud OS technologies. The solutions are based on the combination of the CiscoUnifiedDataCenter architecture with Microsoft Fast Track 3.0 architecture solutions.
The Microsoft Fast Track 3.0 solutions are designed to simplify the management of combined Cisco and Microsoft data center environments. They also are engineered to enable faster provisioning of data center resources. By providing Microsoft customers programmatic access to the Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS), Cisco says it wants to give them more insight and control over how CiscoUnifiedDataCenter elements work with Windows Server and application software.
“The intersection of computing, networking, virtualization, and software is at the center of a new era of innovation,” says Satinder Sethi, vice president for data center solutions at Cisco. “Alliances like the one we have with Microsoft allow us the opportunity to jointly develop innovative and integrated solutions to help drive out data center complexity, in turn delivering simplified operations, and improved information technology productivity and data center utilization for our partners and customers.”
At the core of the offering is the Cisco Nexus 1000V Series, a virtual and cloud networking platform, which has been designed to interoperate with Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Extensible Switch and System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 SP1. This enables end users to virtualize certain aspects of their data center networks alongside physical networking and cloud computing infrastructure, according to Cisco.
Cisco UCS combines the Manager API and Cisco PowerTool for Microsoft's PowerShell utility with System Center 2012 SP1 managing and provisioning tools. This combination of tools helps data center administrators provision, configure, orchestrate and monitor physical and virtual infrastructures and Windows Server and application software. The Cisco UCS Management Pack for System Center 2012 SP1 Operations Manager, also helps customers monitor and manage their CiscoUnifiedDataCenter with a single interface, the vendor adds.
An additional feature in the combined offering, Cisco UCS UI Extension Add-in for System Center 2012 SP1 Virtual Machine Manager, provides centralized management of Cisco UCS by enabling access to Cisco UCS management controls from within System Center Virtual Machine Manager.
More details are available at the Cisco website www.cisco.com.