Cisco Extended Memory Blade Servers

[mikefarmer]

We are looking at the Cisco Extended memory blade servers and trying to "pack" as many VM's as possible on a single server using 10G ethernet and iSCSI.

Does anyone have any experience with what is possible on this hardware.

[mikefarmer]

This would be specifically the B250 blade.

[rManic]

Hi Mike

I am working with Cisco UCS Blade.UCS has memory extention chip on full width blade which supports max of 354 GB.If you have any query please feel free to ask me.

Regrads

Manickam

[mikefarmer]

What is your memory configuration and how many VM's do you have running on the hardware, when do you find the CPU to be the bottleneck.

[rManic]

Half width blades are with 64 GB RAM and full width blades are with 128 GB , I have tested 30-35 VM's (Combination servers and desktop) in half width blade,CPU utilization not more then 60% even at all the VM's are fully utilized.

I am setting up to test the performance with NFS Datastore over 10 Gbps Ethernet.

Regrards

Manic

[mikefarmer]

Are you finding that network is a bottleneck at that level of VM's? we are debating about 10GE versus lots of 1GE. So you have 30-35 production VM's on a server with 64GB of RAM?

[rManic]

It performs low while using iSCSI datastore on EMC storage over 4X1Gbps etherchanneled link between ESX and Storage.

It performs good with FC Storage.

1.Still has to test the performace of 10 GE link (as there is no 10GE iSCSI storage available).

2.Performance of Nehalem Processor

3.palo CNA adaptor(bypasses the vmkernal)

Regrds

Manic