Today's announcement features a new data center platform with both hardware and software innovations, including:
-- The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series, the flagship data center-class switching
platform combining Ethernet, IP, and storage capabilities across one
unified network fabric
-- The Cisco Trusted Security (TrustSec) architecture
-- An advanced operating system, the Cisco Nexus Operating System (NX-
OS), and the Cisco Data Center Network Manager
Introducing the Nexus 7000 Series: Purpose Built for Data Centers
The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series is the flagship member of the Cisco Nexus
Family, the first in a new data center class of switching products. The
Nexus 7000 is a highly scalable modular platform that delivers up to 15
terabits per second of switching capacity in a single chassis, supporting
up to 512 10-gigabits-per-second (Gbps) Ethernet and future delivery of 40-
and 100-Gbps Ethernet. Its unified fabric architecture combines Ethernet
and storage capabilities into a single platform, designed to provide all
servers with access to all network and storage resources. This enables
data center consolidation and virtualization. Key components of the
unified fabric architecture include unified I/O interfaces and Fibre
Channel over Ethernet support to be delivered in the future.
The Nexus 7000 is designed specifically for the data center with improved
airflow, integrated cable management, and a resilient platform
architecture. The data plane is fully distributed and, when coupled with
the Cisco NX-OS operating system, is designed to enable zero
service-disruption upgrades on production systems. This provides a seamless
systems design that reduces administrative tasks and simplifies complex
systems operations.
A Unique Unified Fabric Architecture
Building data centers based on a unified fabric eliminates the need for
parallel storage and computational networks, reducing the number of server
interfaces and significantly reducing the cabling and switching
infrastructure required. A unified fabric also enables customers to move to
higher-density server form factors, increasing the IT workload output of
each data center. Combined with virtualization, this new technology will
help customers to build more efficient and sustainable data centers,
maximizing IT workload for each facility and saving more power overall than
the network generally consumes. The Nexus 7000 architecture is designed
around this lossless unified fabric capable of simultaneously forwarding
storage, Ethernet, and IP traffic. The fabric scales performance linearly
with each fabric module and is logically partitioned for efficient unicast
and multicast traffic, making it ideally suited for market data video as
well as collaboration applications.
Microsoft is currently performing rigorous testing of the Nexus 7000 Series
for security, manageability and performance in a lab environment. "We
appreciate the modular processes of the Cisco Nexus operating system
designed to resolve problems in real time without impact to production
traffic, as well as data center-class high-availability features and
unified fabric support," said Debra Chrapaty, corporate vice president,
Global Foundation Services, Microsoft.
Powered by an Advanced Operating System: NX-OS
At the heart of the Nexus 7000 Series is the NX-OS software, purpose-built
to maximize data center resiliency and to consolidate disparate networks.
NX-OS combines the best of Cisco's SAN-OS, Layer 2 switching, Layer 3
routing protocols, and advanced virtualization capabilities into one
reliable operating system with the familiar Cisco IOS® interface.
NX-OS has many innovative features, including:
-- Zero-service-disruption upgrades
-- Virtual device contexts
-- Graceful systems operations
-- XML interfaces to access switch information or any command
NX-OS delivers zero-service-disruption system upgrades to maximize
production uptime while self-diagnostic capabilities continuously track
each software component in the operating system. If a failure is detected,
NX-OS policies enable stateful process restart without service disruption.
This modular design provides fault containment and automatic recovery so
that processes can be remotely started, stopped and upgraded without human
intervention.
Innovative virtualization capabilities such as virtual device contexts
allow the system to be partitioned into multiple logical devices, each with
its own processes and command-line interface running independent of one
another. This system may be used by hosting providers and complex
enterprise administrative models, to be shared by multiple administrators
concurrently, each with its own switching environment.
Securing the Data Center with Cisco Trusted Security
The Nexus 7000 Series is the first platform to deliver Cisco Trusted
Security, a new architecture introduced last month that integrates identity-
and role-based security across data centers. (See news release at
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/prod_120507.html). Cisco TrustSec
enforces trusted traffic segmentation without requiring complex addressing
models and unmanageable access control lists. This enables virtual machine
mobility throughout the data center while helping to ensure data integrity
with a wire-rate AES-128 encryption implementation on every port of the
Nexus 7000.
The National Nuclear Security Administration's Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory has reviewed the new Cisco data center switch for the high
performance computing systems scientists employ for national security
research. Applications such as research in fusion energy, atmospheric
modeling, and the simulation of other physical phenomena, can benefit
greatly from increased network bandwidth for data movement between parallel
file systems and archival storage. "The future-proof architecture of this
new data center platform has great potential to enhance the scientific
computing capabilities critical to our national and global security
missions," said Doug East, High Performance Computing Manager at Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory. "We can see applicability for our
environment because of its scalability, the enhanced security features,
innovative virtualization features, and immediate improved performance
through high density 10-Gigabit Ethernet and the ability to support 40
Gigabits and 100 Gigabits in the future."
Simplifying Data Center Network Operations: Cisco Data Center Network
Manager
Supporting the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series, the Cisco Data Center Network
Manager (DCNM) provides visibility across data center networks. Built on
the foundation of Cisco Fabric Manager for storage networks, DCNM provides
topology discovery and visualization for increased operational efficiency
and systems awareness. Nexus 7000 management interfaces are fully
compatible with Cisco VFrame Data Center, an orchestration platform that
uses network intelligence to provision resources together as virtualized
services. VFrame DC will be a key enabler for services orchestration on the
Nexus platform.
"With the new Nexus 7000 platform, Cisco is on track to deliver its vision
for next-generation data centers by simplifying data center operations and
supporting the transition to a unified fabric," said Zeus Kerravala, senior
vice president of Enterprise Research, Yankee Group. "Following the
Catalyst model, Cisco also designed the Nexus platform with longevity in
mind, providing ease of migration, investment protection, and a clear
roadmap for future upgrades that will help virtualize IT services within
the network."
Pricing and Availability
The Nexus 7000 Series starts at $75,000, can be ordered globally now, and
is planned to be generally available in the second quarter of calendar year
2008. Cisco Capital(SM) is offering financing for data center solutions
globally. In the United States, Cisco Capital is offering lease rates as
low as 3.99 percent APR for the Cisco Nexus 7000.
Additional Information and Resources
Cisco also announced today the expansion of its Catalyst®
family with innovative additions to its modular, fixed and blade
platforms. See http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/prod_012808.html
Additional information and resources on today's announcement can be found
in the Cisco online press kit at: http://newsroom.cisco.com/DataCenter_3
More information and resources on the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series announced
today can be found at: www.cisco.com/go/nexus
About Cisco Systems
Cisco (Contact Information: Press Contact: Lee Davis Cisco (408) 526-6530 leedavis@cisco.com Investor Relations Contact: Marilyn Mora Cisco (408) 527-7452 marilmor@cisco.com Industry Analyst Contact: Amal Nichols Cisco (408) 526 6493 amnichol@cisco.com
