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| Cisco HyperFlex | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cisco HyperFlex |
| Developer | Cisco Systems |
| Initial release | 2016 |
| Latest release | 2024 |
| Operating system | Cisco NX-OS, VMware ESXi, Microsoft Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux |
| Platform | x86, UCS, HyperFlex Edge |
| Type | Hyperconverged infrastructure |
Cisco HyperFlex Cisco HyperFlex is a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform offered by Cisco Systems that combines compute, storage, and networking in an integrated solution. It delivers a distributed file system, virtualization support, and management tools intended for enterprise workloads, virtual desktop infrastructure, and cloud-native applications. The platform competes in markets served by major vendors and interoperates with ecosystems across virtualization, storage, and networking.
HyperFlex was introduced by Cisco Systems to address converged systems needs alongside products from VMware, Inc., EMC Corporation, NetApp, Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Dell Technologies. It leverages Cisco Unified Computing System hardware and integrates with software from VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Kubernetes distributions such as Red Hat OpenShift. Key industry standards and partners referenced in HyperFlex deployments include Intel Corporation processors, Broadcom Inc., NVIDIA Corporation accelerators, and integration with cloud services from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Major adopters span sectors represented by organizations like Bank of America, Walmart, ExxonMobil, Pfizer, and Boeing.
HyperFlex architecture combines elements from Cisco hardware families and software stacks: Cisco UCS B-Series and UCS C-Series servers form the compute layer, while the HyperFlex Data Platform provides a distributed file system akin to offerings from VMware vSAN and Ceph designs. The networking layer uses Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches and elements from Cisco IOS XE and Cisco NX-OS to handle east-west traffic. Storage is implemented as a hybrid of NAND flash devices and magnetic disks, with caching strategies similar to designs in Intel Optane and Samsung Electronics NVMe technologies. HyperFlex supports both all-flash and hybrid topologies and can be deployed in edge configurations influenced by Cisco HyperFlex Edge patterns and converged infrastructure models like VCE Vblock.
Management of HyperFlex relies on Cisco administrative tools and third-party orchestration: the Cisco HyperFlex Connect GUI, integration with VMware vCenter, and APIs compatible with Ansible automation, Terraform, and Microsoft System Center. Lifecycle operations often reference practices from ITIL and tools like Cisco Intersight for cloud-based management. Deployment workflows mirror methodologies used in projects by Accenture, Deloitte, and Capgemini for enterprise rollouts. For monitoring and telemetry, HyperFlex integrates with Splunk, Prometheus, Grafana, and Cisco AppDynamics.
HyperFlex performance characteristics are tuned using technologies and benchmarks familiar to the industry: CPU families from Intel Xeon Scalable processors and AMD EPYC are used alongside NVMe arrays similar to Samsung PM1733 and Western Digital devices. Scalability is often compared with Nutanix and VMware vSAN studies; clusters can scale by adding nodes in an architecture analogous to Scale-out NAS patterns employed by Isilon systems. Performance tuning references techniques from Linux Foundation projects, NUMA-aware scheduling from Microsoft Windows Server, and virtualization optimizations used in VMware environments. Workload testing commonly follows frameworks pioneered by SPEC and incorporates scenarios like virtual desktop infrastructure tests used by Citrix Systems.
HyperFlex implements replication, snapshotting, and erasure coding strategies to provide data protection, comparable to approaches by NetApp ONTAP and EMC Isilon. Integration points support backup and recovery solutions from Veeam Software, Commvault, Veritas Technologies, and enterprise storage arrays from Hitachi Vantara. High availability leverages features of VMware High Availability and network resiliency patterns employed in Cisco ACI fabrics. Disaster recovery practices tie into orchestration from Zerto and cloud-native backup strategies used by HashiCorp tools. Compliance and encryption are managed with standards from NIST and guidance similar to ISO/IEC 27001.
HyperFlex is designed to interoperate across an ecosystem of partners and platforms: virtualization stacks from VMware, Inc. and Microsoft Corporation; container platforms like Kubernetes, Red Hat OpenShift, and Docker, Inc.; database vendors such as Oracle Corporation and Microsoft SQL Server; and application vendors including SAP SE, MongoDB, Inc., and MongoDB Atlas integration patterns. Networking and security integrations include Cisco Secure Firewall, Palo Alto Networks, and software-defined networking references from VMware NSX. Storage and cloud connectors work with AWS Outposts, Azure Stack, and hybrid cloud solutions referenced by Google Anthos. Professional services and certified partners include firms like IBM, HPE Pointnext, and Wipro.
Common HyperFlex use cases include virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) cited in deployments by Citrix Systems customers, enterprise databases from Oracle Corporation and Microsoft SQL Server, and virtualized applications for enterprises such as General Electric and Siemens. Service providers and telco edge scenarios reference standards from ETSI and deployments similar to those by Verizon and AT&T. Cloud-native application platforms use HyperFlex as infrastructure for Red Hat OpenShift clusters and CI/CD pipelines leveraging Jenkins and GitLab. Industries with notable deployments span healthcare organizations like Mayo Clinic, financial institutions similar to JPMorgan Chase, and retail chains akin to Target Corporation.
Category:Hyperconverged infrastructure