The Unified Computing System (UCS) fabric interconnect is a networking switch or head unit where the UCS chassis, essentially a rack where server components are attached, connects to. The UCS fabric interconnect is a core part of Cisco’s Unified Computing System, which is designed to improve scalability and reduce the total cost of ownership of data centers by integrating all components into a single platform, which acts as a single unit. Access to networks and storage is then provided through the UCS fabric interconnect.
The high-end model is the UCS 6296UP 96-port fabric interconnect, which is touted to promote flexibility, scalability and convergence. It has the following features:
* Bandwidth of up to 1920 Gbps
* High port density of 96 ports
* High performance and low-latency capability, lossless 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet and Fiber Channel over Ethernet
* Reduced port-to-port latency to only 2 ms
* Centralized management under the Cisco UCS Manager
* Efficient cooling and serviceability
* Virtual machine-optimized services through the VM-FEX technology, which enables a consistent operational model and visibility between the virtual and the physical environments
