Implementing Cisco UCS Solutions

I purchased this book to understand the Cisco UCS platform. I had a previous knowledge about this product but still I was looking for some book to help me in my preparation of CCIE-DC. If you have no idea what UCS is about, this may not be the book for you as things are very to-the-point and crisp. This book falls somewhere in middle in terms of low-level and high-level insights into Cisco UCS. One great thing about this book is that this brings the writer's field/work experiences to the plate and that is something worth knowing. There ARE a few errors in the book and I request Farhan to rectify them in next version. As this book has high entropy for Cisco UCS, it is easily covered/completed in 15-20 days and that too leaving you with good knowledge about UCS. One more request to Farhan - since UCS is a product which may lead to good amount of outage if something is done without knowing fully about it - please add 'things to do' and 'things not to do' at the end of the book... you have this section somewhere in the middle. You should have it at the end and that too somewhat more comprehensive. This is a good read altogether.

Really good for the beginning user. Maybe somewhat redundant for an experienced pro, but has good screen captures and walks through many of the basic processes. Good reference guide to remind yourself of what to do, even if you have done it before. I learned a lot and got stronger on my fundamentals.

Great overview of the UCS server and implementation. The simulator is a good idea and gives you a chance to setup your own virtual lab and familiarize yourself with the dashboards and setup options, but wish it would have delved deeper into real world scenarios and not so much on the simulator.

If you read this book together with the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) by Cisco Press, you will end up with an excellent understanding of UCS. This book covers a lot of material that the other older book does not cover.

While reading the description of the book I was thinking it was more with real world situation. In fact it's only information that you can easely on the web. Don't waste you're money.

This book is really help full & all the topics are in very simple language to understand.

Very good information

I have been demonstrating, selling and installing Cisco Unified Computing Systems for several years and there are *still* aspects to the system that I haven't completely mastered. So, when I saw this new book I jumped at the chance t get a copy for review. This book makes the path to a complete understanding of the UCS system easier than wading through the Cisco Documentation.I have spent a week with the book and it's as thorough a survey of the UCS hardware, software and implementation processes as I have seen. The authors include a wealth of details that help you understand all the components and the management of a UCS system.There are 12 Chapters in all with each roughly 30 pages in length:Chapter 1: Cisco UCS Physical Architecture and Installing UCS HardwareChapter 2: Setting Up Lab Using Cisco UCS EmulatorChapter 3: Configuring Cisco UCS Using UCS ManagerChapter 4: Configuring LAN ConnectivityChapter 5: Configuring SAN ConnectivityChapter 6: Creating Identity and Resource PoolsChapter 7: Creating and Managing Service ProfilesChapter 8: Managing UCS through Routine and Advanced ManagementChapter 9: Virtual Networking in Cisco UCSChapter 10: Configuring Backup, Restore, and High AvailabilityChapter 11: Cisco UCS Failure Scenarios TestingChapter 12: Third-party Application IntegrationThe book is 360 pages and includes a well crafted 11 page dual column index for locating specific topics. The Kindle version uses links from the index to the material and the Packt downloadable PDF product does not.Most Enterprise Datacenters divide hardware responsibilities into subject area silos:ServersStorageNetworkingComprehending the UCS system forces a new level of knowledge of all three "silos" and that's the real challenge of the mastering a UCS Administration and Implementation role: If you're strong in one area you'll need to raise your game in the other 2.That's why this book will be a solid reference in any UCS shop: it covers all areas with equal rigor and detail.How do you add memory to a blade server? Covered.How do you "isolate and prioritize" storage traffic over a common network uplink? Covered.How do you get iSCSI boot service from a system that doesn't support VLAN tagging? Covered.And, maybe most importantly to an engineer interested in Cisco UCS without access to the hardware: there's a chapter on the "Cisco UCS Platform Emulator" software that can be installed and configured on a laptop.The final chapter covering 3rd party application integration for EMC's UIM, VMware's vSphere and the Cisco Power(CLI)Tool set is also very useful... It can help an Orchestration software engineer pick the right tool to connect management systems together.Notable ommissions from the book include the UCS Director "orchestration" product, the UCS Central (multi-UCS system manager) and the Microsoft Hyper-V UCS Management... perhaps version 2 will extend the materials to 400+ pages and include these new and additional automation/management products.

If you are new to the UCS world, this is not the worst place to start. For a server guy, the integration and convergence of the network and server side can be a bit overwhelming and a steep learning curve. There are a lot of networking concepts and equipment (VLAN's, port channels, Fabric interconnects, spanning tree, etc). that need to be picked up in relatively short time, and when you add the complexity and demands of different networking requirements (iSCSI, FC, LAN) to a solution that uses virtual adapters, you need a book that will walk you through it.This book is half-way there. Using the book alongside the UCS emulator will get you a basic understanding of how the UCS bits fit together and how they are configured, but there isn't much in the way of real world experience or recommendations here. If you want guidance on how many adapters to put on each blade, or the best configuration for boot-from-iSCSI using VMware, that isn't here. Sure, it will help you put your own design into practice, but you need to draw on other sources for best practices.

Bits and pieces taken from CISCO doco. Not worth money.

Wonderful book