|
|
Introduction
SAP HANA
The SAP High-Performance Analytic Appliance (HANA) is a new non-intrusive hardware and software solution that provides real-time access for SAP business applications and integration of analytics into business processes based on an innovative in-memory computing architecture. This in-memory technology enables the processing of massive quantities of real-time data in the main memory of a server to provide immediate results from analysis and transactions.
Cisco has developed a full portfolio of SAP HANA solutions based on the Cisco Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS®). The portfolio ranges from small-scale solutions supporting 128 GB of memory to large-scale solutions supporting up to 8 terabytes (TB) of usable memory with 16 nodes, validated as of March 2012. Depending on the compression factors, validated Cisco® appliance solutions can support databases of up to 56 TB. With a single Cisco UCS platform, a SAP HANA appliance can be scaled to 48 computing nodes, with 24 TB of memory or 192 TB of uncompressed data (validated on request).
Cisco Unified Computing System
Cisco UCS consists of a set of preintegrated data center components, including blade servers, adapters, fabric interconnects, and extenders, that are integrated under a common embedded management system. This approach results in far fewer system components and much better manageability, operation efficiency, and flexibility than comparable data center platforms.
Cisco UCS is designed from the foundation to be programmable and self-integrating. A server's entire hardware stack, ranging from server firmware and settings to network profiles, is configured through model-based management. With Cisco virtual interface cards, even the number and type of I/O interfaces is programmed dynamically, making every server ready to power any workload at any time.
With model-based management, administrators manipulate a model of a desired system configuration and associate a model's service profile with hardware resources, and the system configures itself to match the model. This automation accelerates provisioning and workload migration with accurate and rapid scalability. The result is increased IT staff productivity, improved compliance, and reduced risk of failure due to inconsistent configurations.
Cisco Fabric Extender Technology (FEX Technology) reduces the number of system components that need to be purchased, configured, managed, and maintained by condensing three network layers into one. It eliminates both blade server and hypervisor-based switches by connecting fabric interconnect ports directly to individual blade servers and virtual machines. Virtual networks are now managed exactly like physical networks, but with massive scalability. This approach represents a radical simplification compared to traditional systems, reducing capital expenditures (CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx) while increasing business agility, simplifying and accelerating deployment, and improving performance.
Product Overview
Cisco Unified Computing System for SAP HANA is a defined set of hardware and software that serves as an integrated infrastructure stack. The solution supports only the SAP HANA application stack in a single package. Figures 1 and 2 show two models of the Cisco Unified Computing System for SAP HANA.
Figure 1. Cisco UCS C460 M2 for SAP HANA M-Size
Figure 2. Cisco UCS C260 M2 for SAP HANA XS- and S-Size
System Specifications
Tables 1 and 2 list the specifications for the Cisco Unified Computing System for SAP HANA models. Table 3 presents environmental specifications.
Table 1. Cisco UCS C460 M2 for SAP HANA M-Size Specifications
Table 2. Cisco UCS C260 M2 for SAP HANA XS- and S-Size Specifications
Table 3. Environmental Specifications
Required Software and Firmware Versions
SAP HANA has been tested with the Cisco UCS solution with the firmware and software releases listed in Tables 4 and 5. All major, minor, and patch releases from now on that are supported for the Cisco UCS C460 M2 server are automatically supported for SAP HANA.
Table 4. Cisco UCS C460 M2 for SAP HANA M-Size Software and Firmware Requirements
Table 5. Cisco UCS C260 M2 for SAP HANA XS- and S-Size Software and Firmware Requirements
Required Network Connections
The required network connections are the same for all servers (Table 6).
Table 6. Required Network Connections
Support
All components in the solution must be covered by a support contract with each vendor in addition to Cisco Allied Support service covering the Cisco appliance.
Fusion ioDrive support must be purchased from the preferred supplier, and the support comes from Fusion-io or a Fusion-io partner.
Table 7 lists Cisco support.
Table 7. Support Contracts
For More Information
Cisco UCS C260 M2 Rack Server: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/hw/C260/install/C260.html
Cisco UCS C460 M2 Rack Server: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/hw/C460/install/C460.html
SAP High-Performance Analytic Appliance on the Cisco Unified Computing System
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns340/ns517/ns224/ns944/solution_overview_c22-707642.html
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns340/ns517/ns224/ns944/solution_overview_c22-707642.html