UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 Cisco 2-Ports Host Bus Adapter

Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 2-Port Host Bus Adapter

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 is a high-performance dual-port Host Bus Adapter (HBA) designed to deliver reliable Fibre Channel connectivity for enterprise-class Cisco UCS environments. Built with efficiency and scalability in mind, this low-profile PCI Express adapter enhances storage networking performance while maintaining compatibility with legacy and modern server architectures.

General Specifications

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Part Number: UCSC-PCIE-Q2672
• Device Type: Host Bus Adapter (HBA)
• Form Factor: Low-profile plug-in PCIe card

Interface and Bus Architecture

• Interface Standard: PCI Express 2.0 x8 lane configuration
• Backward Compatibility: Supports PCI-E 3.0 environments
• Connectivity Type: Fibre Channel SAN connectivity

High-Speed Fibre Channel Performance

• Dual-port 16Gbps Fibre Channel interface
• Optimized for virtualization and database environments
• High bandwidth for mission-critical storage access

Chipset and Processing Capability

• Chipset: QLogic QLE2672
• Optimized firmware for Cisco UCS integration
• Enhanced I/O processing efficiency

Supported Cisco UCS Server Models

• UCS C200 M2
• UCS C210 M2
• UCS C260 M2
• UCS C460 M2

Optimized Deployment Scenarios

• Enterprise SAN storage connectivity
• Virtualized data center environments
• High-availability clustered systems
• Database-intensive workloads

Performance

• Low latency SAN communication
• Improved I/O throughput for enterprise workloads
• Scalable architecture for data-intensive operations

Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact

• Carbon footprint reduction: 5.41 CO2 savings
• Optimized power usage during high-load operations
• Designed for environmentally conscious data centers

Physical Design Benefits

• Space-saving PCIe form factor
• Easy installation in rack-mounted servers
• Ideal for dense data center configurations

Standards-Based Architecture

• PCI-E 2.0 x8 native support
• Backward compatibility with PCI-E 3.0
• Stable integration with enterprise motherboards

Storage Area Network (SAN) Deployment

• Data center SAN connectivity
• Enterprise storage virtualization
• High-availability storage clustering

Virtualization and Cloud Infrastructure

• VMware and hypervisor integration
• Cloud storage acceleration
• Multi-tenant data isolation support

Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 2-Ports Host Bus Adapter Overview

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 2-Ports Host Bus Adapter is a high-performance enterprise connectivity component designed to enhance data transfer efficiency between server systems and storage networks. Built for modern data center architectures, this dual-port host bus adapter (HBA) plays a critical role in enabling reliable, high-bandwidth communication across Fibre Channel or high-speed storage interconnect environments. It is widely deployed in Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) infrastructures where scalability, low latency, and resilient storage access are essential for mission-critical workloads.

This adapter is engineered to meet the growing demands of virtualization, cloud computing, and large-scale enterprise storage systems. By providing two independent ports, it enables simultaneous data transmission paths, ensuring redundancy and performance optimization within storage area networks (SANs). Its PCI Express interface ensures compatibility with modern server architectures while maintaining backward compatibility in select enterprise configurations.

Enterprise-Class Host Bus Adapter Architecture

Dual-Port High Availability Design

The dual-port structure of the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 enables continuous data access even in the event of a port failure or network disruption. Each port operates independently, allowing workload distribution across multiple storage paths. This architecture enhances system resilience and ensures uninterrupted access to critical data resources in enterprise environments where downtime is unacceptable.

The redundancy built into the adapter supports software solutions commonly used in SAN environments. These capabilities allow intelligent routing of I/O traffic, minimizing congestion and optimizing throughput across available storage channels.

Optimized ASIC-Based Processing

At the core of the adapter lies a specialized ASIC designed to handle storage protocol processing efficiently. This offloads CPU-intensive tasks from the host server, allowing system processors to focus on application-level workloads. As a result, overall system efficiency improves significantly, especially in environments where storage operations are frequent and high-volume.

The ASIC architecture also contributes to reduced latency, ensuring that storage commands are executed with minimal delay. This is particularly beneficial in database systems, virtualization clusters, and transactional processing environments where response time is critical.

PCI Express Interface and System Integration

High-Speed PCIe Connectivity

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 leverages the PCI Express interface to deliver high-throughput communication between the server motherboard and storage networks. PCIe lanes provide dedicated bandwidth, eliminating bottlenecks commonly found in shared bus architectures. This ensures consistent and predictable performance even under heavy workloads.

Designed for integration into Cisco UCS blade and rack servers, the adapter fits seamlessly into enterprise computing environments. Its standardized interface simplifies deployment while ensuring compatibility with a wide range of server configurations.

Efficient Data Path Management

The adapter is optimized for efficient data path handling, reducing overhead associated with protocol translation and packet processing. By streamlining the communication pipeline between host and storage systems, it minimizes latency and maximizes throughput efficiency across enterprise storage fabrics.

Dual-Port Connectivity Advantages

Load Balancing Across Storage Channels

One of the key advantages of the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 is its ability to distribute workloads across two independent ports. This load balancing capability ensures that no single path becomes a performance bottleneck. In high-demand environments such as virtualization clusters and cloud infrastructure, this distribution significantly improves system responsiveness.

Load balancing also contributes to improved fault tolerance. If one path experiences congestion or failure, the second port automatically maintains connectivity, preserving system continuity without requiring manual intervention.

Redundancy for Mission-Critical Environments

Redundancy is a fundamental requirement in enterprise storage systems. The dual-port configuration provides built-in failover capability, ensuring that storage access remains uninterrupted even during hardware or network issues. This design aligns with best practices for high availability architectures in data centers.

Storage Area Network Integration

Seamless SAN Connectivity

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 is designed for seamless integration into Storage Area Networks. It supports high-speed connectivity to Fibre Channel switches and storage arrays, enabling efficient data exchange across distributed storage environments. This capability is essential for enterprises that rely on centralized storage systems for data management and backup operations.

By providing direct and optimized access to SAN infrastructure, the adapter reduces latency and improves overall I/O performance, making it suitable for database systems, virtualization platforms, and enterprise application hosting.

Virtualized Storage Environments

In virtualized environments, multiple virtual machines depend on shared storage resources. The adapter ensures consistent and reliable access to these resources, even under heavy workloads. Its ability to handle multiple simultaneous I/O requests makes it a critical component in hyper-converged infrastructure deployments.

Performance Optimization and Throughput Efficiency

Low Latency Data Transfer

Latency reduction is a key design goal of the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672. By optimizing the data path between server and storage systems, it ensures that I/O operations are executed with minimal delay. This is particularly important in real-time analytics, financial systems, and transaction-heavy workloads.

High Bandwidth Utilization

The adapter is engineered to maximize bandwidth utilization across available PCIe lanes and storage channels. This ensures that enterprise applications can fully leverage underlying infrastructure capabilities without unnecessary performance limitations. Efficient bandwidth usage also improves scalability in large data center deployments.

CPU Offload Capabilities

By handling storage protocol processing at the hardware level, the adapter reduces CPU overhead on host systems. This allows servers to dedicate more processing power to application workloads rather than storage management tasks. The result is improved overall system performance and resource efficiency.

Compatibility with Cisco UCS Infrastructure

Native Integration with UCS Servers

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 is designed specifically for Cisco UCS environments, ensuring seamless integration with blade and rack server platforms. Its firmware and driver architecture align with UCS management systems, simplifying deployment and configuration processes.

This tight integration allows administrators to manage the adapter through unified control interfaces, reducing operational complexity in large-scale data center environments.

Support for Enterprise Operating Systems

The adapter supports a wide range of enterprise operating systems commonly used in data centers, including virtualization hypervisors and server-grade Linux distributions. This broad compatibility ensures flexibility in heterogeneous IT environments where multiple platforms coexist.

Firmware Management and Driver Architecture

Centralized Firmware Updates

Firmware management is a critical aspect of maintaining optimal performance and security. The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 supports centralized firmware updates through Cisco management tools, enabling administrators to deploy updates across multiple systems efficiently.

Stable Driver Ecosystem

The driver ecosystem for the adapter is designed for stability and long-term support. Optimized drivers ensure consistent performance across different workloads while minimizing compatibility issues. This reliability is essential in enterprise environments where system stability is a top priority.

Power Efficiency and Thermal Management

Optimized Power Consumption

Energy efficiency is a key consideration in modern data center design. The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 is engineered to deliver high performance while maintaining low power consumption levels. This helps reduce operational costs and supports sustainable IT infrastructure initiatives.

Advanced Thermal Design

The adapter features an optimized thermal design that ensures stable operation under varying workloads. Efficient heat dissipation prevents overheating and contributes to long-term hardware reliability. This is particularly important in densely populated server environments where airflow is limited.

Deployment Scenarios in Modern Data Centers

Enterprise Virtualization Platforms

In virtualization environments, the adapter provides reliable connectivity for multiple virtual machines accessing shared storage resources. Its dual-port architecture ensures consistent performance even during peak demand periods.

Cloud Infrastructure Integration

Cloud data centers rely heavily on scalable and high-performance storage connectivity. The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-Q2672 supports these requirements by enabling efficient data flow between compute nodes and distributed storage systems.

High-Performance Database Systems

Database workloads require low latency and high throughput. The adapter ensures fast and reliable access to storage arrays, improving query response times and transaction processing efficiency.