UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card Network Adapter

Overview of Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card is a robust and high-speed networking solution designed for enterprise servers and modern data center environments. this dual-port network adapter delivers advanced connectivity options with support for 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 10Gb FCoE, ensuring efficient and reliable data transmission across critical workloads.

General Information

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Part Number: UCSC-PCIE-CSC02
• Product Type: Network Adapter
• Device Architecture: Dual-port high-speed interface module

Technical Specifications of Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02

• Interface Type: PCI Express 2.0 x16
• Form Factor: Plug-in expansion module
• Expansion Slot Requirement: 1 x compatible PCIe slot

Network Port

• Total Ports: 2 x SFP+ network interfaces
• Connection Type: Wired high-speed networking
• Port Design: Dual-port architecture for redundancy and load balancing

High-Speed Data Transmission Capabilities

• 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) support
• 10Gb Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
• Optimized for low-latency and high-throughput applications

Advanced Network Management Features

• VLAN tagging support (IEEE 802.1Q)
• Priority-based Flow Control (IEEE 802.1Qbb)
• Enhanced QoS capabilities (IEEE 802.1p, 802.1Qaz)
• Full-duplex flow control (IEEE 802.3x)
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard compliance (IEEE 802.3ae)

Data Optimization and Efficiency Features

• Jumbo frame support for improved throughput
• Traffic prioritization for enterprise workloads
• Enhanced virtualization compatibility

Key Application Scenarios

• Virtualized server environments
• Enterprise storage networking (FCoE deployments)
• High-performance computing (HPC) systems
• Cloud data center infrastructures
• Mission-critical business applications

Compact and Durable Design

• Height: 2.5 inches
• Depth: 6.6 inches
• Form Factor: Plug-in PCIe expansion card

Standards Compliance and Protocol Support

• IEEE 802.1Q – VLAN tagging and segmentation
• IEEE 802.1p – Traffic prioritization
• IEEE 802.3x – Flow control mechanisms
• IEEE 802.3ae – 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard
• IEEE 802.1Qbb – Priority flow control
• IEEE 802.1Qaz – Enhanced transmission selection

Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 2 Port Interface Card Network Adapter

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 Network Adapter represents a high-performance, enterprise-grade converged network interface solution engineered for modern data center environments requiring unified connectivity, low latency, and advanced virtualization capabilities. Built on a PCI Express 2.0 x16 architecture, this dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 10Gb Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) adapter is designed to deliver flexible, scalable, and efficient network performance for server virtualization, cloud infrastructure, and high-density enterprise workloads.

As part of the Cisco UCS (Unified Computing System) ecosystem, this Virtual Interface Card (VIC) is optimized to support multiple virtual network interfaces from a single physical adapter, enabling streamlined infrastructure management and improved resource utilization across compute environments. The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 is widely adopted in enterprise data centers where convergence of networking and storage traffic is essential for reducing hardware complexity and operational costs.

Advanced Architecture of Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225

The architecture of the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 Network Adapter is built to support high-throughput data environments while maintaining flexibility through virtualization-aware design. The PCIe 2.0 x16 interface ensures maximum bandwidth allocation between the host system and the adapter, reducing bottlenecks in data-heavy operations and ensuring smooth communication between compute nodes and network infrastructure.

Designed as a Converged Network Adapter (CNA), the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 integrates both Ethernet and Fibre Channel traffic into a single unified fabric. This convergence eliminates the need for separate network interface cards and host bus adapters, simplifying server architecture while improving scalability in enterprise deployments.

Dual-Port 10 Gigabit Connectivity Design

The dual-port configuration of this adapter enables simultaneous 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections, allowing high-speed data transfer across redundant paths or load-balanced network architectures. This is especially critical in enterprise virtualization environments where workload distribution and fault tolerance are key requirements. Each port is engineered to maintain consistent throughput performance under heavy traffic conditions, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for mission-critical applications.

PCI Express 2.0 x16 Interface Efficiency

The PCI Express 2.0 x16 interface plays a crucial role in maximizing data throughput between the server motherboard and the network adapter. By utilizing a high-lane configuration, the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 ensures efficient handling of large packet transfers, reducing latency and improving overall system responsiveness. This makes it highly suitable for virtual machine environments, database clusters, and storage-intensive workloads.

Virtualization Capabilities and Unified Fabric Integration

One of the defining features of the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 is its advanced virtualization capability. It enables the creation of multiple virtual network interfaces, allowing a single physical adapter to function as several logical interfaces. This significantly enhances network flexibility and supports dynamic workload allocation in virtualized environments.

Virtual Network Interface Design

The Virtual Interface Card architecture allows administrators to allocate bandwidth and interface resources dynamically to virtual machines. Each virtual interface behaves as an independent network adapter, ensuring isolation, security, and performance consistency across workloads. This capability is essential in cloud computing environments where rapid provisioning and scalability are required.

Virtual Fibre Channel Support

In addition to Ethernet virtualization, the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 supports virtual Fibre Channel (vHBA) functionality, enabling direct access to Fibre Channel storage networks over Ethernet infrastructure. This reduces the need for dedicated storage adapters and allows seamless integration with storage area networks (SANs), enhancing efficiency and reducing hardware complexity.

High-Performance Networking and Data Throughput

Performance is a key strength of the Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 Network Adapter. With dual 10GbE ports, it is capable of delivering high throughput necessary for demanding enterprise workloads such as virtualization clusters, database replication, and large-scale application hosting.

10 Gigabit Ethernet Performance Optimization

The adapter’s 10 Gigabit Ethernet capability ensures that data-intensive applications can operate without network-induced latency. This is particularly important in environments such as virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), cloud orchestration platforms, and distributed storage systems where consistent bandwidth is critical.

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 leverages hardware acceleration techniques to offload network processing tasks from the CPU, improving overall server efficiency and allowing compute resources to be dedicated to application workloads instead of network overhead.

Fibre Channel over Ethernet Integration

FCoE support enables the consolidation of storage and network traffic over a single Ethernet infrastructure. This reduces the need for separate SAN and LAN hardware, resulting in lower operational costs and simplified network architecture. By integrating storage traffic into Ethernet frames, the adapter ensures high-speed access to enterprise storage systems while maintaining data integrity and reliability.

Enterprise Data Center Compatibility and Deployment

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 is designed for seamless integration into Cisco UCS environments and compatible enterprise server platforms. Its standardized PCIe form factor ensures broad compatibility with a wide range of rack-mounted and blade server configurations.

Cisco UCS System Integration

Within Cisco UCS infrastructures, the Virtual Interface Card integrates tightly with UCS Manager, enabling centralized control over network profiles, virtual interfaces, and bandwidth allocation. This centralized management approach simplifies configuration and reduces administrative overhead in large-scale deployments.

Cloud and Virtualization Platform Support

The adapter is optimized for use in virtualization platforms such as VMware environments, cloud orchestration systems, and software-defined data centers. It supports dynamic provisioning of network resources, ensuring that virtual machines receive the necessary bandwidth and connectivity based on workload demands.

Data Center Efficiency and Infrastructure Simplification

By consolidating multiple networking functions into a single adapter, the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 significantly reduces infrastructure complexity. This convergence of networking and storage traffic minimizes the number of physical adapters required per server, leading to lower power consumption, reduced cabling complexity, and improved airflow within server racks.

Reduced Hardware Footprint

The use of a single converged adapter instead of multiple NICs and HBAs reduces hardware density within servers. This not only simplifies maintenance but also allows for more efficient use of PCIe slots, enabling additional expansion options for compute and storage resources.

Energy Efficiency in Enterprise Deployments

Energy efficiency is a critical consideration in modern data centers, and the Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card contributes to lower power consumption by reducing the number of active components required for network and storage connectivity. This leads to lower operational costs and improved sustainability in large-scale IT environments.

Reliability, Redundancy, and Fault Tolerance

Reliability is a fundamental requirement for enterprise networking infrastructure, and the Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 is engineered with redundancy and fault tolerance in mind. Dual-port architecture ensures continuous connectivity even in the event of a port failure, maintaining network availability for critical applications.

High Availability Networking

The adapter supports network redundancy configurations such as link aggregation and failover mechanisms, ensuring uninterrupted service in mission-critical environments. This is particularly important for financial systems, healthcare applications, and cloud service providers where downtime is not acceptable.

Error Handling and Data Integrity

Advanced error detection and correction mechanisms help maintain data integrity across network transmissions. The adapter is designed to minimize packet loss and ensure reliable communication between servers, storage systems, and network infrastructure components.

Performance Optimization in Virtualized Environments

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 is optimized for virtualized workloads where multiple virtual machines share physical network resources. Its ability to allocate dedicated virtual interfaces ensures predictable performance across workloads, eliminating contention and improving overall system efficiency.

Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation

Bandwidth can be dynamically assigned to virtual interfaces based on workload priority, ensuring that critical applications receive the necessary network resources. This dynamic allocation improves responsiveness and supports workload balancing across virtual machines.

CPU Offloading Capabilities

By offloading networking tasks from the CPU, the adapter enhances overall server performance. This allows compute resources to focus on application processing rather than network management, improving efficiency in high-density virtual environments.

Enterprise Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios

The Cisco UCSC-PCIE-CSC02 UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 Network Adapter is widely used in enterprise environments that require high-speed, low-latency connectivity and advanced virtualization support. Its versatility makes it suitable for a broad range of applications including cloud computing, virtualization clusters, storage networking, and enterprise application hosting.

Cloud Infrastructure Deployments

In cloud environments, the adapter enables efficient resource pooling and dynamic provisioning of network interfaces, supporting scalable infrastructure models where workloads frequently change and expand.

Enterprise Storage Networking

With FCoE support, the adapter plays a crucial role in storage networking environments, enabling high-speed access to centralized storage systems without requiring dedicated Fibre Channel hardware.

Scalability and Future-Proof Network Design

The Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1225 is designed with scalability in mind, allowing organizations to expand their infrastructure without major hardware redesigns. Its support for virtualization and converged networking ensures compatibility with evolving data center architectures.