UCS-FI-6332-16UP Cisco Fabric Interconnect Switch - 40 Ports

Cisco UCS 6332 Fabric Interconnect

The Cisco UCS 6332 16UP Fabric Interconnect is a fundamental component of the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS), representing a pivotal evolution in data center architecture. This 1-rack unit (1RU) device transcends the traditional definition of a mere switch; it is the central nervous system and management orchestrator for a unified computing domain. By consolidating network, storage, and server management into a single, cohesive system, the UCS 6332 eliminates traditional silos, dramatically reducing complexity, operational cost, and deployment time for both virtualized and bare-metal environments.

Specifically, the UCS-FI-6332-16UP model provides 40 fixed ports: 32 downlink ports for server connectivity and 8 uplink ports for network aggregation. Its unique value lies in its unified fabric capability, carrying both Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) traffic over a single set of cables and adapters. This convergence simplifies cabling, reduces adapter counts in servers, and lowers overall power and cooling requirements. As a cornerstone of the Cisco UCS portfolio, this Fabric Interconnect enables stateless, policy-driven server provisioning, allowing IT teams to manage infrastructure through service profiles rather than individual hardware components.

Technical Specifications & Hardware Architecture

Understanding the robust hardware foundation of the Cisco UCS 6332 Fabric Interconnect is key to appreciating its performance and reliability in mission-critical deployments.

Physical Configuration & Port Layout

The UCS 6332 is a compact, high-density 1RU form factor device. Its front panel houses the 40-port array that defines its connectivity model.

Port Breakdown & Speeds

32 Unified Ports (Downlinks): These ports are configured as either 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet or 2/4/8 Gigabit Fibre Channel, with support for FCoE. They directly connect to Cisco UCS Fabric Extenders (FEXs), like the 2208 or 2304, installed in UCS Chassis, or via SFP+ cables to UCS rack servers' virtual interface cards (VICs).
8 Fixed Uplink Ports: Dedicated 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports for connecting to the core data center network (LAN) and, if configured for FC, to storage area network (SAN) switches.
All ports utilize SFP+ technology, providing flexibility in choosing short-range (SR), long-range (LR), or copper (Twinax) optics based on distance and cost requirements.

Performance & Switching Capacity

Non-Blocking Throughput

The switch fabric is designed for non-blocking performance, ensuring all ports can forward traffic at line rate simultaneously. With an aggregate switching capacity exceeding 1 Tbps, the UCS 6332 can handle the most demanding east-west (server-to-server) and north-south (server-to-network) traffic patterns within modern, flattened data center architectures.

Low Latency Design

Engineered for high-performance computing (HPC) and financial trading environments, the UCS 6332 employs cut-through switching where possible, minimizing latency for time-sensitive applications and improving overall application responsiveness.

High Availability & Redundancy Features

Business continuity demands infrastructure with no single point of failure. The UCS 6332 is designed to be deployed in redundant, active-active pairs.

Fabric Interconnect Clustering: Two 6332 Fabric Interconnects form a single, managed logical domain. If one fails, the other seamlessly assumes the full workload with no service profile disruption.
Redundant Power & Cooling: The device includes hot-swappable, redundant power supplies and fan modules, ensuring continuous operation during a component failure.
Stateful Process Failover: Critical management processes are synchronized between the active pair, allowing for graceful failover and state preservation.

The Power of Unified Fabric & Management

The Cisco UCS 6332's most transformative feature is its implementation of a unified fabric. This architectural shift consolidates three separate networks—data (LAN), storage (SAN), and server management (IPMI)—onto a single, high-bandwidth Ethernet network.

Convergence of LAN, SAN, and Management

Traditionally, servers required multiple network interface cards (NICs) for LAN traffic, host bus adapters (HBAs) for SAN connectivity, and a separate interface for out-of-band management. The UCS 6332, in conjunction with Cisco UCS VICs, collapses these networks.

FCoE & Native FC: The Fabric Interconnect can bridge FCoE traffic from servers to a native Fibre Channel SAN via its uplinks, or it can be configured as a full Fibre Channel switch, connecting directly to storage arrays.
Centralized Management (UCS Manager): Embedded within the Fabric Interconnect pair, Cisco UCS Manager provides a single, unified point of control for all servers, storage, and networking in the domain. This eliminates the need to manage disparate tools for different technology silos.

Policy-Driven Provisioning with Service Profiles

This is the heart of UCS management. A service profile is a software template that defines a server's identity—its firmware versions, network MAC addresses, SAN WWNNs, boot policies, and connectivity requirements. Administrators apply these profiles to any physical server in the domain.

Stateless Computing: Server identity and configuration are abstracted from the hardware. A failed server can be replaced, and its service profile applied to the new hardware in minutes, restoring the exact same configuration.
Rapid Deployment & Consistency: Deploying hundreds of servers becomes a matter of applying pre-defined, validated profiles, ensuring absolute configuration consistency and eliminating manual errors.

Deployment Scenarios & Ideal Use Cases

The Cisco UCS 6332 Fabric Interconnect is versatile, supporting a wide range of deployment models to meet diverse organizational needs.

Virtualized Data Center & Private Cloud

As the backbone for VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or other hypervisor environments, the UCS 6332 provides the high-bandwidth, low-latency network essential for vMotion, live migration, and dense virtual machine (VM) densities. Its integration with Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure) further enables automated, policy-based network segmentation for micro-segmentation security.

High-Performance Databases & ERP Systems

Mission-critical applications like SAP HANA, Oracle Database, and Microsoft SQL Server require consistent, low-latency access to storage and high bandwidth between application tiers. The unified fabric ensures storage (FC/FCoE) and application network traffic are efficiently handled, while service profiles allow for rapid scaling or recovery of database nodes.

Consolidation & Infrastructure Modernization

Organizations looking to replace aging, siloed infrastructure with a streamlined, efficient platform find immense value in the UCS 6332. It allows for the consolidation of legacy rack servers and their disparate networks into a unified, easily managed blade or rack system with a single point of management.

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity

The stateless nature of servers defined by service profiles makes disaster recovery (DR) orchestration significantly faster and more reliable. Service profiles can be pre-staged at a DR site and activated on available hardware, enabling near-instantaneous server recovery.