Cisco UCSB-B200-M6-U Barebone Blade System — 2-Socket Power for Dense Data Centers

The Cisco UCSB-B200-M6-U Barebone System is engineered for IT environments that demand peak performance, exceptional density, and seamless scalability. As a two-socket blade server designed for Cisco’s Unified Computing System (UCS) architecture, it delivers enterprise-class capabilities in a compact form factor, enabling IT teams to consolidate workloads from virtualization, web infrastructure, and distributed databases into a single, highly manageable platform. This blade system serves as a versatile foundation for modern data centers, offering the reliability, efficiency, and control that organizations require to accelerate application delivery and optimize resource utilization.

• High-density, scalable performance: The B200 M6-U is built to host two Intel Xeon Scalable processors, delivering the compute power needed to handle virtualization, databases, analytics, and web-scale workloads within a blade footprint. Its two-socket configuration supports robust multi-threaded performance while preserving space in the data center.
• Enterprise-grade memory and efficiency: With configurable memory options and Cisco’s advanced cooling and power management, this blade system maximizes performance per watt. It is designed to support large memory footprints necessary for memory-intensive applications, while maintaining energy efficiency in dense blade deployments.
• Flexible networking and storage integration: The UCSB-B200-M6-U supports a broad array of mezzanine adapters, embedded NICs, and drive configurations, enabling flexible connectivity and storage topology. This supports virtualization, high-throughput workloads, and mission-critical databases with adaptable I/O options.
• Cisco UCS ecosystem integration: Seamlessly integrates with Cisco UCS Manager, UCS Central, and Cisco Intersight for centralized lifecycle management, policy-based provisioning, firmware consistency, and simplified patching. This creates a cohesive operational model across the entire data center fleet and reduces administrative overhead.
• Barebone flexibility and rapid deployment: As a barebone blade system, the B200-M6-U provides the essential chassis-ready platform. It invites you to tailor memory, storage, networking, and software to your specific workloads, delivering rapid deployment, simplified upgrades, and a path to future-ready infrastructure.

Technical Details of Cisco UCSB-B200-M6-U

• UPC/SKU: UCSB-B200-M6-U
• Form factor: Blade server designed for Cisco UCS B-Series chassis
• Processors: Supports 2 x Intel Xeon Scalable processors (two-socket configuration)
• Memory: Configurable memory per CPU with options for large memory footprints, dependent on DIMM configurations and processor family
• Storage: Supports scalable drive options via blade chassis backplane and mezzanine/storage adapters; configured to meet varied I/O and storage demands
• Networking: Flexible NIC options and PCIe mezzanine slots for adapters, enabling diverse connectivity profiles
• Management: Integrates with Cisco UCS Manager and supports centralized management through UCS Central and capabilities within the Cisco UCS ecosystem
• Power and cooling: Designed for efficient operation within a blade chassis, with options for redundant power paths and optimized thermal management
• Compatibility: Built to operate within Cisco UCS environments, ensuring consistent firmware, drivers, and policy-based provisioning across the data center

How to install Cisco UCSB-B200-M6-U

To install the Cisco UCSB-B200-M6-U blade system, follow these general steps to ensure a smooth deployment within a Cisco UCS chassis and under UCS Manager governance:

1) Prepare the Cisco UCS chassis and environment. Ensure the chassis is powered, cabled, and connected to the management network. Have the appropriate UCS Manager credentials ready to configure the blade within a server profile.

2) Insert the blade into an available UCS chassis bay. Align the blade with the backplane, engage the connectors, and secure the blade in place. This step establishes the physical foundation for the two-socket configuration and future expansion.

3) Install CPU and memory modules (as required by your workload). The B200-M6-U relies on the correct processor and memory configuration, so follow Cisco's guidelines for supported CPU SKUs and DIMM types to ensure compatibility and optimal performance.

4) Connect and configure network and storage options. Attach mezzanine cards or embedded NICs as needed for your networking topology, and configure storage channels in coordination with UCS Manager to define boot sources, cache policies, and persistence requirements.

5) Create and attach a server profile in Cisco UCS Manager. This step binds the blade to a policy-based profile that defines identity, firmware, BIOS settings, memory, I/O allocations, and boot order. Apply the profile to guarantee consistent performance, simplified management, and reproducible deployments.

6) Update firmware and drivers. Use UCS Manager or Cisco Intersight to ensure the blade’s firmware stack is current, addressing security, stability, and performance improvements. A consistent firmware baseline across your blade fleet reduces compatibility issues and supports smoother patch cycles.

7) Deploy your operating system and applications. From virtualization hosts to database engines and web services, install the OS and critical software within the configured profile, benefiting from UCS Manager’s resource scheduling, hot-plug capabilities, and policy-driven provisioning.

8) Monitor and optimize. After deployment, monitor performance, capacity, and health through UCS Manager or Intersight. Leverage built-in analytics to identify bottlenecks, tune memory and I/O allocations, and plan capacity upgrades as workloads evolve.

Frequently asked questions

Q: How many processors does the Cisco UCSB-B200-M6-U support?

A: The blade system supports a two-socket configuration with 2 x Intel Xeon Scalable processors, enabling robust multi-core performance for virtualization, databases, and dense web-scale workloads.

Q: What kind of memory is supported and how much memory can I install?

A: Memory is configured per CPU with DIMMs designed for Cisco UCS blade servers. The exact total memory depends on the processor family and DIMM capacities you choose, but the platform is designed to support substantial memory footprints suitable for memory-intensive workloads and virtualization scenarios.

Q: Can I customize networking and storage for this blade?

A: Yes. The UCSB-B200-M6-U supports flexible I/O options, including mezzanine adapters and embedded NICs, as well as various storage connectivity configurations via the blade backplane and chassis back-end. This enables tailored networking topologies and storage performance aligned with your workload needs.

Q: How does this blade integrate with Cisco UCS management tools?

A: The blade is designed to integrate seamlessly with Cisco UCS Manager and related management tools like UCS Central and Cisco Intersight. This integration enables policy-based provisioning, centralized control, firmware consistency, and simplified lifecycle management across your data center infrastructure.

Q: What is the primary benefit of using the UCSB-B200-M6-U as a barebone blade?

A: As a barebone blade, it provides a scalable, flexible foundation for tailor-made configurations. You can select the exact memory, storage, and networking components you need, deploy rapidly, and manage workloads via a unified Cisco UCS ecosystem that emphasizes efficiency, density, and predictable performance in dense data center environments.