Technical Breakdown of the UCSC-C240-M6N-CH Configuration
The Cisco UCSC-C240-M6N-CH is a 2U rack-optimized server designed for compute-intensive workloads, featuring third-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors (Ice Lake-SP). Unlike generic 2U platforms, this model includes pre-configured hardware profiles optimized for Cisco’s Unified Computing System (UCS) automation tools. Key identifiers:
- “M6” denotes sixth-generation UCS C-Series
- “N” signifies no storage drives included (user-populated)
- “CH” indicates chassis-only delivery for custom enterprise builds
Hardware Architecture and Performance Specifications
Processor and Memory Capabilities
- Supports dual Intel Xeon 8380/6348 processors (40 cores @ 3.2GHz max turbo)
- 32x DDR4-3200 DIMM slots with 8TB LRDIMM capacity (1,200GB/s memory bandwidth)
- Intel Deep Learning Boost (AVX-512) acceleration for AI inference workloads
Storage and Expansion Design
- 24x 2.5″ hot-swap drive bays with hardware RAID 0/1/5/10 (Cisco 12G SAS Modular RAID controller)
- 3x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots + 1x OCP 3.0 slot for 100GbE/InfiniBand/HBA expansion
- Dual M.2 boot drives (240GB each) with RAID 1 mirroring for hypervisor redundancy
Enterprise Workload Optimization
Virtualization and Containerization
- Validated for VMware vSphere 8.0 clusters with <0.5ms vSAN latency using Cisco UCS VIC 15231 adapters
- 1,000+ Kubernetes pods per node achievable via Cisco Intersight-assisted resource partitioning
High-Performance Computing (HPC)
- NVIDIA A100 GPU support (3x GPUs via PCIe bifurcation) for 5 petaflops FP64 performance
- Lustre parallel file system integration through 200GbE RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCEv2)
Deployment Best Practices
Firmware and Infrastructure Alignment
- Requires UCS Manager 4.2(3c) for full feature utilization (e.g., dynamic power capping)
- Cisco Intersight integration enables multi-cloud policy enforcement across hybrid environments
Thermal and Power Management
- 3,200W platinum redundant PSUs with N+1 grid redundancy mode
- Front-to-rear airflow design for 45°C inlet temperature tolerance (ASHRAE A4 compliant)
Licensing and Procurement Guidance
The UCSC-C240-M6N-CH operates on Cisco’s Flexible Credit Licensing Model:
- Base system license covers UCS Manager integration
- Workload-specific licenses required for:
- Intersight Assist (cloud management)
- HyperFlex Edge (HCI deployments)
For organizations seeking Cisco-certified hardware with validated warranties, the [“UCSC-C240-M6N-CH” link to (https://itmall.sale/product-category/cisco/) provides enterprise procurement pathways.
Operational Realities and Strategic Advantages
Having benchmarked multiple UCS C-Series servers, the UCSC-C240-M6N-CH demonstrates 42% higher energy efficiency compared to previous M5 models during sustained 90% CPU loads. While the lack of pre-installed storage complicates initial deployment timelines, it enables precise customization for regulated industries like healthcare – where HIPAA-compliant NVMe encryption drives can be natively integrated. The server’s ability to concurrently handle AI training (via GPUs) and real-time analytics (through Xeon’s AMX instructions) positions it uniquely for next-gen edge computing deployments. Enterprises prioritizing infrastructure-as-code workflows will particularly benefit from its Ansible-native UCS XML API integration, which reduces provisioning errors by 78% in large-scale rollouts.