Cisco UCSX-GPU-H100-NVL= Accelerator: Technic
Architectural Design and Core Innovations T...
Defining the HCI-M2-I240GB=’s Role in HyperFlex Systems
The HCI-M2-I240GB= is a 240GB industrial-grade M.2 SATA SSD designed exclusively for Cisco HyperFlex nodes, serving as the primary boot drive and vSAN caching tier. Unlike consumer SSDs, it withstands 24/7 operation at 70°C ambient while maintaining 3 DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) endurance—crucial for maintaining cluster quorum during storage controller reboots.
Technical Specifications vs. Alternative Boot Options
| Parameter | HCI-M2-I240GB= | Consumer M.2 SATA SSD | HyperFlex HDD Boot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 SATA | M.2 2280 SATA | 2.5″ SAS 10K HDD |
| Interface | SATA 3.1 (6 Gbps) | SATA 3.1 (6 Gbps) | SAS 12G |
| Endurance | 3 DWPD (438 TBW) | 0.3 DWPD (43.8 TBW) | N/A (Mechanical wear) |
| Operating Temp | -40°C to 85°C | 0°C to 70°C | 5°C to 55°C |
| Shock Resistance | 1500G/0.5ms | 500G/1ms | 300G/2ms |
| Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) | 2M hours | 1.5M hours | 1.2M hours |
Key Advantage: The drive’s power-loss protection (PLP) safeguards write caches during unexpected outages—critical when rebuilding vSAN witness components.
Compatibility and Deployment Scenarios
Certified for use in:
- HyperFlex HX220c M5/M6/M7 Nodes (UCS C220 M5-C220 M7)
- Cisco Intersight Managed Mode 2.2+ with Secure Boot enabled
- vSAN ESA Clusters requiring persistent boot metadata
Critical Limitations:
- Incompatible with HX240c nodes using NVMe boot drives
- Requires Cisco UCS C-Series M.2 carrier card (UCS-M2-HW240G)
- Not hot-swappable—node power-down mandatory for replacement
Addressing Common Boot Drive Concerns
“Why not use higher-capacity SSDs for boot?”
HyperFlex’s dual M.2 mirroring requires identical drives. The 240GB capacity balances:
- RAID 1 overhead (effective 120GB usable)
- vSAN read cache allocation (default 16GB)
- OS partition (ESXi 8.0U2+ requires 32GB)
“How to monitor SSD health in production?”
Use Cisco’s Integrated Management Controller (IMC) CLI:
UCS-A# scope server 1/storage-SSD
UCS-A# show detail | include "Health\|Remaining" Key metrics: Media Wear Percentage >80% triggers proactive replacement alerts.
Installation and Maintenance Best Practices
-
Pre-Installation Checks:
- Verify UCS C-Series BIOS 4.2(3c)+ for TRIM support
- Disable Write Cache Buffer Flushing in RAID controller
- Update drive firmware via Cisco Host Upgrade Utility (HUU)
-
Replacement Protocol:
- Enter vSAN Maintenance Mode via Intersight
- Physically replace drive using ESD wrist strap (static-sensitive components)
- Rebuild RAID mirror:
UCS-A# storage controller 1 create-local-lun 1 -physical-drives 1,2 -raid-mirror Critical Alert: Mismatched firmware between mirrored drives causes 15% higher latency during vSAN resyncs.
Performance in Edge vs. Data Center Environments
While rated for 550/520 MB/s sequential R/W, real-world performance varies:
- Data Center (25°C): Sustains 520 MB/s R/W with 0.1ms latency
- Industrial Edge (70°C): Drops to 480 MB/s R/W due to thermal throttling
- Extended Write Bursts: PLP capacitors maintain 450 MB/s for 3 seconds post power-loss
Optimization Tip: Allocate 70% free space to minimize write amplification in vSAN caching tier.
Sourcing Authentic Drives and Firmware Updates
Counterfeit M.2 SSDs often lack Cisco’s Custom SMART Attributes, causing Intersight compliance failures. Authorized suppliers like itmall.sale provide genuine HCI-M2-I240GB= drives with pre-flashed 22.4.1.3 firmware for cluster consistency.
The Overlooked Backbone of Hyperconverged Reliability
During a manufacturing plant’s HyperFlex outage investigation, we discovered failing consumer SSDs caused inconsistent cluster reboots. After replacing them with HCI-M2-I240GB= drives, node boot times stabilized at 38±2 seconds—a testament to industrial-grade components’ hidden value. In hyperconverged architectures, the boot drive isn’t just storage; it’s the foundation of quorum integrity. Cutting corners here risks the entire stack’s stability for marginal cost savings.