Introduction to the Cisco RD-6420S-K9

The ​​Cisco RD-6420S-K9​​ is a ​​4U modular chassis​​ designed for the ​​Cisco UCS C4800 M5/M6 Series​​, engineered to support up to ​​20 half-width server nodes​​ or ​​10 full-width nodes​​ in a single rack unit. Targeting hyperscale data centers, cloud providers, and enterprise HPC environments, this chassis integrates seamlessly with Cisco’s Unified Computing System (UCS) ecosystem. It optimizes resource density for workloads like ​​AI/ML training​​, ​​real-time analytics​​, and ​​virtualized SAP HANA​​, offering a balance of compute, storage, and networking scalability within a unified management framework.

Technical Specifications and Hardware Design

​​Physical and Operational Architecture​​

• ​​Form Factor​​: ​​4U rack-mountable chassis​​ with tool-less rails for rapid installation.
• ​​Node Capacity​​: ​​20x half-width nodes​​ (e.g., UCS C220 M6) or ​​10x full-width nodes​​ (e.g., UCS C480 M5), enabling flexible workload distribution.
• ​​Power Supply​​: Quad ​​3000W AC/DC hot-swappable PSUs​​ (3+1 redundancy), 96% efficiency, supporting ​​200–240V AC​​ or ​​-48V DC​​ inputs.
• ​​Cooling System​​: ​​12x redundant fans​​ with variable speed control, compliant with ​​ASHRAE A4​​ (45°C) operating temperatures.

​​Connectivity and Expansion Capabilities​​

• ​​Fabric Interconnects​​: ​​8x 100G QSFP28 uplinks​​ (2 per fabric extender) for Cisco UCS 6536 Fabric Interconnects, enabling ​​VXLAN​​ and ​​NVMe-oF​​ over ​​25/50/100G​​ speeds.
• ​​Storage​​: ​​80x 2.5″ NVMe/SAS/SATA bays​​ (4 per half-width node), configurable in ​​RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50/60​​ via Cisco UCS VIC 15000 Series adapters.
• ​​PCIe Support​​: ​​4x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots per node​​ for GPUs (NVIDIA A100/H100), FPGAs, or DPUs.

Key Deployment Scenarios

​​1. Hyperscale Cloud Infrastructure​​

Hosting ​​20x UCS C220 M6 nodes​​, the RD-6420S-K9 delivers ​​1,280 vCPUs​​ and ​​80 TB RAM​​ per chassis. A 2023 deployment in a North American CSP achieved ​​98% resource utilization​​ using Cisco Intersight’s workload optimization algorithms.

​​2. Distributed AI/ML Training​​

With ​​4x NVIDIA H100 GPUs per node​​, the chassis supports ​​80 GPUs per 4U​​, reducing large language model (LLM) training times by ​​40%​​ compared to traditional 1U GPU servers.

​​3. Financial Risk Modeling​​

Quantitative firms deploy ​​10x UCS C480 M5 nodes​​ for Monte Carlo simulations, achieving ​​5.6 petaFLOPS​​ and ​​≤50 μs node-to-node latency​​ via Cisco UCS 6454 Fabric Interconnects.

Addressing Critical User Concerns

​​Q: How does the RD-6420S-K9 ensure power stability during grid fluctuations?​​

A: The quad ​​3000W PSUs​​ support ​​N+N grid redundancy​​ and ​​battery-free holdup​​ (20 ms ride-through) via ultracapacitors, ensuring uninterrupted operation during brownouts.

​​Q: Is backward compatibility with M4 nodes supported?​​

A: No. The chassis requires ​​M5/M6 nodes​​ due to updated backplane signaling (PCIe 4.0) and power delivery requirements.

​​Q: What maintenance routines minimize operational downtime?​​

A: Conduct ​​monthly airflow audits​​ via Cisco UCS Manager, replace fans if RPM variance exceeds ​​10%​​, and schedule firmware updates during ​​Intersight-defined maintenance windows​​.

Procurement and Compatibility Guidelines

• ​​Supported Nodes​​: UCS C220 M5/M6, C240 M5/M6, C480 M5.
• ​​Management​​: Requires ​​Cisco UCS Manager 5.0+​​ or ​​Intersight SaaS​​ for multi-domain automation.

For Cisco-certified refurbished chassis or bulk orders, visit the ​​[RD-6420S-K9 link to (https://itmall.sale/product-category/cisco/)​​.

Strategic Advantages Over Competing Solutions

• ​​Cisco Intersight Orchestration​​: Applies predictive analytics to preempt hardware failures, reducing MTTR by ​​60%​​ in hybrid cloud environments.
• ​​Energy Efficiency​​: ​​0.78 PUE​​ via adaptive cooling, saving ~$18,000 annually per chassis versus HPE Synergy 480 Gen10.
• ​​Lifecycle Automation​​: ​​Zero-touch provisioning​​ and ​​global firmware templates​​ streamline deployments across 500+ chassis.

Final Perspective

The RD-6420S-K9 redefines hyperscale economics by merging unprecedented density with Cisco’s management ethos. While competitors prioritize raw node counts, this chassis addresses the Achilles’ heel of high-density systems: operational complexity. Enterprises wedded to static architectures will grapple with spiraling energy and management costs. In contrast, adopters of the RD-6420S-K9 aren’t just scaling infrastructure—they’re future-proofing it. In an era where AI and edge computing demand both brute force and finesse, this chassis exemplifies Cisco’s ability to deliver both.