Cisco extends SQL Server support for Unified Computing System

Cisco is adding support for Microsoft's SQL Server to its Unified Computing System (UCS) platform with a collection of new reference architectures.

UCS combines server and storage hardware with networking and virtualisation components to function as an end-to-end datacentre platform.

The company said that the reference designs allow enterprises to run SQL Server 2008 R2 on UCS server hardware from Cisco as well as EMC and NetApp platforms.

The architectures outline designs for deployments running SQL Server on Cisco UCS C-Series servers and either NetApp or EMC storage appliances. A second reference architecture details plans for a system to run online transaction processing applications.

For Microsoft, the deal is part of the ongoing Fast Track Data Warehouse campaign to combine SQL Server 2008 with hardware from partner vendors to build datacentre systems.

"We developed the Microsoft Fast Track Data Warehouse programme to help our customers accelerate their data warehouse roadmaps, lower costs and reduce risk with reliable reference architectures and best practices for warehousing," said Val Fontama, Microsoft's business platform marketing group senior product manager.

"Using the Cisco UCS with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise provides our mutual customers with scalable, preconfigured servers, storage and networking design guides specifically balanced and optimised for data warehousing workloads."