SKU: UCS-IOM-2208XP

Cisco UCS 2208XP 8 Port 10GbE I/O Module Fabric Extender (FEX) | UCS‑IOM‑2208XP

Module Specs

  • Device Type: Expansion module with 8 uplink ports (SFP+)
  • Form Factor: Plug-in module
  • Uplink Connectivity: 8 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ ports to fabric interconnect
  • Downlink Connectivity: 32 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections through midplane to ever server node in the enclosure
  • Data Protocols: 10 Gigabit Ethernet, FCoE
  • Redundancy: Supports pairing for 160 Gbps aggregate throughput and failover
  • Management: Managed by UCS fabric interconnect; no standalone switching
  • Features: VLAN, QoS, WRR queuing, DCBX, PFC, jumbo frames, high availability
  • Dimensions (W x D x H): 1.4 in x 7.2 in x 7.6 in
  • Chassis Compatibility: Cisco UCS 5108 Blade Server Chassis

Part Number:

  • PN: UCS‑IOM‑2208XP

The Cisco UCS 2208XP Fabric Extender is a high-performance I/O module designed to simplify the connectivity between Cisco UCS blade servers and fabric interconnects. Featuring eight 10-Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ uplinks and thirty-two downlinks via the chassis midplane, it delivers up to 160 Gbps of aggregated throughput when deployed in a redundant pair. Engineered for use in the UCS 5108 Blade Server Chassis, the UCS 2208XP helps streamline cabling, reduce management complexity, and enable unified fabric integration with both Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE).

Unlike traditional switches, the UCS 2208XP operates as a remote line card—it doesn’t perform switching independently but is fully managed through the fabric interconnect. This architectural design enhances scalability, lowers total cost of ownership (TCO), and supports centralized management across all connected chassis, eliminating the need for separate chassis management modules.

Base Standard Capabilities

FeatureBenefit
Management by Cisco UCS Manager
  • Reduces TCO by removing management modules from the chassis, making the chassis stateless
  • Provides a single, highly available management domain for all system chassis, reducing administrative tasks
AutoconfigurationSimplifies operation by automatically synchronizing firmware levels between the fabric extenders and the interconnects
Unified fabric
  • Decreases TCO by reducing the number of network interface cards (NICs), host bus adapters (HBAs), switches, and cables needed
  • Transparently encapsulates Fibre Channel packets into Ethernet
Automatic failoverIncreases availability with an active-active data plane
Scalable bandwidthReduces TCO by optimizing overall system capacity to match actual workload demands
Environmental monitoringRemoves the need for chassis management modules
Lossless fabricProvides a reliable, robust foundation for unifying LAN and SAN traffic on a single transport
Priority flow control (PFC)
  • Simplifies management of multiple traffic flows over a single network link
  • Supports different classes of service, allowing both lossless and classic Ethernet on the same fabric
Systemwide bandwidth managementHelps enable consistent and coherent quality-of-service (QoS) management throughout the system
Cisco Data Center Virtual Machine Fabric Extender (VM-FEX) technology
  • Helps enable a consistent operational model between virtual and physical environments
  • Provides the same level of network visibility for virtualized and nonvirtualized environments
  • Improves diagnostic and troubleshooting capabilities in a virtual environment
  • Simplifies network and security policy enforcement when migrating virtual machines from one host to another
SFP+ ports
  • Increases flexibility with a range of interconnect solutions, including copper Twinax cable for short runs and fiber for long runs
  • Consumes less power per port than traditional solutions
  • Helps enable cost-effective connections on fabric extenders with Cisco Fabric Extender Transceiver (FET) optics
Fabric PortChannelProvides flexibility to bundle fabric ports in a PortChannel