Cisco vWAAS Configuration Guide (for WAAS 6.4.3x)

Benefits of Cisco vWAAS

The following are some of the benefits of deploying Cisco vWAAS on your system:

• On-demand orchestration of WAN optimization
• Fault tolerance with virtual machine (VM) mobility awareness
• Lower operating expenses for customers who are migrating their applications to the cloud
• Private and virtual private cloud environments:

– Use Cisco vWAAS to create value-added WAN optimization services on a per-application basis, for optimized delivery to remote branch-office users.

– Associate Cisco vWAAS services with application server VMs as they are moved in response to dynamic load demand in the cloud, to offer rapid delivery of WAN optimization services with minimal network configuration or disruption.

• Public cloud environments:

– Deploy Cisco vWAAS in public clouds with the Cisco Nexus 1000V Series to obtain benefits similar to those that Cisco vWAAS produces in private cloud environments.

Cisco vWAAS Models: CPUs, Memory, and Disk Storage

This section contains the following topics:

• Operating Guidelines for Cisco vWAAS CPUs, Memory and Disk Storage
• Cisco vWAAS Memory and Disk Storage Information for Akamai Connect and Cisco ENCS 5400-W

Operating Guidelines for Cisco vWAAS CPUs, Memory and Disk Storage

For the following Cisco vWAAS models, follow these operating guidelines for CPU, memory, and disk storage:

• When using Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.x or later, we recommend that you select vWAAS Re-sized during installation. Table 1-17 shows the resizing capability for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and later.
• When Cisco vWAAS-6000, 1300, 12000, or 50000 are used with Akamai Connect and when connections are more than 70 percent of Transport Flow Optimization (TFO), the response time will be on the higher side. Adding CPUs to these models when used with Akamai Connect may improve response time.

Cisco vWAAS Memory and Disk Storage Information for Akamai Connect and Cisco ENCS 5400-W

Table 1-4 shows where to find additional memory and disk storage information for Akamai Connect and Cisco ENCS 5400-W, by Cisco vWAAS model.

Table 1-4 For More Information on Specific Cisco vWAAS Models

VMware VMFS Block Size and Cisco vWAAS Disk Size

Table 1-5 shows the VMware Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) block size and associated vWAAS maximum disk file size. For more information on VMware and Cisco vWAAS interoperability, see Table 1-20.

Table 1-5 VMware VMFS Block Size and Cisco vWAAS Maximum File Size

Note For Cisco vWAAS models that have a disk size that is larger than 256 GB, a VMFS block size that is larger than 1 MB is required.

Cisco vCM Models: Managed Nodes, vCPUs, Memory, and Disk Storage

Table 1-6 shows the number of managed nodes and disk storage for each vCM model, as well as the required and recommended number of vCPUs and the required and recommended memory capacity.

Note Cisco vCM installation packages are configured with the minimal required amounts of CPU and memory resources to accommodate the various hypervisor setups. These minimal requirements are sufficient for initial setup and a limited number of nodes.

However, as the number of managed devices on your system increases, the Cisco WAAS Central Manager service can experience intermittent restarts or flapping: device states when under resource shortage. To remedy this, configure the recommended values for number of CPUs and memory, as shown in Table 1-6.

Table 1-6 Cisco vCM Models: Managed Nodes, vCPUs, Memory, and Disk Storage

Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi Sizing Guidelines

This section contains the following topics:

• Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi: Central Manager Mode Sizing Guidelines
• Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi: Virtual Hardware Requirements
• Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi: Hardware Requirements

Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi: Central Manager Mode Sizing Guidelines

Table 1-7 Cisco vCM Sizing Guidelines: Central Manager Mode

Note In Table 1-7, the Number of Nodes (WAAS and Other Devices) column: In cases when the WAAS Central Manager manages WAAS devices the total number of managed devices can be reduced by 20% compared to management of only WAAS devices.

Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi: Virtual Hardware Requirements

Table 1-8 Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi: Virtual Hardware Requirements

Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi: Hardware Requirements

Table 1-9 Cisco vCM on VMware ESXi: Hardware Requirements

Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V Sizing Guidelines

This section contains the following topics:

• Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V: Connections Sizing Guidelines
• Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-v: Bandwidth, Throughput, Disk, and Cache Sizing Guidelines
• Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-v: Virtual Hardware Requirements
• Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-v: Hardware Requirements

Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V: Connections Sizing Guidelines

Table 1-10 Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V Connections Sizing Guidelines

Consider the following guidelines for connections sizing for Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V, as shown in Table 1-10:

• For the Optimized TCP Connections column: Any system will optimize up to the maximum of its capacity until overload conditions arise. During overload conditions, new connections will not be optimized. Existing connections will be optimized to the greatest degree possible by the system. Should you need scalability beyond the capacity of a single device, multiple devices can be deployed.
• For the Optimized SSL Connections columns: These connections, when used, are part of the overall connection limit for the device.
• For the Optimized MAPI Connections and Optimized Encrypted MAPI (EMAPI) Connections columns: MAPI/EMAPI numbers represent the number of concurrent clients.
• For the Akamai Connect Optimized TCP Connections column:

– Any system will optimize up to the maximum of its capacity until overload conditions arise. During overload conditions, new connections will not be optimized. Existing connections will be optimized to the greatest degree possible by the system. Should you need scalability beyond the capacity of a single device, multiple devices can be deployed.

– Connections per second (CPS) is approximately 20% of the TFO limit. If the CPS exceeds this some traffic will end up in pass through and not optimized.

Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-v: Bandwidth, Throughput, Disk, and Cache Sizing Guidelines

Table 1-11 Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V Sizing Guidelines

Consider the following guidelines for bandwidth, throughput, DRE disk, object cache, and Akamai Connect sizing for Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V, as shown in Table 1-11.

• For the Target WAN Bandwidth column: Target WAN bandwidth is not limited in software or by any other system limit, but is rather provided as guidance for deployment sizing purposes. Target WAN bandwidth is a measure of the optimized/compressed throughput WAAS can support, this value is taken at approximately 50 to 70% compression.
• For the Optimized LAN Throughput column: Maximum LAN Throughput is the theoretical maximum throughput the WAAS device can deliver on the LAN side. This number is measured at 99% compression in a dual-sided scenario with TFO, DRE, or LZ and no WAN condition between the WAAS devices.

Note Your specific results are highly dependent on the type of traffic, compression values, WAN conditions, and how much and the type of “work” the WAAS device is doing (such as TFO, DRE, LZ, AO).

Also, if you are using an appliance with a 2- or 4-port port-channel, or a 10 G port, it is possible to scale beyond 1 Gbps of throughput. The same is true for Cisco vWAAS if you have a 10 G NIC in your ESXi or Hyper-V host, you can scale beyond 1 Gbps. Actual results depend on the use case.

• For the Default SMB AO Object Cache Capacity column: SMB Object cache is not available on the Cisco vWAAS-150 and 200 models in Cisco WAAS Version 6.2.1. However the space is there to be reallocated toward Akamai Connect if desired.
• For the Default Akamai Connect Cache Capacity column: The SMB Object Cache and Akamai Connect Cache can be modified to skew toward SMB, Akamai, or a 50/50 split. For more information, see the Cisco WAAS information on resizing Cisco vWAAS on NFVIS, see the Cisco Wide Area Application Services Configuration Guide.
• For the Akamai Connect Target WAN Bandwidth column:

– Target WAN bandwidth is not limited in software or by any other system limit, but is rather provided as guidance for deployment sizing purposes. Target WAN bandwidth is a measure of the optimized/compressed throughput WAAS can support, this value is taken at approximately 50 - 70% compression.

– Akamai Connect for Cisco vWAAS-1300:
- Hardware: Cisco UCS-EN120S-M2/K9
- CPU Clock Speed: 1.799 GHz
- Disk Type: SATA and selected platform test coverage

Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-v: Virtual Hardware Requirements

Table 1-12 Cisco vWAAS on Hyper-V: Virtual Hardware Requirements

Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-v: Hardware Requirements

Table 1-13 Cisco vWAAS on Hyper-V: Hardware Requirements

Cisco vCM on RHEL KVM Sizing Guidelines

This section contains the following topics:

• Cisco vCM on RHEL KVM: Central Manager Mode Sizing Guidelines
• Cisco vCM on RHEL KVM: Virtual Hardware Requirements
• Cisco vCM on RHEL KVM: Hardware Requirements

Cisco vCM on RHEL KVM: Central Manager Mode Sizing Guidelines

Table 1-14 vCM Sizing Guidelines: Central Manager Mode

Note In Table 1-14, the Number of Nodes (WAAS and Other Devices) column: In cases when the Cisco WAAS Central Manager manages Cisco WAAS devices the total number of managed devices can be reduced by 20% compared to management of only Cisco WAAS devices.

Cisco vCM on RHEL KVM: Virtual Hardware Requirements

Table 1-15 Cisco vCM on ESXi: Virtual Hardware Requirements

Cisco vCM on RHEL KVM: Hardware Requirements

Table 1-16 Cisco vCM on ESXi: Hardware Requirements

About Cisco vWAAS Resizing

Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and later requires additional resources. Resizing Cisco vWAAS on the recommended platforms enables Cisco vWAAS to scale to optimized TCP connections for the associated device, and to reduce CPU and RAM utilization.

Therefore, we highly recommend the following actions:

• Resize CPU and memory resources, as shown in Table 1-17.
• Resize the DRE object cache and Akamai Connect Cache, as shown in Table 1-19.
• For optimum performance, use the SSD disk with the UCS models listed in Table 1-17.

Operating Guidelines for vWAAS Resizing

Consider the following operating guidelines for vWAAS resizing:

• Only vWAAS models can be resized. Cisco ISR-WAAS and Cisco vCM cannot be resized.
• Although optional, we highly recommend that you resize CPU and memory resources for Cisco vWAAS models on all hypervisors. For Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS 6.4.1b and later, options are provided during Cisco vWAAS deployment for you to select either original or resized resources.
• For Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1b: You cannot deploy Cisco vWAAS-12000 or Cisco vWAAS-50000 in Microsoft Hyper-V with the original resources. For a successful deployment of Cisco vWAAS 12000 or Cisco vWAAS-50000 in Microsoft Hyper-V with original resources, do a new deployment with WAAS Version 6.4.1 or earlier, and then perform the bin upgrade to Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1b.

Original and Resized Cisco vWAAS Specifications for Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and Later

• Table 1-17 shows the original and resized Cisco vWAAS CPU and memory specifications, as well as tested clock speed and minimum recommended platform.
• Table 1-19 shows the default and resized DRE disk capacity, object cache capacity, and Akamai Connect cache capacity, by Cisco vWAAS model.

Table 1-17 Resized Cisco vWAAS Specifications for Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and Later

Resizing Guidelines: Upgrading to Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and Later

This section contains the following procedures:

• Upgrading to Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and Later with Existing CPU and Memory
• Upgrading to Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and Later with Resized CPU and Memory

Upgrading to Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and Later with Existing CPU and Memory

This section contains the following topics:

• Using the Cisco WAAS CLI to Perform an Upgrade with Existing CPU Memory
• Using the Cisco WAAS Central Manager to Perform an Upgrade with Existing CPU and Memory

Using the Cisco WAAS CLI to Perform an Upgrade with Existing CPU Memory

During the upgrade, if the vCPU and memory resources are undersized, you will be prompted to resize these Cisco vWAAS parameters before the upgrade.

You can continue the upgrade procedure and retain the existing vWAAS resources.

Note For Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS 6.4.1a only: After the upgrade, undersized-resource alarms are displayed for vCPU and memory for the vWAAS device. Use the show alarms command to display information about these undersized alarms for the vWAAS model.

Using the Cisco WAAS Central Manager to Perform an Upgrade with Existing CPU and Memory

During the upgrade, if the vCPU and memory resources are undersized, informational note is displayed in the Upgrade window, but there will not be a prompt to resize these Cisco vWAAS parameters before the upgrade.

You can continue the upgrade procedure and retain the existing Cisco vWAAS resources.

Note For Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS 6.4.1a only: After the upgrade, undersized-resource alarms are listed for vCPU and memory for the Cisco vWAAS device. Use the show alarms command to display information about these undersized alarms for the Cisco vWAAS model.

Upgrading to Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and Later with Resized CPU and Memory

This section contains the following topics:

• Using the Cisco WAAS CLI to Perform an Upgrade with Resized CPU and Memory
• Using the Cisco WAAS Central Manager to Perform an Upgrade with Resized CPU and Memory

Using the Cisco WAAS CLI to Perform an Upgrade with Resized CPU and Memory

Before you begin:

During the upgrade, if the vCPU and memory resources are undersized, you will be prompted to resize these Cisco vWAAS parameters before the upgrade. You can then cancel the upgrade procedure, resize the specific resources, and restart the upgrade procedure.

To perform an upgrade with resized CPU and memory using the Cisco WAAS CLI, follow these steps:

Step 1 After shutting down the vWAAS instance, manually increase the vCPU and memory, from the hypervisor, to meet your specifications.

• To change settings in VMware ESXi: Choose Edit Settings... > Hardware.
• To change settings in Microsoft Hyper-V: Choose Virtual Machine > Settings... > Hardware.
• To change settings in RHEL KVM/CentOS:

1. Open Virtual Manager.

2. Choose Virtual Machine > CPUs.

3. Choose Virtual Machine > Memory.

• To change settings in Cisco NFVIS, for the Cisco vBranch solution:

1. Choose VM Life Cycle > Image Repository > Profiles and add another profile with: resized CPU, memory, and same disk size.

2. Choose VM Life Cycle > Deploy > VM Details and select the resized profile created.

3. Click Deploy.

Note If you use the Route Manager Debugging (RMD) process with vBranch: To ensure that the RMD process will start successfully in vBranch deployment, you must manually connect both the interfaces before starting the vWAAS.

• To change settings Microsoft Azure:

a. Choose Deployments > Microsoft Template Overview > Custom Deployment,

b. Choose Home > Virtual Machines > vWAAS Instance > Size.

Step 2 Restart the device. With the resized vCPU and memory, the host should have sufficient resources for a successful upgrade.

Note The resources will not change automatically in subsequent upgrades and downgrades of the system change; you must manually change resources as needed for your system.

Using the Cisco WAAS Central Manager to Perform an Upgrade with Resized CPU and Memory

Consider these guidelines as you perform an upgrade with resized CPU and memory using the Cisco WAAS Central Manager:

• During the upgrade, if the vCPU and memory resources are undersized, an informational note is displayed on the Upgrade window, but there will not be a prompt to resize these Cisco vWAAS parameters before the upgrade.

– You cannot cancel the upgrade procedure, in process, from the Cisco WAAS Central Manager. In this scenario, wait until the is complete, change resources as needed, and perform the upgrade.

Note The resources will not change automatically in subsequent upgrades and downgrades of the system change; you must manually change resources as needed for your system.

Resizing Guidelines: Installing Cisco WAAS 6.4.1a

This section contains the following topics:

• New Installation with Existing CPU and Memory
• New Installation with Resized CPU and Memory

New Installation with Existing CPU and Memory

1. Install the Cisco vWAAS OVA with a Cisco WAAS version earlier than Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a, which, by default, will deploy with resized resource.

2. Upgrade to Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a and retain existing CPU and memory resources.

3. After installation is complete, there will be undersized-resource alarms for CPU and memory for the Cisco vWAAS device. You use the show alarms command to display information about undersized alarms for the Cisco vWAAS model.

4. After resources are upgraded, there will not be any automatic change in resources for subsequent upgrades/downgrades of the system.

New Installation with Resized CPU and Memory

1. Install the Cisco vWAAS OVA with Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1a.

2. The host should have sufficient resources of resized CPU and resized memory for a successful deployment.

3. After resources are upgraded, there will not be any automatic change in resources for subsequent upgrades/downgrades of the system.

Resizing Guidelines by Hypervisor for Cisco WAAS 6.4.1b and Later

This section contains the following topics:

• Resizing for Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi
• Resizing for Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V
• Resizing for Cisco vWAAS on RHEL CentOS or SUSE Linux
• Resizing for Cisco vWAAS on NFVIS

Resizing for Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi

To resize CPU and memory for Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi, follow these steps:

Step 1 From the vSphere Client, choose Deploy OVF Template > Deployment Configuration (Figure 1-2).

Figure 1-2 vSphere Client Deployment Configuration Window

Step 2 From the Configuration drop-down list, choose the Cisco vWAAS model for this hypervisor (Figure 1-2).

For example, if the model you want to choose is Cisco vWAAS-6000, you can either choose vWAAS-6000-Original or vWAAS-6000-Resized.

Resizing for Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V

To resize CPU and memory for Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V, follow these steps:

Step 1 Log in to the Cisco WAAS Installer for Microsoft Hyper-V, which displays a list of supported Cisco WAAS models (Figure 1-3).

Figure 1-3 Cisco vWAAS and Cisco vCM Resources for Cisco vWAAS on Hyper-V

Step 2 At the Enter vWAAS/vCM model to install prompt, enter the line number for the model that you want to install. For example, from the listing shown in Figure 1-3. entering 7 will select vWAAS-6000.

Step 3 At the Do you want to install vWAAS-6000 with resized resources [y/n] prompt, enter Y to select resized resources.

Step 4 After you select Y, the system displays the associated script, for example:

Resizing for Cisco vWAAS on RHEL CentOS or SUSE Linux

To resize CPU and memory for Cisco vWAAS on RHEL CentOS or on SUSE Linux, follow these steps:

Step 1 In the root@localhost window, enter the resizing launch script:

Step 2 The system displays original and resized resources for each Cisco vWAAS model (Figure 1-4):

Figure 1-4 Cisco vWAAS and Cisco vCM Resources on CentOS or SUSE Linux

Step 3 At the Select the model type prompt, enter the line number of the model type for your system. For example, clicking 7 will select vWAAS-6000.

The system displays the following message:

Step 4 Launch the EzDeploy script:

The EzDeploy script also displays both the original and resized resources, as shown in Figure 1-4.

Step 5 The system deploys the selected model, with resized resources.

Resizing for Cisco vWAAS on NFVIS

To resize Cisco vWAAS on Cisco NFVIS, install the Cisco vWAAS OVA with Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1b. Figure 1-5 shows the NFVIS profiles listing for original and resized Cisco vWAAS resources.

Figure 1-5 Cisco vWAAS Profiles Listing on Cisco vWAAS on NFVIS

For information on resizing Cisco vWAAS on NFVIS, see the Cisco Enterprise Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure Configuration Guide.

DRE Disk, Default Object Cache, and Default Akamai Connect Cache, by Cisco WAVE Model

Table 1-18 shows the DRE disk, default object cache, and default Akamai Connect cache, by Cisco WAVE model.

Table 1-18 DRE Disk, Default OC, and Default Akamai Connect Cache by Cisco WAVE Model

Default and Resized DRE Disk, Object Cache, and Akamai Connect Cache Capacity, by Cisco vWAAS Model

Table 1-19 shows the default and resized DRE disk capacity, object cache capacity, and Akamai Connect cache capacity, by Cisco vWAAS model.

Table 1-19 Default and Resized DRE, OC, and Akamai Connect Cache, by Cisco vWAAS Model

Platforms Supported for Cisco vWAAS, by Hypervisor Type

For each hypervisor used with Cisco vWAAS, Table 1-20 shows the types of platforms supported for Cisco vWAAS, including minimum Cisco WAAS version, host platform, and disk type.

Note Cisco ISR-4321 with IOS-XE 16.9.x is supported for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1b and later.

Table 1-20 Platforms Supported for Cisco vWAAS, by Hypervisor Type

Components for Deploying Cisco vWAAS, by Hypervisor Type

For each hypervisor used with Cisco vWAAS, Table 1-21 shows the components used to deploy Cisco vWAAS, including package format, deployment tool, preconfiguration tool (if needed), and network driver.

Table 1-21 Components for Deploying Cisco vWAAS, by Hypervisor Type

Note Cisco Virtual Interface Cards (VICs) are not qualified for Cisco vWAAS.

Components for Managing Cisco vWAAS, by Hypervisor Type

For each hypervisor used with Cisco vWAAS, Table 1-22 shows the components used to manage Cisco vWAAS, including Cisco vCM model, Cisco vWAAS model, number of instances supported, and traffic interception method used.

Table 1-22 Components for Managing Cisco vWAAS, by Hypervisor Type

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers and NCEs

This section has the following topics:

• Cisco vWAAS and Cisco UCS E-Series Interoperability
• Cisco vWAAS and Cisco UCS E-Series Memory Guidelines and Requirements

Cisco vWAAS and Cisco UCS E-Series Interoperability

Cisco UCS E-Series servers and Cisco UCS E-Series Network Compute Engines (NCEs) provide platforms for Cisco vWAAS and Cisco ISR routers. Table 1-23 shows the supported operating systems, hypervisors, Cisco ISR routers, and the minimum version of Cisco IOS-XE used.

Table 1-23 Cisco vWAAS and Cisco UCS E-Series Interoperability

Cisco vWAAS and Cisco UCS E-Series Memory Guidelines and Requirements

Table 1-24 shows memory and disk storage capacity for Cisco UCS E-Servers NCEs. When calculating memory requirements for your Cisco vWAAS system, include the following parameters:

• A minimum of 2 GB of memory is needed for VMware v5.0, v5.1, or v6.0.
• A minimum of 4 GB of memory is needed for VMware v5.5.
• You must also allocate memory overhead for vCPU memory. The amount is dependent on the number of vCPUs for your system: 1, 2, 4, or 8 vCPUs.

For information on vCPUs, ESXi server datastore memory, and disk space by Cisco vWAAS model and vCM model, see Table 4-4 and Table 4-5 in Chapter 4, “Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi” .

Example 1:

A deployment of vWAAS-750 on the UCS-E140S, using VMware v6.0: Cisco UCS-E140S has a default value of 8 GB memory (which can be expanded to 48 GB).

• Cisco vWAAS-750 requires 6 GB memory + VMware v6.0 requires 2 GB memory = 6 GB memory, which is below the default memory capacity of the UCS-E140S.
• You can deploy Cisco vWAAS-750 on the Cisco UCS-E140S without adding additional memory to the Cisco UCS-E140S DRAM.

Example 2:

A deployment of vWAAS-1300 on the UCS-E140S, using VMware v6.0: Cisco UCS-E140S has a default value of 8 GB DRAM, (which can be expanded to 48 GB).

• Cisco vWAAS-1300 requires 6 GB memory + VMware v6.0 requires 2 GB DRAM = 8 GB memory, which equals the memory capacity of UCS-E140S.
• To deploy Cisco vWAAS-1300 on the Cisco UCS-E140S, you must add additional memory to the Cisco UCS-E140S memory.

Note For Cisco vWAAS datastore, you can use either SAN storage or local storage on the VMware ESXi server. NAC Appliance Server (NAS) should only be used in nonproduction scenarios, such as test purposes.

Table 1-24 Memory and Disk Storage for Cisco UCS E-Servers NCEs

Cisco Enterprise Network Computer System 5400-W Series

This section contains the following topics:

• About the Cisco Enterprise Network Compute System 5400-W Series
• Cisco ENCS 5400 Series Hardware Features and Specifications

About the Cisco Enterprise Network Compute System 5400-W Series

The Cisco Enterprise Network Compute System (ENCS) 5400-W Series is designed for the Cisco Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) solution, and is available for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1 and later.

The Cisco ENCS 5400-W Series: ENCS 5406-W, 5408-W, and 5412-W, is an x86 hybrid platform is designed for the Cisco Enterprise NFV solution, for branch deployment and for hosting WAAS applications. These high-performance units achieves this goal by providing the infrastructure to deploy virtualized network functions while acting as a server that addresses processing, workload, and storage challenges.

Note Cisco vWAAS is designed to run in appliance mode or as a Virtualized Network Function (VNF) in three Cisco ENCS 5400-W series models: Cisco ENCS 5406-W, Cisco ENCS 5408-W, Cisco ENCS 5412-W, and three Cisco PIDs: ENCS 5406-K9, ENCS 5408-K9, ENCS 5412-K9.

For more information on the Cisco ENCS 5400 Series, see the Cisco 5000 Enterprise Network Compute System Data Sheet.

For information on vWAAS with NFVIS on the ENCS 5400-W Series, see the chapter “Cisco vWAAS with Cisco Enterprise NFVIS” .

Cisco ENCS 5400 Series Hardware Features and Specifications

Table 1-25 shows specifications that apply to all three Cisco ENCS 5400-W Series models. For further information, see the Cisco 5000 Enterprise Network Compute System Data Sheet.

Table 1-25 Cisco ENCS 5400 Series Features and Specifications

About Hypervisors Supported for Cisco vWAAS and Cisco vCM

Here is an overview of the hypervisors that are supported for Cisco vWAAS and Cisco vCM.

• Cisco ISR-WAAS

Cisco ISR-WAAS is the specific implementation of vWAAS running in a Cisco IOS-XE software container on a Cisco ISR 4000 Series router (ISR-4321, ISR-4331, ISR-4351, ISR-4431, ISR-4451, ISR-4461). In this context, container refers to the hypervisor that runs virtualized applications on a Cisco ISR 4000 Series router.

Note Cisco ISR-4461 is supported for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS 6.4.1b and later.

For more information, see Chapter 3, “Cisco vWAAS on Cisco ISR-WAAS” .

• VMware ESXi

Cisco vWAAS for VMware ESXi provides cloud-based application delivery service over the WAN in ESX-based or ESXi-based environments. Cisco vWAAS on VMware vSphere ESXi is delivered an OVA file. The vSphere client takes the OVA file for a specified vWAAS model, and deploys an instance of that vWAAS model.

For more information, see Chapter 4, “Cisco vWAAS on VMware ESXi” .

• Microsoft Hyper-V

Microsoft Hyper-V, which is available for vWAAS in WAAS Version 6.1.x and later, provides virtualization services through hypervisor-based emulations.

Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V extends Cisco networking benefits to Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V deployments.

Microsoft HyperV, Chapter 5, “Cisco vWAAS on Microsoft Hyper-V” .

• RHEL KVM and KVM CentOS

Cisco vWAAS on Red Hat Enterprise Linux Kernel-based Virtual Machine (RHEL KVM) is a virtual WAAS appliance that runs on a RHEL KVM hypervisor. Cisco vWAAS on RHEL KVM extends the capabilities of ISR-WAAS and vWAAS running on the Cisco UCS E-Series Servers.

– Cisco vWAAS on RHEL KVM is available for vWAAS with WAAS Version 6.2.1 and later,

– Cisco vWAAS on KVM on CentOS (Linux Community Enterprise Operating System) is available for vWAAS with WAAS Version 6.2.3x and later.

Note Cisco vWAAS on RHEL KVM can also be deployed as a tar archive (tar.gz) to deploy Cisco vWAAS on Cisco Network Functions Virtualization Infrastructure Software (NFVIS). The Cisco NFVIS portal is used to select the tar.gz file to deploy Cisco vWAAS.

For more information, see Chapter 6, “Cisco vWAAS on RHEL KVM, KVM on CentOS, and KVM in SUSE Linux” .

• Cisco Enterprise NFVIS

Cisco Enterprise NFVIS offers flexibility and choice in deployment and platform options for the Cisco Enterprise NFV solution. By virtualizing and abstracting the network services from the underlying hardware, NFVIS allows virtual network functions (VNFs) to be managed independently and to be provisioned dynamically.

– For Cisco vWAAS in WAAS Version 5.x to 6.2.x: Cisco NFVIS is available for Cisco vWAAS running on Cisco UCS E-Series Servers.

– For Cisco vWAAS in WAAS Version 6.4.1 and later: Cisco NFVIS is available for Cisco vWAAS running on Cisco UCS E-Series Servers and the Cisco ENCS 5400 Series.

For more information, see Chapter 9, “Cisco vWAAS with Cisco Enterprise NFVIS” .

Hypervisor OVA Packages for Cisco vWAAS

This section contains the following topics:

• Hypervisor OVA Package Format for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Versions 5.x to 6.2.x
• Hypervisor-Wise Unified OVA Package Format for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.x and Later

Hypervisor OVA Package Format for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Versions 5.x to 6.2.x

For Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Versions 5.x to 6.2.x, Cisco provides an OVA package for an NPE and non-NPE version for each Cisco vWAAS model connection profile.

For a listing of hypervisor-wise NPE and non-NPE OVA files for Cisco vWAAS or Cisco vCM, see the Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) Download Software page and select the Cisco WAAS software version used with your Cisco vWAAS instance.

Table 1-26 shows the file formats for hypervisors supported for Cisco vWAAS and Cisco vCM, in Cisco WAAS Version 5.x to 6.2.x.

Table 1-26 File Formats for OVA Packages for Cisco vWAAS and Cisco vCM in WAAS Versions 5.x to 6.2.x

Hypervisor-Wise Unified OVA Package Format for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.x and Later

For Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.x and later, Cisco provides a single unified OVA package, one each for the NPE and non-NPE version of the Cisco WAAS image for all the Cisco vWAAS and Cisco vCM models for that hypervisor (Table 1-27). Each unified OVA package file provides an option to select a Cisco vWAAS or Cisco vCM model and other required parameters to launch Cisco vWAAS or Cisco vCM in Cisco WAAS in the required configuration.

Note On VMware ESXi, the OVA deployment for Cisco vWAAS in Cisco WAAS Version 6.4.1 and later must be done only through VMware vCenter.

For a listing of hypervisor-wise NPE and non-NPE OVA files for Cisco vWAAS or Cisco vCM, see the Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS) Download Software page and select the Cisco WAAS software version for your Cisco vWAAS instance.

Table 1-27 Supported Unified OVA Files for Cisco vWAAS and vCM in WAAS Version 6.4.x and Later, by Hypervisor