Mental model
Cisco objective 3.3 (CCNAAUTO 200-901) says “Describe the capabilities of Cisco compute management platforms and APIs (UCS Manager and Intersight)”. Two tools, different scopes.
- UCS Manager (UCSM) — embedded manager inside a UCS Fabric Interconnect (FI) pair. Manages one UCS domain. Been around since 2009.
- Intersight — cloud SaaS. Manages every Cisco UCS/HyperFlex/Nexus/MDS device you register (“claim”) across any site. Launched 2017; where Cisco is investing.
What is a UCS?
Cisco Unified Computing System. Blade and rack servers (B-series, C-series, X-series) wired to a pair of Fabric Interconnects (FIs) that handle both the networking and the management plane. The compute platform behind many enterprise data centers.
UCS Manager
- Runs on the FI pair. HTTPS to the FI cluster IP.
- API: XML over HTTP (also a Python SDK that wraps it).
- Models the whole UCS domain as a tree of Managed Objects (MOs). Everything (chassis, blade, service profile, VLAN, policy) is an MO with a Distinguished Name (DN) like
sys/chassis-1/blade-2. - Example call:
# Login
curl -k -X POST -H "Content-Type: text/xml" \
-d '<aaaLogin inName="admin" inPassword="password"/>' \
https://ucsm.example.com/nuova
# -> returns a cookie in the response
- Scope: ONE UCS domain.
Intersight
- Runs in Cisco cloud (SaaS). You register (“claim”) devices by installing a tiny agent (Intersight Assist) on-prem that opens an outbound HTTPS tunnel.
- API: REST, JSON, OAuth2 (API key + secret → bearer token).
- Models everything as RESTful resources (
compute/PhysicalSummaries,network/Elements,firmware/UpgradeStatuses). - Example call:
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
https://www.intersight.com/api/v1/compute/PhysicalSummaries
- Scope: EVERY claimed device across every site, in one place.
When you pick which
| Scenario | Pick |
|---|---|
| Existing UCS domain, scripts already written for UCSM | UCSM |
| New UCS deployment | Intersight (and run the UCS in Intersight Managed Mode) |
| Multi-site visibility, firmware across all sites | Intersight |
| Air-gapped site with no internet | UCSM (or Intersight Private Virtual Appliance) |
| Learning the Cisco compute API from scratch for the exam | Intersight (JSON REST is friendlier) |
Comparison table
| UCS Manager | Intersight | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On the Fabric Interconnect pair | Cisco cloud (SaaS) |
| Auth | Cookie after XML login | OAuth2 bearer token |
| API payload | XML (object tree) | JSON (REST) |
| Scope | One UCS domain | All claimed devices, every site |
| Python SDK | ucsmsdk | intersight-python-sdk |
| Status | Mature, maintained | Strategic, new features ship here first |
What dropped from the v1.1 blueprint
The 2020 DEVASC blueprint listed UCS Director alongside UCSM and Intersight. UCS Director is end-of-sale; the v1.1 CCNAAUTO blueprint removed it. You do not need to know UCS Director for the current exam.
FAQ
Does Intersight manage network devices too? Yes, limited: Nexus Dashboard-managed switches, Catalyst SD-WAN, and HyperFlex. Primary focus remains compute.
Is Intersight free? There is a free tier (device inventory, basic alerts). Advantage and Premier tiers add orchestration, Kubernetes insights, workload optimisation. Pay per claimed device.
What is HyperFlex and is it on the exam? Cisco HyperFlex is hyperconverged infrastructure (compute + storage in one box). Managed by UCSM or Intersight. Not called out directly in the 200-901 blueprint but you may see it as context in compute questions.
How does Intersight talk to on-prem devices? Via Intersight Assist, a small VM you deploy on-prem. Assist opens an outbound HTTPS session to Intersight; devices never need inbound internet access.