Cisco UCS B260 M4
The Cisco UCS B260 M4 was a 2-socket full-width scalable blade server powered by Intel Xeon E7-2800, E7-4800, or E7-8800 v3/v4 processors. Designed with a modular architecture that could be coupled with a second blade to form a 4-socket B460 M4, it provided high memory capacity for mission-critical enterprise databases.
Specifications
| Brand | Cisco |
|---|---|
| Family | UCS B-Series |
| Form factor | blade |
| Released | Sep 2014 |
| End of sale | Aug 2018 |
| End of support | Aug 2023 |
| Processor | Up to 2x Intel Xeon E7-8800/4800/2800 v3 or v4 processors up to 24 cores each |
| Memory | 48x DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 3TB memory |
| Drive bays | Up to 2x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA/SSD drives |
| Mezzanine slots | 2x mezzanine slots for Cisco VIC adapters |
| Network | Cisco UCS VIC 1340 delivering high-throughput unified fabric |
| Chassis compatibility | Cisco UCS 5108 Blade Server Chassis (occupies 2 half-width slots) |
| Management | Cisco UCS Manager |
Generations
- Next generation: Cisco UCS B480 M5
Compatible parts
Hard drives
UCS-HD450G15K12G Cisco 450 GB 12G SAS 15K RPM SFF HDD
UCS-HD600G15K12G Cisco 600 GB 12G SAS 15K RPM SFF HDD
Memory
UCS-ML-2X324RY-E Cisco 2x32GB DDR3-1600-MHz LRDIMM/PC-12800/quad rank /x4
UCS-ML-2X648RY-E Cisco 2x64GB DDR3-1600-MHz LRDIMM/PC-12800/octal rank/x4
UCS-MR-2X082RY-E Cisco 2X8GB DDR3-1600-MHz RDIMM/PC-12800/dual rank/x2
UCS-MR-2X162RY-E Cisco 2X16GB DDR3-1600-MHz RDIMM/PC-12800/dual rank/x4
SSDs
UCS-SD16TB12S4-EP Cisco 1.6 TB 2.5 inch Enterprise Performance 12G SAS SSD(10X DWPD)
UCS-SD19TBKSS-EV Cisco 1.9TB 2.5 inch Enterprise Value 6G SATA SSD(1 FWPD)-PM863
UCS-SD400G12S4-EP Cisco 400 GB 2.5 inch Enterprise Performance 12G SAS SSD (10X DWPD)
UCS-SD480GBKSS-EV Cisco 480 GB 2.5 in Enterprise Value 6G SATA SSD (1FWPD) (PM86)
UCS-SD800G0KS2-EP Cisco 800 GB Enterprise Performance 6G SAS SSD (Samsung 1625)
UCS-SD800G12S4-EP Cisco 800 GB 2.5 inch Enterprise Performance 12G SAS SSD (10X DWPD)
UCS-SD960GBKS4-EV Cisco 960 GB 2.5 inch Enterprise Value 6G SATA SSD
Network adapters
UCS-VIC-M82-8P Cisco UCS VIC 1280 mezzanine adapter
UCSB-MLOM-40G-01 Cisco UCS VIC 1240 modular LOM for blade servers
UCSB-MLOM-40G-03 Cisco UCS VIC 1340 modular LOM for blade servers
UCSB-VIC-M83-8P Cisco UCS VIC 1380 mezzanine adapter
TPM modules
UCSX-TPM1-001 Cisco Trusted Platform Module for UCS
Works together
How the Cisco UCS B260 M4 connects to servers, storage and the network: 4 ways, with the parts and products on each path.
Fibre Channel SAN
Match the speed: 16Gb and 32Gb FC HBAs, switches and array ports work together, and each generation also runs one or two speeds below its own (a 32Gb port runs at 16Gb and 8Gb).
Adapters for the server (check the fit list)
UCSC-PCIE-BD16GF Cisco Emulex LPe31002 Dual Port 16G Fibre Channel HBA
UCSC-PCIE-BD32GF Cisco Broadcom LPe32002 Dual-Port 32G FC HBA
UCSC-PCIE-BS32GF Cisco Broadcom LPe32000 Single-Port 32G FC HBA
UCSC-PCIE-QD16GF Cisco Qlogic QLE2692 Dual Port 16G Fibre Channel HBA
Switches
Cisco MDS 9706 chassis
Cisco MDS 9148S 1U
Cisco Nexus 5672UP 1U fixed switch
Cisco MDS 9710 chassis
Storage
HPE StoreEver MSL2024 Tape Library 2U rack tape library
Dell PowerVault MD3800F 2U rack
Dell PowerVault MD3800i 2U rack
Dell PowerVault MD3820F 2U rack
Dell PowerVault MD3860F 4U rack
Dell VMAX 100K system bay rack
Optics
DS-SFP-FC16G-LW Cisco 16Gbps Fibre Channel Longwave SFP+ Transceiver
DS-SFP-FC16G-SW Cisco 16Gbps Fibre Channel Shortwave SFP+ Transceiver
DS-SFP-FC32G-LW Cisco 32Gbps Fibre Channel Longwave SFP28 Transceiver
iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet
Keep the speed the same at all three points: a 25GbE server, a 25GbE switch port and a 25GbE array port. Mixed speeds work but the slowest link sets the pace.
Adapters for the server (check the fit list)
UCSC-O-ID10GC-D Cisco Intel X710T2LOCPV3G1L 2x10GbE RJ45 OCP 3.0 NIC
UCSC-O-ID25GF Cisco Intel XXV710DA2OCP1 2x25/10GbE OCP 2.0
UCSC-PCIE-E14102 Cisco Emulex OCe14102-FX dual-port 10 GbE FCoE CNA
UCSC-PCIE-Q8362 Cisco Qlogic QLE8362 dual-port 10 GbE FCoE CNA
Switches
Cisco Nexus 9504 modular chassis
Cisco Nexus 9516 modular chassis
Cisco Nexus 3524-X 1U fixed switch
Cisco Nexus 3548-X 1U fixed switch
Storage
Dell PowerProtect DD Data Domain DD2200 2U appliance- Dell PowerVault MD3800i 2U rack
Dell PowerVault MD3820i 2U rack
Dell PowerVault MD3860i 4U rack- Dell VMAX 100K system bay rack
Dell VMAX 200K system bay multi-rack
Optics
QSFP-100G-CWDM4-S Cisco 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
QSFP-100G-LR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
QSFP-100G-SR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Direct-attached SAS
12Gb SAS uses Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644) connectors; older 6Gb gear uses Mini-SAS (SFF-8088). Adapter cables exist, but the link runs at the slower speed.
Adapters for the server (check the fit list)
UCSC-9400-8E Cisco 12G 9400-8e 12G SAS HBA for external JBOD attach. You can install up to
Storage
Dell PowerVault MD1400 2U rack
Dell PowerVault MD1420 2U rack
Dell PowerVault MD3400 2U rack
Dell PowerVault MD3420 2U rack
IBM Storwize V3700 2U rack
Dell PowerStore NVMe Expansion Enclosure (ENS24) 2U rack
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Adapters for the server (check the fit list)
- UCSC-O-ID10GC-D Cisco Intel X710T2LOCPV3G1L 2x10GbE RJ45 OCP 3.0 NIC
- UCSC-O-ID25GF Cisco Intel XXV710DA2OCP1 2x25/10GbE OCP 2.0
- UCSC-PCIE-E14102 Cisco Emulex OCe14102-FX dual-port 10 GbE FCoE CNA
- UCSC-PCIE-Q8362 Cisco Qlogic QLE8362 dual-port 10 GbE FCoE CNA
Switches
- Cisco Nexus 9504 modular chassis
- Cisco Nexus 9516 modular chassis
- Cisco Nexus 3524-X 1U fixed switch
- Cisco Nexus 3548-X 1U fixed switch
Storage
NetApp FAS Series FAS2520 2U rack
NetApp FAS Series FAS2552 2U rack
NetApp FAS Series FAS8020 3U modular rack
NetApp FAS Series FAS8040 6U modular rack
NetApp FAS Series FAS8060 6U modular rack
NetApp AFF A-Series AFF8020 3U modular rack
Optics
- QSFP-100G-CWDM4-S Cisco 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
- QSFP-100G-LR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
- QSFP-100G-SR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
- SAN transport and NVMe over FC for backup mrplanb.com
Check compatibility with Cisco
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that Cisco has tested with the Cisco UCS B260 M4.
- Compatibility Cisco UCS Hardware Compatibility List
- Compatibility Cisco Optics-to-Device Compatibility Matrix
- Support Cisco Support and Downloads
Equivalent models from other brands
FAQ
Could the B260 M4 be upgraded to a 4-socket server?
Yes, by adding a second B260 M4 module and an interconnect bridge, it became a 4-socket B460 M4.
What processors did the B260 M4 use?
The B260 M4 used Intel Xeon E7 v3 and v4 series enterprise processors.
Buying or selling UCS B260 M4?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- Cisco UCS B260 M4 Blade Server Data Sheet, checked 2026-10-28
- Cisco UCS B260 M4 Blade Server Spec Sheet (Xeon E7 v3), checked 2026-10-28