Cisco UCS C240 M6
The Cisco UCS C240 M6 is a 2U 2-socket enterprise rack server powered by 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors. Engineered for storage-demanding applications, big data, virtualization, and GPU workloads, it supports up to 28 NVMe/SAS drives and up to 8 PCIe Gen 4 expansion slots under Cisco Intersight management.
Specifications
| Brand | Cisco |
|---|---|
| Family | UCS C-Series |
| Form factor | 2U rack |
| Released | Apr 2021 |
| Processor | Up to 2x 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors up to 40 cores each (up to 270W TDP) |
| Memory | 32x DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 8TB (including Intel Optane Persistent Memory 200 Series) |
| Drive bays | Up to 28x 2.5-inch SAS/SATA/NVMe SSDs or up to 12x 3.5-inch SAS/SATA HDDs, plus internal M.2 |
| Expansion slots | Up to 8x PCIe Gen 4 slots plus dedicated OCP 3.0 slot; supports up to 2x double-wide GPUs |
| Network | OCP 3.0 slot and PCIe Cisco VIC adapters supporting 25GbE, 40GbE, and 100GbE |
| Power supply | Dual redundant hot-swap power supplies up to 2300W |
| Management | Cisco IMC and Cisco Intersight |
Generations
- Previous generation: Cisco UCS C240 M5
- Next generation: Cisco UCS C240 M7
Compatible parts
Hard drives
UCS-HD300G15K12N Cisco 300 GB 12G SAS 15K RPM SFF HDD
UCS-HD900G15K12N Cisco 900 GB 12G SAS 15K RPM SFF HDD
Boot devices
UCS-M2-192TB Cisco 1.9 TB SATA M.2
UCS-M2-240G Cisco 240GB SATA M.2
UCS-M2-I240GB Cisco 240GB SATA M.2 SSD
Memory
UCS-ML-128G4RW Cisco 128 GB LRDIMM QRx4 3200 (16Gb) (non-3DS)
UCS-MR-X16G1RW Cisco 16 GB RDIMM SRx4 3200 (8Gb)
UCS-MR-X32G1RW Cisco 32 GB RDIMM SRx4 3200 (16Gb)
UCS-MR-X32G2RW Cisco 32 GB RDIMM DRx4 3200 (8Gb)
UCS-MR-X64G2RW Cisco 64 GB RDIMM DRx4 3200 (16Gb)
SSDs
UCS-NVMEXP-I400 Cisco 400GB 2.5in U.2 Intel P5800X Optane NVMe Extreme Perform SSD
UCS-NVMEXP-I800 Cisco 800GB 2.5in U.2Intel P5800X Optane NVMe Extreme Perform SSD
UCS-SD16TKA3X-EP Cisco 1.6TB 2.5in Enterprise Performance 12G SAS SSD(3X endurance)
UCS-SD19T63X-EP Cisco 1.9 TB 2.5in Enterprise performance 6GSATA SSD(3X endurance)
UCS-SD19TBM3X-EP Cisco 1.9TB 2.5in Enterprise performance 6GSATA SSD(3X endurance)
UCS-SD32TKA3X-EP Cisco 3.2TB 2.5in Enter Perf 12G SAS Kioxia G2 SSD (3X)
UCS-SD480G63X-EP Cisco 480 GB 2.5in Enterprise Performance 6GSATA SSD(3X endurance)
GPUs
UCSC-GPU-A10 Cisco TESLA A10, PASSIVE, 150W, 24GB
UCSC-GPU-A30 Cisco TESLA A30, PASSIVE, 180W, 24GB
UCSC-GPU-L4M6 Cisco NVIDIA L4, 70W, 24GB, 1-slot HHHL
Network adapters
UCSC-M-V100-04 Cisco UCS VIC 1477 dual port 40/100G QSFP28 mLOM
UCSC-M-V25-04 Cisco UCS VIC 1467 quad port 10/25G SFP28 mLOM
UCSC-M-V5D200GV2 Cisco VIC 15237, MLOM, 2x40/100/200G for Rack
UCSC-M-V5Q50GV2 Cisco UCS VIC 15427 Quad Port CNA MLOM with Secure
UCSC-O-N6CD100GF Cisco-NVDA MCX623436AC-CDAB CX6Dx 2x100G QSFP56
UCSC-O-N6CD25GF Cisco-NVDA MCX631432AC-ADAB CX6Lx 2x25G SFP28 x8
HBAs
UCSC-P-Q6D32GF Cisco-QLogic QLE2772 2x32GFC Gen 6 Enhanced PCIe
UCSC-SAS-240M6 Cisco 12G SAS HBA (for UCSC-C240-M6S and UCSC-C240-M6SX servers)
Power supplies
UCSC-PSU1-1050W UCS 1050W AC PSU Platinum (Not EU/UK Lot 9 Compliant)
UCSC-PSU1-1200W Cisco 1200W Titanium power supply for C-Series Servers
UCSC-PSUV2-1050DC Cisco UCS 1050W -48V DC Power Supply for Rack Server Requires cable
RAID controllers
UCSC-RAID-240M6 Cisco 12G SAS RAID controller SuperCap and 4GB FBWC
UCSC-RAID-M6SD Cisco M6 12G SAS RAID controller with SuperCap and 4GB FBWC
Rail kits
UCSC-RAIL-M6 Cisco Ball Bearing Rail Kit for C220 and C240 M6 rack servers
TPM modules
UCSX-TPM-002C Cisco TPM 2.0, TCG, FIPS140-2, CC EAL4+ Certified, for M6 servers
Works together
How the Cisco UCS C240 M6 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 9124V 1U rack
Cisco MDS 9148V 1RU
Cisco MDS 9396V 2RU
Cisco MDS 9148T 1U
Storage
Dell PowerStore 500T 2U rack
HPE Alletra 6000 4U rack
HPE Alletra 9000 4U rack mission-critical array
Dell PowerMax 2500 4U multi-node rack
Dell PowerMax 8500 system bay multi-enclosure
Dell PowerStore 1000T 2U 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 93180YC-FX3 1U
Cisco Nexus 93108TC-FX3P 1U fixed switch
Cisco Nexus 9332D-GX2B 1U fixed switch
Cisco Nexus 9364C-GX 2U fixed switch
Storage
Dell PowerStore 500T 2U rack
HPE Alletra 6000 4U rack
HPE Alletra 9000 4U rack mission-critical array
Dell PowerMax 2500 4U multi-node rack
Dell PowerMax 8500 system bay multi-enclosure
Dell PowerStore 1000T 2U 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 ME5012 2U rack
Dell PowerVault ME5024 2U rack
Dell PowerVault ME5084 5U rack
HPE MSA 2060 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6400H 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE6600H 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 93180YC-FX3 1U
Cisco Nexus 93108TC-FX3P 1U fixed switch
Cisco Nexus 9332D-GX2B 1U fixed switch
Cisco Nexus 9364C-GX 2U fixed switch
Storage
Dell PowerScale A300 4U
Dell PowerScale A3000 4U 4-node chassis
Dell PowerScale F900 2U rack
Dell PowerScale H700 4U
Dell PowerScale H7000 4U 4-node chassis
Dell PowerStore 500T 2U 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 C240 M6.
- Compatibility Cisco UCS Hardware Compatibility List
- Compatibility Cisco Optics-to-Device Compatibility Matrix
- Support Cisco Support and Downloads
Equivalent models from other brands
FAQ
How many PCIe Gen 4 slots are available on the C240 M6?
The C240 M6 offers up to 8 PCIe Gen 4 slots across three riser assemblies plus an OCP 3.0 slot.
What GPU acceleration does the C240 M6 support?
It supports up to 2 double-wide or 5 single-wide PCIe graphics accelerators.
Buying or selling UCS C240 M6?
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 C240 M6 Rack Server Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-28
- Cisco UCS C240 M6 SFF Rack Server Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-28