Media Convergence Servers was a discontinued [1] server line that used to support Cisco Unified Communications systems. They are rebranded IBM System x and HP ProLiant servers.
Description edit
Cisco MCS servers are the servers in the traditional sense, where you have an OS like Linux or the Unified Communications OS (UCOS for CUCM etc) running directly above the hardware. These are basically really strong PCs.
Cisco UCS servers are primarily for virtualization. They have hardware in the form of a pool (RAM, HDD space, CPU cores). There will be an OS like the ESXi (VMWare) that will interact with the hardware pool. Above the ESXi are the CUCM, CUC application servers. They are virtualized servers which are "tricked" into believing that they have hardware by the ESXi system. The ESXi is responsible for regulating the use of the hardware pool for the various virtual servers running on top of it.
UCS servers bring different concepts like SAN (Storage Area Network) also into the picture, wher storage can be in one place and servers in another.
Models edit
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Desktop servers
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1U servers
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2U servers, ProLiant-[2] or IBM System x- based[3]
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2U servers