Data Sheet
© 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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PortChannels allow users to aggregate up to 16 physical ISLs into a single logical bundle, providing
optimized bandwidth use across all links. The bundle can consist of any port from the switch, helping ensure
that the bundle remains active even in the event of a port failure.
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Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF)–based multipathing provides the intelligence to load balance across up to
16 equal-cost paths and, in the event of a switch failure, dynamically reroute traffic.
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QoS can be used to manage bandwidth and control latency, to prioritize critical traffic.
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Comprehensive port and flow statistics facilitate sophisticated performance analysis and service-level
agreement (SLA) accounting.
Advanced Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Tools
Management of storage networks requires proactive diagnostics, tools to verify connectivity and route latency, and
mechanisms for capturing and analyzing traffic. The Cisco MDS 9124 integrates the industry’s most advanced
analysis and debugging tools. Power-on self-test (POST) and online diagnostics provide proactive health monitoring.
The Cisco MDS 9124 provides the integrated hardware functions required to implement diagnostic capabilities such
as Fibre Channel Traceroute to detail the exact path and timing of flows and SPAN to intelligently capture network
traffic. After traffic has been captured, it can be analyzed with the Cisco Fabric Analyzer, an embedded Fibre
Channel analyzer. With the Cisco MDS 9124, Cisco delivers a comprehensive toolset for troubleshooting and
analysis of an organization’s storage network.
Comprehensive Security
Recognizing the need for unassailable security in storage networks, the Cisco MDS 9124 offers an extensive
security framework to protect highly sensitive data crossing today’s enterprise networks.
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VSANs are used to achieve higher security and greater stability by providing complete isolation among
devices that are connected to the same physical SAN.
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Intelligent packet inspection at the port level, including the application of access control lists (ACLs) for
hardware enforcement of zones, VSANs, and advanced port security features.
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Extended zoning capabilities help ensure that broadcasts are restricted to the selected zones (the broadcast
zones).
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FC-SP provides switch-to-switch and host-to-switch Diffie-Hellman Challenge Handshake Authentication
Protocol (DH-CHAP) authentication supporting RADIUS or , to help ensure that only authorized
devices access protected storage networks.
This feature, in conjunction with management access and control plane security, makes the Cisco MDS 9000 family
among the most secure platforms of its kind.
High-Availability Platform for Mission-Critical Environments
The Cisco MDS 9124 is designed for mission-critical availability. Nondisruptive software upgrades; hot-swappable,
redundant fans and power supplies; and the unique ability to automatically restart failed processes combine to define
a new standard for fabric switch availability.
High availability is implemented at the fabric level through the industry’s most robust and highest-performance ISLs.
PortChannel capability allows users to aggregate up to 16 physical ports into one logical bundle. The bundle can
sustain the failure of any physical link without causing a reset. Additionally, FSPF multipathing provides the
intelligence to load balance across up to 16 equal-cost paths and, if a switch fails, to dynamically reroute traffic. The
Cisco MDS 9124 takes fabric-switch availability to a new level, minimizing TCO.
