Cisco MDS 9124 DS-C9124-2-K9 Data Sheet
Product codes
DS-C9124-2-K9
Data Sheet
© 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Simplified storage management: The Cisco MDS 9124 includes built-in storage network management, with
all features available through a command-line interface (CLI) or the Cisco Data Center Network Manager
(DCNM) for SAN Essentials Edition (formerly Cisco Fabric Manager), a centralized management tool with
task-based wizards that simplify management of a standalone switch or multiple switches and fabrics.
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Sophisticated diagnostics: Industry-leading intelligent diagnostics such as Fibre Channel ping, Fibre
Channel traceroute, Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN), Cisco Fabric Analyzer, and integrated call-home
capability enhance reliability, facilitate faster problem resolution, and reduce service costs.
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Reduced total cost of ownership (TCO): Common platform architecture and the use of Cisco MDS 9000
NX-OS Software intelligent storage-networking services across all Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches reduce
ongoing operating expenses by providing a consistent set of provisioning, management, and diagnostic
capabilities.
Main Features and Benefits
Exceptional Flexibility and Scalability
The Cisco MDS 9124 offers up to 24 autosensing Fibre Channel ports capable of speeds of 4, 2, and 1 Gbps in a
compact 1RU form-factor chassis. With 4 Gbps of dedicated bandwidth for each port, the Cisco MDS 9124 is
designed to meet the performance and scalability requirements of the most demanding environments.
The flexibility of the Cisco MDS 9124 is provided by the Cisco MDS 9124 On-Demand Port Activation licenses, which
allow expansion in 8-port increments. Customers can start with a base configuration of 8 ports and can upgrade
onsite to 16 and 24 ports using these licenses. With advanced storage networking capabilities built into the platform,
it is an ideal choice both as a standalone departmental SAN switch and as an edge switch in enterprise core-edge
SANs.
The Cisco MDS 9124 includes hot-swappable, Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP), LC interfaces. All SFP interfaces
are 4, 2, and 1 Gbps, with autosensing capabilities. Individual ports can be configured with either short-or long-
wavelength SFP optics for connectivity up to 500 meters (m) and 10 kilometers (km), respectively.
VSANs for Segmentation and Isolation
VSAN, an industry standard for fabric virtualization capabilities, allows more efficient storage network use by creating
hardware-based isolated environments within a single physical SAN fabric or switch. Up to 16 VSANs are supported
per switch. Each VSAN can be zoned as a typical SAN and maintains its own fabric services and management
domains for added scalability and resilience. VSANs allow the cost of SAN infrastructure to be shared among more
users, while helping ensure segregation of traffic and retaining independent control of configuration on a VSAN-by-
VSAN basis.
Advanced Traffic Management for High-Performance, Resilient SANs
Advanced traffic management capabilities integrated into the Cisco MDS 9124 simplify deployment and optimization
of core-edge fabrics.
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Virtual output queuing helps ensure line-rate performance on each port, independent of traffic pattern, by
eliminating head-of-line blocking.
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Each port group consisting of 4 ports has a pool of 64 buffer credits, with a default of 16 buffer credits per
port. When extended distances are required, up to 61 buffer credits can be allocated to a single port within
the port group. This extensibility is available without additional licensing.
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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 group failure.