Техническая Спецификация для Cisco Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Release 5.2
Data Sheet
© 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
Page 1 of 15
Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Release 5.2(1)
Product Overview
Cisco
®
MDS 9000 NX-OS Software is the underlying system software that powers the award-winning Cisco MDS
9000 Family multilayer switches. Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS is designed for data center switches to create a strategic
platform with superior reliability, performance, and scalability. Cisco expands its Unified Fabric storage portfolio with
enhanced Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and Fibre Channel options, unified management, and new fabric
services for Cisco MDS 9000 series Family products and Cisco Nexus
®
7000 Series Switches to enable
convergence, scale, and intelligence across LAN and SAN environments in large, virtualized data centers.
In addition to providing all the essential features that the market expects of a SAN switch, Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS
provides many unique features that help the Cisco MDS 9000 Family deliver low total cost of ownership (TCO) and a
quick return on investment (ROI).
Flexibility and Scalability
Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS is a highly flexible and scalable platform for enterprise SANs.
Common Software Across All Platforms
Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS runs on all Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches, from multilayer fabric switches to multilayer
directors. Using the same base system software across the entire product line helps Cisco provide an extensive,
consistent, and compatible feature set across the Cisco MDS 9000 Family. In addition, Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS runs
on the Cisco Nexus Family of data center Ethernet switches, providing a common software infrastructure for the
evolution of unified fabrics.
Multiprotocol Support
In addition to supporting Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP), Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS supports IBM Fibre Connection
(FICON), Small Computer System Interface over IP (iSCSI), FCoE, and Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) in a single
platform. Native iSCSI support in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family helps customers consolidate storage for a wide range
of servers into a common pool on the SAN. FCoE allows an evolutionary approach to I/O consolidation by preserving
all Fibre Channel constructs, maintaining the latency, security, and traffic management attributes of Fibre Channel
while preserving investments in Fibre Channel tools, training, and SANs. FCoE recognizes Fibre Channel as the
dominant storage protocol in the data center while giving customers a viable I/O consolidation solution. FCoE
simplifies customer environments by using Ethernet and allowing the industry to avoid creation of another, separate
protocol for I/O consolidation. Native FCIP support allows customers to take advantage of their existing investment in
IP networks for cost-effective business continuity solutions for both Fibre Channel and FICON environments. With
Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS multiprotocol support, customers can better use their enterprise resources, thereby
lowering costs and reducing business risk.
Virtual SANs
Virtual SAN (VSAN) technology partitions a single physical SAN into multiple VSANs. The Cisco MDS 9000 Family
switches led the market with VSAN support built into the switch hardware, and have the most mature and
comprehensive support for this implementation of the industry’s virtual fabric standard. VSAN capabilities allow
Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS to logically divide a large physical fabric into separate, isolated environments to improve
Fibre Channel SAN scalability, availability, manageability, and security. For mainframe environments, VSANs
facilitate true hardware-based separation of FICON and open systems.