Getting Started Guide

At-A-Glance
Cisco MDS 9124 Multilayer Fabric Switch
Compared to Leading Competing SAN Switches
Smart Zoning: When the Smart Zoning feature is
enabled, Cisco MDS 9000 Family fabrics provision the
hardware access control entries specified by the zone
set more efficiently, avoiding the superfluous entries that
would allow servers (initiators) to talk to other servers, or
allow storage devices (targets) to talk to other storage
devices. This feature makes larger zones with multiple
initiators and multiple targets feasible without excessive
consumption of hardware resources. Thus, smart zones
can correspond to applications, application clusters,
hypervisor clusters, or other data center entities, saving
the time that administrators previously spent creating
many small zones, and enabling the automation of
zoning tasks.
Cisco MDS 9124: Delivering Compelling Value
for SMB SAN Solutions
Cisco provides SMB customers with an entry-level
SAN switch with enterprise-level capabilities at a list
price that is the lowest in the industry. The Cisco MDS
9124 enables customers to easily grow into a large
SAN as their organizations grow, at a lower cost than
for comparable competitive switches. Virtual fabrics,
E-ports, Inter-Switch Link (ISL) trunking, extended-
distance support, and management and monitoring
capabilities are provided at no additional cost on Cisco
switches, whereas competing vendors charge as much
as US$15,000 list price for a customer to enable these
features on their switches.
The Cisco Quick Configuration Wizard is an intuitive
and simple GUI for setting up an entry-level SAN. For
added security, the Cisco MDS 9124 allows the user to
configure the switch through a serial terminal with an IP
address and administrative password. The Cisco MDS
9124 is a Microsoft Simple SAN–certified product (http://
www.microsoftstoragepartners.com/SolutionShowcase/
Detail.aspx?SolutionID=501).
Consolidation of servers through server virtualization
technologies such as VMware has increased the
number of fabric logins needed on a SAN. With full
N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) support and Cisco N-Port
Virtualization (NPV) technology, the Cisco MDS 9124 is
designed with increased scalability built in. Using Cisco’s
VSAN technology, the Cisco MDS 9124 is the only
entry-level SAN switch with the capability to extend
server virtualization. Cisco NPV and Cisco FlexAttach
technologies on the Cisco MDS 9124 also enable
transparent server deployments and movement without
the need to reconfigure the SAN. Competing products
do not have these capabilities.
Cisco has a focused data center technology strategy
and identifies the Cisco MDS 9000 family storage
platform as the foundation for Data Center 3.0. Cisco
continues to invest heavily in storage-focused products
and to innovate to build best-in-class SAN switches.
Cisco’s growth leadership in Fibre Channel storage, its
strong OEM relationships in the partner community, and
many accolades from enterprise customers speak for
the success of the platform family.
The Cisco MDS 9124 Fibre Channel SAN switch offers
SMBs compelling enterprise-class value at a low cost.
This innovative solution is designed to be highly capable
and easy to configure and manage. At a time when
organizations are optimizing their budgets for the lowest
TCO for infrastructure, value can be found in the Cisco
MDS 9000 family fabric switch solutions.
Feature Comparable Competing
Vendor Switch
Cisco MDS 9124
Ports Per Chassis
8, 16, and 24 8, 16, and 24
Easy Deployment
Ye s Yes (Cisco Quick Configuration Wizard easily configures
and deploys the switch)
Virtual Fabric Support
No Yes (Cisco VSANs extends server virtualization to SANs)
Transparent Server Deployment and
Mobility
No Yes (Cisco NPV and FlexAttach transparently
accommodate server moves and deployments)
Redundant Integrated Power Supplies
No (1 power supply only—no redundancy) Yes (optional integrated second power supply for
high availability)
Integrated DC Power Supplies
No Yes (NEBS-compliant DC power supplies and switch for
service provider deployments)
Capability to Connect Two Switches
Together (E-Ports)
Requires additional license purchase Included with switch at no additional cost
Extended-Distance Support
Requires additional license purchase Included with switch at no additional cost (provides
support for business continuity solutions)
Link Aggregation and Fault-Tolerant
Trunking
Requires additional license purchase Included with switch at no additional cost (high-availability
feature reduces disruption)
Fabric Management and Monitoring
Requires additional license purchase Cisco Fabric Manager and Device Manager included with
switch at no additional cost
Microsoft Simple SAN Certified
Ye s Ye s
Table 1. Cisco MDS 9124 vs. Comparable Competing SAN Switch: A Feature Comparison
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