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Cisco Storage Area Networking

Cisco Storage Area Networking

Overview

What is Cisco Storage Area Networking?

The vendor states that the Cisco MDS 9000 multilayer SAN switches can help lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of storage environments. They combine what the vendor describes as a robust, flexible hardware architecture with multiple layers of network…

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Product Details

What is Cisco Storage Area Networking?

The vendor states that Cisco MDS 9000 multilayer SAN switches can help lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of storage environments. They say they combine a robust, flexible hardware architecture with multiple layers of network and storage-management intelligence. With them, you can build highly available, scalable storage networks with advanced security and unified management.

Cisco Storage Area Networking Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

The vendor states that the Cisco MDS 9000 multilayer SAN switches can help lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) of storage environments. They combine what the vendor describes as a robust, flexible hardware architecture with multiple layers of network and storage-management intelligence. With them, users can build highly available, scalable storage networks with advanced security and unified management.

INFINIDAT InfiniBox, Lenovo ThinkSystem DS Series, and Supermicro SuperStorage are common alternatives for Cisco Storage Area Networking.

Reviewers rate Performance highest, with a score of 10.

The most common users of Cisco Storage Area Networking are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(7)

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-3 of 3)
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Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Cisco Storage Area Networking in our organization to provide connectivity between our All Flash storage box and our SQL Servers. These servers require a low latency network to access their data located in our NVMe storage box. We have found that their capabilities are quite robust and the management effort in order to keep them updated are quite small. They haven't given us any issues or significant incidents with the technology, this gives complete peace of mind.
  • Provide low latency SAN access
  • Easy to configure configuration language
  • Great support from vendor
  • No loss of service when doing maintenance activities
  • User interface for certain configurations: some are hard to use or not intuitive
  • Enhanced analytics and reporting tools could provide deeper insights
  • Having more automation capabilities for routine tasks like firmware updates and host group management
The best scenario where we found the Cisco Storage Area Networking is best suited is for an architecture where we need a robust technology that provides high level SLAs regarding downtime due to maintenance activities. Our infrastructure provides the core to our Data analytics team, which provides the data needed for our commercial and management leaders to make the right decisions thanks to the data. We need our infrastructure to be robust and reliable, when it runs smoothly, we can focus on other aspects of IT Infrastructure areas, giving our inside business clients the service they need.
  • Enhanced reliability and minimized downtime.
  • Ensuring continuous data availability.
  • New business model that change CAPEX into OPEX with an evergreen equipment maintenance.
The combination of Cisco Storage Area Networking, Pure Storage FlashArray, Dell PowerEdge C servers, and Commvault backup solution has truly transformed our organizational landscape. The Pure Storage FlashArray with its high-performance flash storage has not only accelerated our data access but also allowed us to expand our network coverage without compromising on response times. Dell PowerEdge C servers have proven their worth in terms of scalability and processing power. Finally, Commvault's backup solution has been the guardian angel of our data.
My rating of Cisco Storage Area Networking is a solid 10 regarding low-latency network is due to the high needs our data analysis teams need on their tasks. They have a lot of batch jobs that last quite some time and that also overlaps in a series of periods during the day. Their batch jobs need to run flawlessly, so our commercial teams can make the right decisions right on time. Our data also needs to be backed, up, when we run backup jobs, it is important that they do not decrease the efficiency regarding the service. This is also a key point in our choice to use Cisco Storage Area Networking as our backbone.
Our Cisco Storage Area Networking team is very well aligned with our security team. Whenever there is a major security issue that has been exploited, both teams work and in hand to patch our switches as fast as possible. Thanks to Cisco research and continuous improvement, their firmware stays on top of major security exploits, providing rapid response to their clients.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use a mix of MDS 9248, and 9396 fabric switches to support FC SAN Fabrics. These [Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches] provide FC SAN Fabric to virtualized VMware environments and for bare-metal hosts running either Windows or Red Hat. The MDS's enable us to have a standard method of presenting FC fabric across the facility. We are currently visiting the implementation of [stretched] FC fabric through DWDM to replace FCIP replication between storage arrays.
  • Zoning
  • High MTBF
  • Buffer Credits
  • Centralized Management through DCNM
  • Cost (Port License Cost vs New Switch)
  • 3rd Part SFP+ Compatibility
  • Smart Zoning (personally prefer SIMT)
[Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches] provide an enterprise class SAN fabric for the consumption of storage devices across a multitude of devices within the datacenter. MDS is well suited to provide storage presentation to Virtualized environments (VMware in our case) and for bare metal hosts. The 9200 and 9300 family are capable to provide this without the requirement for a larger director switch within the datacenter.

Whilst configuration through the CLI is preferred, DCNM still falls short of being able to provide a single pane of glass without additional expensive licenses.
  • High MTBF
  • Stable hardened OS reducing the need for constant upgrades
  • NVMeOF Compatibility
  • High port density in relatively small footprint (with 9396)
For a high performing team with a number of SAN islands within a single facility, being able to have one standard product for FC fabric presentation to hosts has enabled us to run a smaller supporting team. We no longer have to manage different SAN fabrics across the environment and the compatibility with Next-Gen storage like NVMeOF ensures we don't need to forklift replace the equipment to support demanding workloads.
For raw throughput performance, we haven't experienced any issues directly relating to the [Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches], these issues have been up or downstream. We are not driving unified policies across the datacenter in our deployment, policy definition is done at a standards/governance layer and each environment is individually brought up to compliance. I would like to drive it further with automation, but having an applicable gap between updating A/B fabrics is great from a change management perspective. Automation drives efficiency but can add risk depending on implementation approach.
We tend to not deploy MDS's in an ISL deployment pattern, rather deploying a single unit with high enough port density to suit our requirements. Our standard switches are either 9248 or 9396's. My only issue is the high cost of adding additional port licenses "golden screwdrivers" for existing infrastructure. Historically its been cheaper to add a new switch and ISL than add additional licenses if you only have 1/4 to 1/2 licensed.
We have not experienced any specific critical or zero-day exploits that have required an urgent update of code. We leverage tools like Prime for AAA which meets our security requirements.
We looked at the Brocade G series and IBM SAN switches, but the seamless integration into our AAA suite and availability of skills in our local market were big factors. We also have these deployed in FlexPod and VxBlock environments, which the reference architectures provide additional confidence in the solutions overall compatibility, supportability and sustainability.
Jon McDowell | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches are used with our UCS chassis and fiber interconnect. They provide the connection to storage for all of our virtual desktops and servers. They are used for the whole organization and are the backbone for all traffic that needs to go to the storage devices.
  • Easy connectivity
  • Easy management
  • Good support for finding correct commands
  • Licensing
  • Lack of GUI
Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches are best used where you need multiple devices connected to multiple storage devices. They work well in the Cisco UCS family. We use them for all virtual desktops and servers. They connects the UCS chassis to storage devices through the fiber interconnect. Once the zoning is configured, there is no need to touch the device.
  • No connection drops
  • Allowed easy management of the UCS Chassis
  • Allows fast data transfers
Our organization has benefited from consistent connectivity across our storage and UCS systems. We have had no downtime with the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches. Traffic going through the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Switches has had no bottlenecks or speed issues.
Has always worked just as it should.
We have not reviewed this product's overall security vs others but have not noticed any issues.
We have not reviewed this products overall security vs others, but have not noticed any issues.
  • Brocade ADX (Discontinued)
We have used brocade fiber switches in the past and have had times when the switch was down.
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