Q&A
Cisco MDS 9124 24-Port Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can the 4 Gb/s technology be deployed in 1 Gb/s and 2 Gb/s environments?
A. Yes. The MDS-9124 protects existing investments by providing 4 Gb/s technology with autosensing capabilities to support 1 Gb/s and 2 Gb/s environments.
Q. Can long-wave optics be ordered for the MDS-9124?
A. Yes. Here are the available 4 Gb/s models…
Long-Wave MDS Optics
Models
Descriptions
MDS-4G-MR4K
Single 4 Gb 4 kilometer (km) long-wave optics
MDS-4G-LR10K
Single 4 Gb 10 kilometer (km) long-wave optics
Q. Does the MDS-9124 support all of the optional packages of the MDS series, such as
the Enterprise Package and Fabric Manager Server?
A. Yes. The Enterprise and Fabric Manager Server license-keyed features are available for the
MDS-9124. The MDS Mainframe, SAN Extension Package, and Storage Solutions Enable
licenses are not supported. Optional License Keys for the MDS-9124:
Models
Descriptions
MDS-ENT-9100
Enterprise Package for the MDS- 9100 series. Supported features of the Enterprise Package
include Fibre Channel Port Security, Fibre Channel Security Protocol, Dell VirtualSAN (VSAN)based Access Control, Fibre Channel Quality of Service . Note: Inter-VSAN Routing, LUN Zoning,
and Read-Only Zones are not supported on the MDS9124 (by Cisco and Dell.) Refer to the
Release Notes for the complete detail of other unsupported features.
MDS-FMS-9100
The Fabric Manager Server (FMS) license provides network-wide historical performance
monitoring and analysis.
Q. Does the MDS-9124 replace the 20-port MDS-9020 model?
A. Yes. Cisco announced the end-of-life of the MDS-9020 models in December 2006.
Q. How does the new MDS-9124 compare to the other MDS Fibre Channel switches?
A. Use this chart to compare the features of the other MDS Fibre Channel switches with the
MDS-9124:
Features
MDS-9124
MDS-9120
and MDS-9140
MDS-9020
Maximum ports
24
20 and 40
20
Ports-on-demand
licensing
Yes. Unit is shipped with eight
ports active. Add up to 16 more
ports in 8-port increments
Not available
Not available
Maximum port
speed
4 Gb/s
2 Gb/s
4 Gb/s
Dual power
supplies (PS)
Yes (order second separate power
supply for redundancy)
Yes (two PS included
with base unit)
Single PS model only
VSANs
Yes
Yes
Not supported
Port Channels
Yes
Yes
Not supported
Operating system
SAN OS
SAN OS
FabricWare
Nondisruptive
code upgrade
Yes
No
Yes
© 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Q&A
Q. Are there plans to end-of-life the 2 Gb/s MDS-9120 and MDS-9140?
A. Not at this time.
Q. Who are the target customers for the MDS 9124 Fabric Switches?
A. The MDS 9124 is targeted toward SMB, mid-market commercial and enterprise customers. It
is an optimal solution in these cases:
●
An SMB customer that is exploring a low-cost option for SAN and accelerated backup. MDS
9124 proof points:
◦ Line-rate, 1/2/4-Gbps interfaces provide high-performance connectivity, On-demand port
activation enables a “pay-as-you-grow” model, “Quick Configuration Wizard” provides
plug and play capabilities.
●
A commercial customer that is researching scaleable options to consolidate its storage,
backup, and SAN infrastructure. MDS 9124 proof points:
◦ On-demand licensing provides 8-port, 16-port, and 24-port configuration for scalability
and growth.
●
An enterprise customer that is requesting low-cost, enterprise-class features for its coreedge SAN design. MDS 9124 proof points:
◦ The Cisco MDS 9124 is fully compatible with the Cisco MDS 9000 family multilayer
directors and multilayer fabric switches for transparent, end-to-end service delivery in
large data center core-edge deployments.
Q. Is the MDS 9124 Fabric Switch and Cisco-developed product, or a 3rd-party
OEM product?
A. The Cisco MDS 9124 is a Cisco-developed product and is fully interoperable with the entire
family of Cisco SANOS-based MDS 9000 products.
Q. What is the maximum distance supported by the MDS-9124?
A. WAN/LAN connectivity is supported up to 500 km.
Q. Is FICON qualified for the MDS-9124?
A. No.
Q. Can the MDS-9124 connect via interswitch links (ISL) to other MDS-series
products?
A. Yes. Refer to the March 2007 release of “Dell Support Matrix” on Dell.com or E-Lab
Interoperability Navigator on Powerlink for firmware revision details.
Q. Is multi-vendor connectivity supported with the MDS-9124? In other words, can
you connect a MDS-9124 via an ISL to a DS-4100B or any other non-MDS series
switch/director?
A. Yes. Refer to the March release of the “Dell Support Matrix” on Dell.com or E-Lab
Interoperability Navigator on Powerlink for firmware revision details.
Q. What are the most interesting differentiators?
A. The integrated, advanced SAN-OS-based features (such as VSANs, QoS, Port Channels,
Fabric Manager, Advanced Security, and Diagnostics) are a part of the base package and
there are no hidden costs for the end-user. Also included is a Quick Configuration Wizard for
fast setup. Unlike competitor’s ISL Trunking (only available as an added feature cost), Cisco
provides the Port Channels feature for up to 16 x 4-Gbps aggregated links for up to 64-Gbps
link aggregation.
© 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Q&A
Q. What else should I be promoting to customers and channel partners about the
MDS 9124?
A. This fabric switch is affordable, easy to deploy, and delivers a New Breed of Fabric Switch.
Commercial customers need advanced security features, they need the ability to scale for
growth. Only Cisco delivers enterprise class features to the Commercial business that stops
treating the Commercial end-user as a second class citizen.
Lastly, if your commercial customer is managing both LAN network and storage, you may want to
point out that the Cisco CLI will be intuitive to him with an end-to-end Cisco architecture.
Q. How does Dell’s version of the MDS-9124 differ from those offered by HP, HDS,
IBM, EMC, Dell and so on?
A. Dell switches include a two-year hardware warranty, which includes 24x7x4-hour service in
most geographical locations. In addition, the March release of the “Dell Support Matrix” lists
the supported host bus adapters (HBA), operating systems, arrays, etc., that are supported
with the switches, and only Dell guarantees everything listed on this matrix.
Q. Is the MDS 9124 Fabric Switch product too late?
A. Cisco entered the SAN market just three and a half years ago. The same question was asked
when Cisco entered the SAN market. Cisco now has a huge presence with the enterprise and
commercial customer base. We are confident in getting our fair share of the market in this
segment given the right product, feature set, pricing, and sales and marketing efforts.
Dell has tested and certified the Cisco MDS 9124 switch for use with Dell storage systems.
Dell specifically disclaims knowledge of the accuracy, completeness or substantiation for all
statements and claims made in this document regarding the properties, capabilities, speeds
or qualifications of the switch.
Printed in USA
© 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
C67-464428-00 3/08
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