Cisco Aironet 1040

Business Ready 802.11n Performance

With 2x2 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology providing at least six times the throughput of existing 802.11a/g networks, the Cisco Aironet 1040 Series offers the performance advantage of 802.11n enterprise-class quality at an entry-level price for small and medium-sized enterprises.

As part of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, the 1040 Series provides low total cost of ownership and investment protection by integrating seamlessly with the existing network.

RF Excellence

Building on the Cisco Aironet heritage of RF excellence, the 1040 Series delivers secure and reliable wireless connections. Enterprise-class chipsets and optimized radios deliver a robust mobility experience with:

• Optimized antenna and radio designs: Consistent network transmit and receive for optimized rate versus range

• Radio resource management (RRM): Automated self-healing optimizes the unpredictability of RF to reduce dead spots and help ensure high-availability client connections

Environmentally Responsible

Designed for sustainability, the Cisco Aironet 1040 Series offers 802.11n performance with standard 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE). At only 12.95 watts of power, the 1040 Series combines the power of dual-radio 802.11n with the efficiency of standard PoE. The sleek industrial design of the C2851HSEC/K9-U-CME Series blends seamlessly into any indoor enterprise environment.

For quicker staging and installation, you can order the 1040 Series in multiunit eco-packs, which offer 10 controller-based or 5 standalone access points in a single, easy-to-open carton. Eco-packs reduce product packaging by 50 percent, preserving natural resources and reducing emissions. By eliminating unnecessary components and offering digital instead of paper documentation, the 1040 Series eco-packs will save over 2200 trees per year, which is equal to the amount of power required to heat over 65 homes for an entire year.

The Cisco Aironet 1040 Series is a component of the Cisco Unified Wireless Network, which can scale to up to 18,000 access points with full Layer 3 mobility across central or remote locations on the enterprise campus, in branch offices, and at remote sites.

Cisco Aironet 1040 Series Access Points come with a Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty that includes 10-day advance hardware replacement.

Cisco IOS Software 15.1

Overview

Cisco IOS Software Release 15.1 is the next Cisco IOS Software release following the Cisco IOS Software Release 15.0. It was created for wide deployment in the world's most demanding enterprise, utility, and service provider networks. Cisco IOS Software Release 15.1 provides a comprehensive portfolio of Cisco technologies, functions, and hardware support from Releases 15.0 and 12.4, anchored by an intensive stability and testing program. Important innovations span multiple technology areas, including security, high availability, IP Routing, quality of service (QoS), IP Mobility, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), VPNs, Smart Grid, and embedded management.

Cisco IOS Software Release 15.1 provides new feature and hardware support more quickly than in previous Mainline (M) and Technology (T) releases, broadened feature consistency with other major Cisco IOS Software releases, more predictable new feature release and rebuild schedules, proactive individual release support policies, enhanced release numbering, and clearer software deployment and migration guidelines. Figure 1 details Cisco IOS Release 15.1.

Figure 1. Release 15.1 Train Map

Unlike the traditional Cisco IOS Software M and T model, Cisco IOS Software Release 15.1 does not diverge into separate M and T software release trains. With the 15.1 train, new releases will be available two to three times per year, delivered sequentially from a single software train. Extended Maintenance (EM) releases will be available approximately every 20 months. Standard maintenance T releases enable faster Cisco feature delivery before the next EM release becomes available.

Important highlights of Releases 15.1 M and T (illustrated in Figure 1) include the following:

• Feature inheritance from Cisco IOS Software Releases 15.0 and 12.4 releases

• New feature releases three times a year delivered sequentially from a single train

• Extended maintenance new feature 15 M releases every 20 months

• Standard maintenance new feature 15 T releases for the latest features and hardware support before the next 15 M release becomes available on Cisco.com

Cisco 2000 Series

The Cisco 2000 Series Connected Grid Router is a rugged router optimized for use in transmission and distribution (T&D) power substations. The Cisco 2010 Connected Grid Router (CGR 2010) is designed for substation networks to meet the harsh environments common in transmission and distribution substations.

Enhanced Security and Reliability

Cisco IOS software delivers the benefits of integrated security for NERC/CIP compliance, quality of service, and network management to help ensure integrity and priority of operational data communications.

Router Features

Cisco CGR 2010 features:

• Rugged industrial design and substation compliance with C1861-UC-4FXO-K9 and IEEE 1613 for utility substation environments
• Integrated security to help utilities address compliance with critical infrastructure protection mandates
• High availability design for optimum network up time and redundancy
• Network and device management tools for deployments,upgrades,and remote monitoring
• Advanced quality of service (QoS) capabilities to support mission-critical substation communications such as SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)
• Comprehensive network security features based on open standards

the external E1/T1 terminating device (CSU/DSU)

Integrating the external E1/T1 terminating device (CSU/DSU) increases the overall system reliability. Possible points of failure are reduced by eliminating the second power supply, additional fans, extra cabling, and other equipment that accompany a "two-box" solution. This increase in reliability allows service providers to more easily and cost-effectively meet the requirements of their customers' service-level agreements (SLAs) and provides utilities with maximum equipment uptime.

Platform Support

Refer to the software release notes or the Cisco IOS Software Upgrade Planner, or ask your local Cisco representative for information about minimum software and memory requirements. Table 1 shows the minimum Cisco IOS Software requirements for each platform.

Table 1. Minimum Cisco IOS Software Requirements

	Cisco CGR 2010
Minimum IOS Release	15.1(1)T
Minimum IOS Technology Package	IP Base

Table 2 shows the platform support and maximum number of Cisco Channelized T1/E1 and ISDN PRI Modules supported in each platform.

Table 2. Number of Cisco Channelized T1/E1 and ISDN PRI Modules per Platform

Type of Module	Cisco CGR 2010
1 port T1/E1 GRWIC	4
2 port T1/E1 GRWIC	4

Software and Management Features

Table 3 shows the number of DS-0 channels supported by Cisco Channelized T1/E1 and ISDN PRI GRWICs and Network Module. Each port can support up to 24 channels for T1 and 31 channels for E1.

Cisco Channelized T1/E1 Features and Benefits

• 1 or 2 ports of RJ-48

• Cisco IOS Software configurable for T1 or E1 operation

• Integrated CSU/DSU per port

• Fractional T1/E1 (n x DS-0) or full T1/E1

• Balanced or unbalanced E1 termination in the same module

• E1 unframed and framed modes (G.703 or G.704)

• Support for Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and Multilink Frame Relay (FRF.16)

• PRI for data

Key Benefits

Enhanced Flexibility

The Cisco E1/T1 ISDN PRI GRWICs are software-configurable between E1 or T1 operation, balanced or unbalanced E1 termination, and CSU/DSU. Customers no longer need to buy a specific module for T1 support and then another card for E1 connectivity. In addition, the same modules provide for balanced (120-ohm) and unbalanced (75-ohm) E1 termination.

Support for G.703 Unstructured E1 Signaling

The 1 & 2 port T1/E1 GRWIC supports G.703 unstructured signaliling. Framed E1 (G.704) is also supported for international customers without G.703 service.

Increased Manageability and Troubleshooting

Critical loopback support makes the Cisco Channnelized T1/E1 and ISDN PRI Modules easy to manage. Both models can internally loop back the onboard framer chip toward the interface, thus eliminating the need for an external loopback plug. Local, remote, line, and payload loopbacks, complement the management features of the Cisco Channelized T1/E1 and ISDN PRI Module.

Cisco Channelized T1/E1

Cisco has recently announced The Cisco Connected Grid portfolio of products & solutions designed specifically for a Smart Grid network. These solutions include the Cisco 2010 Connected Grid Router (CGR 2010) and Cisco 2520 Connected Grid Switch (CGS 2520). These platforms are optimized for use in power substations and meet substation compliance standards including IEEE 1613 and IEC 61850-3. The Cisco Connected Grid portfolio are designed for high availability, integrated security management, and scalability in mind.
The Cisco Channelized T1/E1 and ISDN PRI Rugged WAN interface card (GRWIC) modules are designed for use with the Cisco 2010 Connected Grid Router (CGR 2010). This rugged router platform is optimized for harsh conditions common in utility substations worldwide. The Cisco Channelized T1/E1 and ISDN PRI Grid Router WAN Interface Cards (GRWICs) combine multiple T1/E1 WAN connectivity-Channelized T1/E1 and ISDN Primary Rate Interface (PRI) in the same card. Applications include fractional or full T1/E1 WAN connectivity, ISDN PRI for primary WAN link or WAN backup, and dial access aggregation. The Cisco C1861-SRST-C-B/K9 supports a one and a two port version of the T1/E1 module in a single-wide GRWIC. The different versions help enable customers to deploy different port densities depending on wide area network needs in utility substation locations.
The modules can be used in T1 or E1 networks, selectable by software configuration. The integrated channel service unit/data service unit (CSU/DSU) function allows customers to consolidate customer premises equipment (CPE). The modules support balanced and unbalanced E1 connectivity and conform to the G.703 and G.704 standards for unframed and framed E1 modes.

1. 1- and 2-Port Channelized T1/E1 and ISDN PRI Rugged WAN Interface Cards (GRWICs)

RAN Service and Support

Summary

In current cellular networks, the RAN accounts for a significant percentage of total operational expenditures. By using the Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A Mobile Wireless Edge Router, operators can simplify and optimize their current RANs with a compact, high-performance, and modular cell-site access platform, reducing operating costs and enhancing profit opportunities. These flexible and agile RANs can easily adapt to accommodate new radio and networking technologies and services as future growth and business needs require.

Service and Support

The award-winning service and support offerings from rentalnetworks.com provide presales network-audit planning, design consulting, network implementation, operational support, and network optimization. By including service and support when purchasing the Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A Mobile Wireless Edge Router, customers can confidently deploy a network architecture using Cisco expertise, experience, and resources.

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IOS Software features

The Cisco IOS Software features supported on the Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A include:

• Cisco Optimized Pseudowire Emulation (PWE)

• Cisco Abis/Ater and Iub Optimization over IP

• ATM Pseudowire Emulation Edge to Edge (PWE3) over MPLS and L2TPv3; Transparent Cell Transport Service/ATM Port Mode; ATM AAL5 CPCS-SDU Mode; ATM AAL5-SDU Mode; ATM N:1 and 1:1 VCC cell mode; ATM Port Cell Relay Service; ATM VCC Cell Relay Service

• Structure Agnostic TDM over Packet (SAToP) and Circuit Emulation Service over Packet Switched Network (CESoPSN)

• Ethernet PWE3 over MPLS; VLAN mode and port mode

• ATM, TDM, and Ethernet PWE3 redundancy

• IEEE 802.1q and IEEE 802.1p

• Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)

• Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol Version 3 (L2TPv3)

• Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE)

• Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and Multi-link PPP (MLPPP)

• Asymmetric PWE3, PWE3 over MLPPP, and PWE3 over GRE for HSDPA Offload

• User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and compressed Real Time Protocol/compressed UDP (cRTP/cUDP), Address and Control Field Compression (ACFC)

• Inverse Multiplexing over ATM (IMA v1.0, 1.1), ATM cell packing, ATM SAR, ATM AAL0 (for AAL2 voice/data), AAL5, ATM Class of Service (CoS) features CBR, VBR-nrt, VBR-rt, and UBR, per virtual circuit (VC) queuing, pre-ATM VC shaping for VBR-nrt, IP CoS map to ATM QoS services, ATM PVC Routing C1861-SRST-B/K9

• High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC)

• Hot Standby Routing Protocol (HSRP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol, Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Routing Information Protocol (RIP), IP Multicast, Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD), IS-IS

• IP Precedence, traffic shaping and policing, Priority Queuing (PQ), Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ), Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing (CBWFQ), Low Latency Queuing (LLQ), Weighted Round Robin (WRR), DiffServ

• PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE), PPP Authentication Protocol (PAP), Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol Version 2, access control lists (ACLs)

• Network Timing Protocol (NTP)

• Network Address Translation (NAT), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), IP Control Protocol (IPCP)

Cisco IOS

The software available for the Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A supports Cisco IOS Software running on the MIPS RISC processor, and microcode running on the optional Cisco AIM network processor to provide hardware-acceleration to increase performance of ATM network services such as ATM cell segmentation and reassembly (SAR), ATM AAL0 (for AAL2 voice/data), AAL5, and IMA v1.0 and v1.1.

The software for the Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A is tailored for IP RAN transport, and includes several Cisco IOS Software features specifically developed for such applications. These features include Cisco patent-pending Optimized Pseudowire Emulation (PWE), or GSM Abis/Ater and UMTS Iub Optimization over IP, which provides optimization to improve backhaul transport efficiency. Another important feature is Cisco ATM PVC Routing, which provides the ability to route different types of3G traffic over different types of backhaul media, while providing load-balancing and backup paths. For example, in some DSL backhaul networks the downlink supports much higher capacity than the uplink. Cisco ATM PVC Routing optimally matches HSDPA transport to these asymmetric backhaul networks by routing higher-bandwidth downstream traffic over DSL links, while the lower-bandwidth upstream traffic is routed over "bonded" T1/E1 links. In addition, the software supports Cisco patented redundancy and failover logic, diagnostics functions, and relay control enabling inter-router T1/E1 protection switching, which provides 99.9998 percent availability using the Cisco T1/E1 Protection Switching VWICs (product codes: VWIC-2T1/E1-RAN, VWIC-2MFT-T1-DIR, and VWIC-2MFT-E1-DIR).

MWR 1941-DC-A Mobile Wireless

The Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A Mobile Wireless Edge Router delivers a compact, high-performance, and modular cell-site access platform designed specifically for IP optimization of RANs, enabling profit-enhancing solutions for today's mobile networks and offering flexibility to evolve as future growth and business needs require.

Figure . Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A Mobile Wireless Edge Router

Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A Mobile Wireless Edge Router Overview

The primary hardware and software features of the Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A Mobile Wireless Edge Router are described in the following overviews.

Hardware Overview

The Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A includes the following hardware features:

• Stackable, low-power, 1-rack-unit (RU), 12.5-inch-deep, 19-inch rack-mount form factor with front-to-back airflow

• Time-division multiplexing (TDM) backplane

• Common clock distribution across the chassis

• Front-panel access cabling and LED indicators

• Two integrated 10/100BASE-T LAN ports

• Three integrated WAN interface card (WIC) slots that support select modules from the Cisco MWR 1900 Series, and the Cisco 2800 and 3800 Series

• One network module slot supporting select network modules from the Cisco 2800 and 3800 Series

• One ATM Advanced Integration Module (AIM) processor card (required for UMTS)

• 115.2-Kbps console and auxiliary ports

• -10 to 55°C (-4 to 131°F) extended operating temperature

• 20 to 60V DC (±) universal power supply

• MIPS RISC processor

• Support for the Cisco 2-Port T1/E1 RAN Voice/WAN Interface Card providing a dedicated TDM hardware processor for Cisco GSM Abis/Ater Optimization over IP, CESoPSN, and SAToP

• 256 MB DRAM, 128 MB external compact flash memory

• T1/E1 protection switching on Abis, Ater, Iub, and backhaul T1/E1s between 1:1 redundant Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A platforms

• Simple GUI-based management with Cisco Mobile Wireless Transport Manager (MWTM)

Software Overview

Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A

The Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A Mobile Wireless Edge Router is a cell-site access platform specifically designed to optimize, aggregate, and transport mixed-generation Radio Access Network (RAN) traffic. It allows mobile wireless operators to significantly lower existing operating expenses (OpEx); cost-efficiently deploy new radio technologies such as UMTS/HSDPA and WiMAX voice and data networks; generate revenue from new cell-site IP-based services; and enable rapid deployment of next-generation mobile services.

Custom designed for the cell site, the CISCO1841-T1SEC/K9 features a small form factor, extended operating temperature, and cell-site DC input voltages. It comprises a high-performance architecture, driven by a powerful MIPS RISC processor coupled with an optional ATM network processing engine, combined with application-specific Cisco IOS® Software-based operating software tailored for IP RAN transport. The Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A has a modular design, providing flexibility and a variety of connectivity options at the cell site through support for select modules from the Cisco 2800 and 3800 Series Integrated Services Router platforms.

The Cisco MWR 1941-DC-A enables a variety of RAN solutions by extending IP connectivity to GSM/GPRS/EDGE base transceiver stations (BTSs), UMTS/HSDPA Node Bs, CDMA/CDMA-2000/EV-DO BTSs, and other ancillary cell-site equipment. It transparently and efficiently transports cell-site voice, data, and signaling traffic over IP using traditional T1/E1 circuits, including leased line, microwave, and satellite, as well as alternative backhaul networks, including DSL, EFM, Metro Ethernet, and WiMAX. It also supports standards-based Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Internet protocols over the RAN transport network, including those standardized at the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for IP RAN transport.

The primary Cisco IP Optimized RAN transport solutions, which may be deployed separately or in combination to suit the operator's specific network and business needs, include:

• Optimized RAN transport over IP: Maximizes GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, and 4G voice and data call density per T1/E1 over the RAN transport network to reduce backhaul transmission costs, which are typically the largest operational expenses in the network.

• Broadband and Ethernet RAN backhaul: Allows for a variety of backhaul transport media enabling higher-capacity and/or lower-cost alternative RAN transport for GSM, CDMA, and UMTS networks, such as DSL, WiMAX, and Metro Ethernet. Higher-speed broadband backhaul, such as DSL and Metro Ethernet, is ideally suited for transport of HSDPA, CDMA EV-DO, and WiMAX data traffic.

• Cell-site operations support networks: Enables telemetry to cell sites for remote operations and network element management of the ancillary cell-site equipment to reduce costly site visits and improve operational efficiency.

• Cell-site IP points of presence (POPs): Offer new revenue-generating IP services and applications at every cell site.

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ONS 15800 system architecture

The ONS 15800 system offers flexibility, scalability, and enhanced performance in an economical design. The system architecture facilitates fast network install as a result of the following features:

• Transmission control protocol TCP/IP Ethernet-based craft access
  
  
• An optical backplane that minimizes internal system fiber cabling
  
  
• Integrated fiber management trays that store excess fiber for simplified expansion
  
  

In addition, each module contains an on-board power converter that eliminates costly power supplies, frees up rack slots, and eliminates a single point of failure. The Cisco ONS 15800 system is built with future growth in mind; it includes space for additional racks and shelves.

Figure : Line Extender Modules (LEM) eliminate SONET Regens and Extend a Route up to 6000 km

All ONS 15800 System Modules are Retained: 100 Percent Use of All Modules Purchased

Figure : An Example of a Fully Configured System: Beginning with the Red Band, New Modules are Added as the ONS 15800 Grows

ONS 15800 system

Solution Overview

With the ONS 15800 system, Cisco offers a network solution that can scale with the rapid growth of the Internet while providing unrivaled reliability. Up to five spans are supported through the use of optical amplifiers. The ONS 15800 can reach distances of up to 6,000 km through the use of LEMs. The integral LEMs eliminate the need for SONET (SDH) regenerators and consolidate this functionality onto a single plug-in module. The LEM provides a view into network performance through B1 monitoring. And, forward-error correction (FEC) improves the reliability of the signal. Both the B1 monitoring and FEC are non-intrusive. Performance monitoring is crucial to powering an error-free network and provides a standardized approach to address ongoing maintenance issues.

Technology Overview

The Cisco ONS 15800 DWDM system is a field-proven, Internet-scale, carrier-class optical transport platform that allows service providers to maximize the use of installed fiber over long-haul networks and can scale with the exponential growth of the Internet traffic. Combined with other Cisco products, the ONS 15800 enables carriers to build a flexible end-to-end optical solution that meets the requirements of carrier-class reliability. The multiple band design of the ONS 15800 allows carriers incomparable flexibility when deploying applications and additional wavelengths as needed. This feature, combined with an open systems architecture, makes the ONS 15800 the most adaptable DWDM system available

ONS 15800 Series

The Cisco ONS 15800 is based on a modular design that easily scales from 1 to 64 channels. By using common modules throughout the system, operators can minimize sparing costs. This common platform accommodates tributaries of OC-12/STM-4, OC-48/STM-16, and CISCO1803W-AG-E/K9. Multiplexed wavelengths can be transmitted up to 500 km through the use of distributed optical amplifiers along the optical route. Line extender modules (LEM) are used to regenerate the optical signal when necessary, thereby eliminating the need for intermediate SONET (SDH) electrical regenerators, consequently saving operators large sums of additional capital expenditures. Integrated, non-intrusive B1 and Bit Error Rate (BER) monitoring are available to assure high QoS levels and to allow for constant system monitoring of it's integral components. By using its multi-band architecture, special system design features can be used such as mid-band, distributed dispersion compensation. This compensation allows for tighter management of optical fiber non-linear effects, which can limit a system's capability. Other design parameters such as gain tilt adaptation, system application separation, and add/drop anomalies can all be addressed effectively, efficiently, and with little to no service disruptions. The system also features an optical service channel that provides the medium through which many of the vital system parameters are transmitted to the optional, element management system. It also features a local craft interface that is useful for maintenance.

The flexible ONS 15800 adapts well to different network architectures such as point-to-point, mesh, star, and ring.

Figure 1: Cisco ONS 15800 Platform

Cisco MDS 9000 Caching Services Module

The Cisco MDS 9000 Caching Services Module integrates two high-performance processing nodes that, when combined with SAN Volume Controller Storage Software, deliver network-hosted virtualization and replication services. Each Caching Services Module includes 8 GB of local cache used to hold recently accessed data blocks. On-board dual batteries and hard disk drives protect cached data in the event of a power failure. To further ensure data availability and integrity, nodes are paired with nodes on other caching services modules in high-availability clusters. Up to four nodes can be added to a cluster today. Larger clusters can be supported in the future via a simple software upgrade.

Application Scalability Through Distributed Cache-Based Virtualization

The Cisco MDS 9000 Caching Services Module virtualization architecture provides performance benefits of lower latency, high aggregate throughput, and the ability to use lower cost disk arrays for greater flexibility. The architecture is designed so that virtualization performance can be easily scaled to the level required by even the largest organizations, scaling up to 4 nodes today with support for larger SAN Volume Controller Storage Solution cluster sizes in the future. Simply adding caching services modules adds virtualization performance. Application I/O response time is improved through the use of local caching of disk blocks. By moving the virtualization into the network, any host can access any virtual volume from anywhere in the fabric, independent of the host's attachment point in the SAN. In addition to virtualization and replication services, the Cisco MDS 9000 Caching Services Module takes advantage of all of the advanced Cisco SAN-OS Software features available on the Cisco MDS 9000 platform, simplifying security, diagnostics, and management.

Cisco MDS 9000 SAN Intelligence Series

The Cisco MDS 9000 SAN Intelligence Series, a set of video-on-demand (VoD) tutorials, help educate users about the intelligence built into all Cisco MDS 9000 multilayer directors and multilayer fabric switches. These tutorials help customers create efficient, cost-effective, and scalable solutions for:

• Storage-area network (SAN) consolidation

• Business continuity and disaster recovery

• SAN security

• Tiered application and service convergence

• SAN management

These VoD tutorials can be beneficial to:

• An end user

• A Cisco original storage manufacturer (OSM) or solution technology integrator (STI) partner sales representative, or system engineer or architect

• A reseller of one of the Cisco OSM or STI partners

• An internal Cisco sales or systems engineer

Information about the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN Intelligence Series is available to end-users and partners at:

The following VoD tutorials are currently available. Each tutorial takes from 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete, and you may take them in any order at your convenience. New VoD tutorials will be continuously added, so check the site for updates.

Intelligent Multilayer Storage Networking Solutions: Cisco MDS 9000 Overview

This PowerPoint presentation and video education session provides a complete overview of the intelligent and innovative technologies and solutions offered by the Cisco MDS 9000. This VoD is suggested as the first tutorial for users starting this series.

Presenter: Tom Nosella, director of engineering, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Cisco MDS 9000 Mainframe

The Cisco MDS 9000 Mainframe Package provides the following features:

• Virtual SANs (VSANs): Like Logical Partitions (LPARs) on IBM System z, VSANs provide hardware-based partitioning of a single physical SAN into multiple VSANs. VSANs provide isolation of traffic, management, and fault conditions. VSANs can be used to separate production and test and development environments as well as to provide true hardware-based separation of FICON and FCP traffic. They can be used to enable consolidation of prior-generation FICON directors into a more modern, scalable infrastructure. All this can be done without compromising scalability, availability, manageability, and network security.

• Persistent FICON Fibre Channel ID (FCID) assignment: In conjunction with VSANs, persistent FICON FCID assignment enables consolidation and migration of multiple legacy directors into a Cisco MDS 9500 Series DWDM-XFP-48.51= Director, such as a Cisco MDS 9513 Multilayer Director, without requiring changes to the IBM System z I/O configuration (IOCDS).

• FICON Control Unit Port (CUP): Implementation of a special FICON control device, known as CUP, in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family allows in-band management of the switch from FICON hosts.

• Fabric binding: Fabric binding helps ensure that Inter-Switch Links (ISLs) are enabled between only switches that have been authorized in the fabric binding configuration. This feature helps prevent unauthorized switches from joining the fabric or disrupting current fabric operations.

• Switch cascading: Switch cascading supports a topology for FICON devices wherein ISLs can be used between a host and an I/O device. Thus, switch cascading facilitates creation of mainframe storage networks consisting of multiple switches.

• Physical and virtual tape: The Cisco MDS 9000 Family is fully qualified for a variety of physical and virtual tape products from IBM and Sun/StorageTek (STK). These FICON capabilities enhance data backup and recovery and data availability. Deploying tape or virtual tape on VSAN-enabled networks protects the local mainframe environment from instability or excessive control traffic introduced by the metropolitan-area network (MAN), WAN, and remote network.

• IBM TotalStorage z/OS Global Mirror: The Cisco MDS 9000 Family is fully qualified with the IBM TotalStorage z/OS Global Mirror application, formerly known as Extended Remote Copy (XRC). XRC simplifies business-continuance implementation strategies by allowing asynchronous replication of data over extended distances. Deploying XRC on VSAN-enabled networks protects the local mainframe environment from instability and excessive control traffic introduced by the MAN, WAN, and remote network. XRC dynamic update performance can be enhanced by the addition of the license for the Cisco MDS 9000 XRC Acceleration Package.

• FICON tape acceleration: This feature provides local acknowledgment to tape operations and is used to extend distance and reduce application latency due to tape operations over an FCIP WAN. Virtual and real tape devices can be located farther away from each other and systems while maintaining local-like performance.

• Additional features: Additional FICON-related features included in the Cisco MDS 9000 Mainframe Package are:

– FICON native mode and native mode channel-to-channel operation

– Port swapping for host-channel cable connections

MDS 9000 Family Fibre Channel

Key Features and Benefits

Cisco MDS 9000 Family Fibre Channel 4-Gbps switching modules offer the following features:

• Autosensing 1/2/4-Gbps interfaces-Provide high-performance connectivity and compatibility with existing devices.

• High-performance inter-switch links (ISLs)-Support up to sixteen links in a single PortChannel; links can span any speed-matched ports on any module within a chassis for added scalability and resilience. Up to 4095 buffer-to-buffer credits can be assigned to a single Fibre Channel port, providing industry-leading extension of storage networks up to 8,000 km at 1 Gbps, 4000 km at 2 Gbps, or 2000 km at 4 Gbps while maintaining full link bandwidth.

• Intelligent network services-Provide integrated support for VSAN technology, access control lists (ACLs) for hardware-based intelligent frame processing, and advanced traffic-management features such as Fibre Channel Congestion Control (FCC) and fabric-wide quality of service (QoS) to enable migration from SAN islands to enterprise-wide storage networks.

• Integrated hardware-based VSANs and Inter-VSAN Routing (IVR)-Enables deployment of large-scale multisite and heterogeneous SAN topologies. Integration into port-level hardware allows any port within a system or fabric to be partitioned into any VSAN. Integrated hardware-based inter-VSAN routing provides line-rate routing between any ports within a system or fabric without the need for external routing appliances.

• Advanced FICON services-Supports 1/2/4-Gbps FICON environments, including cascaded FICON fabrics, VSAN-enabled intermix of mainframe and open systems environments, and N_Port ID virtualization for mainframe Linux partitions. CUP (Control Unit Port) support enables in-band management of Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches from the mainframe management console.

• Comprehensive security framework-Supports RADIUS and TACACS+, Fibre Channel Security Protocol (FC-SP), Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol, and Simple Network Management Protocol Version 3 (SNMPv3) implementing Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), VSANs, hardware-enforced zoning, ACLs, and per-VSAN role-based access control.

• Sophisticated diagnostics-Provides intelligent diagnostics, protocol decoding, and network analysis tools as well as integrated Call Home capability for added reliability, faster problem resolution, and reduced service costs.

• Port density and configuration flexibility-Provides 12-port, 24-port, and 48-port configurations to optimize performance, flexibility, and density; supports port densities of up to 528 Fibre Channel ports per chassis and 1584 ports per rack, more than twice the port density of competitive solutions.

MDS 9000 Family 12-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel

Product Overview

12-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module

For the most demanding storage networking environments, the Cisco MDS 9000 Family 12-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module delivers uncompromising performance. The 4-Gbps ports deliver up to 96 Gbps of full-duplex bandwidth, making the Cisco 12-Port Fibre Channel Switching Module ideal for attachment of the highest performance 4-Gbps-enabled storage subsystems and for ISL connections between switches. With its multiprotocol capability, the Cisco 12-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module transparently integrates FICON protocol, FICON CUP management, and switch cascading to enable mainframe connectivity. VSANs allow hardware-based separation of Fibre Channel and FICON traffic switched on a single physical SAN, increasing overall TCO without compromising scalability, availability, manageability, and network security.

24-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module

For high-performance storage networking environments, the Cisco MDS 9000 Family 24-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module delivers an ideal balance of performance and scalability. Twenty-four auto-sensing 1/2/4-Gbps ports delivers 96 Gbps of total bandwidth required to meet the performance demands of today's enterprise-class storage arrays and servers. Bandwidth is allocated across four 6-port port-groups, providing 24 Gbps of full-duplex bandwidth per port-group. Port Bandwidth Reservation, a unique Cisco feature available on the Cisco 24-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module, enables switching bandwidth to be dedicated to a port, enabling optimal bandwidth allocation for any application, including high-performance ISLs.

48-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module

Storage network consolidation moves to a new level with the transport optimization provided by the Cisco MDS 9000 Family 48-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module. With Cisco MDS 9000 Family 4-Gbps Fibre Channel switching modules, network architects can allocate bandwidth optimally to meet specific application requirements while decreasing the switching footprint and lowering overall storage network deployment cost. The Cisco 48-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module delivers 96 Gbps of total bandwidth and extremely high port density, enabling 528 ports per chassis and 1584 ports per rack. Bandwidth is allocated across four 12-port port-groups, providing 24 Gbps of full-duplex bandwidth per port-group. Port Bandwidth Reservation, a feature unique to Cisco available on the Cisco 48-Port 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module, enables switching bandwidth to be dedicated to a port, enabling the flexible bandwidth allocation needed to meet a wide range of application requirements.

All Cisco 4-Gbps Fibre Channel switching modules are 1/2/4-Gbps autosensing compatible, hot-swappable and include hot-swappable, Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) LC interfaces. Individual ports can be configured with Cisco 4-Gbps short-wave, or long-wave SFPs for connectivity up to 10 kilometers at 4 Gbps. Additionally, ports can be configured with Cisco 2-Gbps coarse wave division multiplexing (CWDM) SFPs for connectivity up to 100 kilometers at 2 Gbps. Up to 250 buffer credits per port are supported for maximum extensibility without requiring additional licensing. With the Cisco Enterprise Package, up to 4095 buffer credits can be allocated to an individual port, enabling full link bandwidth over thousands of kilometers with no degradation in link utilization.

By combining Cisco 12-port, 24-port and 48-port DWDM-XFP-51.72= Channel switching modules in a single, modular chassis, customers can design storage networks optimized for cost and performance in a wide range of application environments. This application-optimized approach to port deployment can reduce the number of switches and ISLs required in a storage network, in many cases eliminating the need for core-edge network topologies. Fewer switches simplify management and reduce deployment and operational costs, resulting in significantly lower TCO. Figure 1 shows the Cisco MDS 9000 Family 4-Gbps Fibre Channel switching modules.

Figure 1. Cisco MDS 9000 Family 4-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Modules

Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS

Network Security

Cisco takes a comprehensive approach to network security with the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software. In addition to VSANs, which provide true isolation of SAN-attached devices, Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software offers numerous security features.

Switch and Host Authentication

Fibre Channel Security Protocol (FC-SP) capabilities in the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software provide switch-to-switch and host-to-switch authentication for enterprisewide fabrics. Diffie-Hellman extensions with Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (DH-CHAP) are used to perform authentication locally in the Cisco MDS 9000 family or remotely through RADIUS or TACACS+. If authentication fails, a switch or host cannot join the fabric.

IP Security for FCIP and iSCSI

Traffic flowing outside the data center must be protected. The proven IETF standard IP Security (IPsec) capabilities in the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software offer secure authentication, data encryption for privacy, and data integrity for both FCIP and iSCSI connections on the Cisco MDS 9000 14/2-Port Multiprotocol Services Module and Cisco MDS 9216i Multilayer Fabric Switch. The Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software uses Internet Key Exchange Version 1 (IKEv1) and IKEv2 protocols to dynamically set up security associations for IPsec using preshared keys for remote-side authentication.

Role-Based Access Control

The Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software provides role-based access control (RBAC) for management access of the Cisco MDS 9000 family command-line interface (CLI) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). In addition to the two default roles in the switch, up to 64 user-defined roles can be configured. Applications using SNMP Version 3 (SNMPv3), such as Cisco Fabric Manager, have full RBAC for switch features managed using this protocol. The roles describe the access-control policies for various feature-specific commands on one or more VSANs. CLI and SNMP users and passwords also are shared; only a single administrative account is required for each user.

Port Security and Fabric Binding

Port security locks down the mapping of an entity to a switch port. The entities can be hosts, targets, or switches that are identified through WWN. This locking helps ensure that unauthorized devices connecting to the switch port do not disrupt the SAN fabric. Fabric binding extends port security to allow ISLs only between specified switches.

Zoning

Zoning provides access control for devices within a SAN. The Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software supports the following types of zoning:

• N_Port zoning-Defines zone members based on the end-device (host and storage) port

– WWN

– Fibre Channel Identifier (FC-ID)

• Fx_Port zoning-Defines zone members based on the switch port

– WWN

– WWN + Interface index, or Domain ID + Interface index

– Domain ID + Port number (for Brocade interoperability)

• iSCSI zoning-Defines zone members based on the host zone

– iSCSI name

– IP address

• Logical-Unit-Number (LUN) zoning-When combined with N-Port zoning, LUN zoning helps ensure that LUNs are accessible only by specific hosts, providing a single point of control for managing heterogeneous storage-subsystem access.

• Read-only zones-An attribute can be set to restrict I/O operations in any zone type to SCSI read-only commands. This feature is especially useful for sharing volumes across servers for backup, data warehousing, etc.

• Broadcast zones-An attribute also can be set for any zone type to restrict broadcast frames to members of the specific zone.

To provide strict network security, zoning is always enforced per frame using access control lists (ACLs) that are applied at the ingress switch. All zoning polices are enforced in hardware, and none of them cause performance degradation. Enhanced zoning session-management capabilities further enhance security by allowing only one user at a time to modify zones.

Cisco MDS 9000 OS

Inter-VSAN Routing

Data traffic can be transported between specific initiators and targets on different VSANs using Inter-VSAN Routing (IVR) without merging VSANs into a single logical fabric. Fibre Channel control traffic does not flow between VSANs, nor can initiators access any resources aside from the ones designated with IVR. Valuable resources such as tape libraries can be easily shared without compromise. IVR also can be used in conjunction with FCIP to create more efficient business-continuity and disaster-recovery solutions.

Intelligent Fabric Applications

The Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software forms a solid basis for delivering network-based storage applications and services such as virtualization, snapshots, continuous data protection, network-accelerated serverless backup, data migration, and replication on Cisco MDS 9000 family switches. The Fabric Application Interface Standard (FAIS)-based API and the SANTap protocol on the Cisco MDS 9000 family storage services modules (SSMs) accommodate numerous partner applications. The Cisco MDS 9000 family SSMs take advantage of all Fibre Channel features and services offered by the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software, simplifying security, diagnostics, and management.

Network-Hosted Applications

The Cisco MDS 9000 family network-hosted storage applications architecture overcomes inherent bottlenecks associated with other virtualization architectures. Performance can be easily scaled to levels required by the largest organizations. Because Cisco MDS 9000 family network-hosted storage applications are switch based, any host can access any virtual volume in the fabric, independent of the host's attachment point in the SAN. A single point of management, transparent data mobility and migration, improved storage use, and a single set of copy services across heterogeneous storage capabilities are supported for Cisco MDS 9000 family network-hosted applications.

Network-Assisted Applications

Cisco MDS 9000 family network-assisted storage applications offer deployment flexibility and investment protection by allowing appliance-based storage applications for any server or storage device in the SAN without rewiring. Easy insertion and provisioning of appliance-based storage applications are achieved by moving the appliance out of the primary I/O between servers and storage. Also, host-side agents are reduced or eliminated, simplifying heterogeneous OS support.

The SANTap protocol allows appliances to get an I/O copy for data replication, continuous data protection, and data migration without affecting the integrity, availability, and performance of the primary I/O between servers and storage. Cisco MDS 9000 family network-assisted storage applications with SANTap provide highly scalable solutions allowing efficient workload distribution to multiple appliances based on the application and source-and-target combinations.

Network-Accelerated Serverless Backup

Network-accelerated serverless backup using the SCSI-2 EXTENDED COPY command allows high-speed backup and recovery applications to use the Cisco MDS 9000 family for data movement without changing the existing backup environment. I/O and processing are offloaded from media servers, resulting in more efficient backups, fewer media servers and host bus adapters (HBAs), and fewer administrative tasks.