Cisco delivers new data center 3.0 technology for SAN...

Expanding on its Data Center 3.0 product portfolio, Cisco said it is delivering new storage-area network technology designed specifically to help customers improve performance and scalability, simplify SAN management, increase data security and enhance SAN services in virtual machine (VM) environments. Together, these new technologies support Cisco's vision to help its customers design and build next-generation data centers.

The Cisco vision for Data Center 3.0 entails the real-time, dynamic orchestration of infrastructure services from shared pools of virtualized server, storage and network resources, while optimizing application performance, service levels, efficiency and collaboration.

The new Cisco SAN technology includes three Cisco MDS 9000 Family 8Gbit/sec. Fibre Channel switching modules and new capabilities in Cisco's SAN operating system, which has been rebranded NX-OS. These new SAN capabilities, combined with Cisco's data-center-class MDS and Nexus platforms, will help IT managers evolve toward a single operating system and a unified data center fabric, simplifying data center management and reducing costs.

"The new Cisco 8Gbit/sec. switch modules are attractive because they can be used in any combination to increase port density and performance as needed, inserting them into an existing Cisco 9500 chassis without having to do a major upgrade," said Brian Perlstein, technical architect at Oakwood Healthcare System. "As an early adopter of Cisco's SAN technology, we've come to really appreciate that kind of investment protection."

Cisco is introducing three new 8Gbit/sec. Fibre Channel SAN switch modules designed to provide high performance, scalability, SAN design flexibility, investment protection and cost effectiveness. Because the new Cisco switching modules are compatible with all Cisco MDS 9500 Series Multilayer Directors, SAN administrators can help protect their existing investments in 2Gbit/sec. and 4Gbit/sec. storage infrastructure and gradually phase in 8Gbit/sec. technology as their network demands it.

By combining Cisco 24-Port, 48-Port and 4/44-Port switching modules in a single, modular chassis, SAN managers can design storage networks optimized for cost and performance in a wide range of application environments. This application-optimized approach helps reduce the number of switches and Inter-Switch Links required in a storage network, helping to simplify SAN management and reduce costs.

The new modules also address growing enterprise security and compliance requirements by delivering transparent, hardware-based, line-rate encryption of Fibre Channel data in motion between any Cisco MDS 9000 family 8Gbit/sec. modules. Cisco TrustSec Fibre Channel helps preserve the integrity and confidentiality of Fibre Channel traffic between Cisco MDS 9000 family modular switches within a data center or across metro-area networks.

"Within our virtual machine environment, the Cisco MDS SAN platform has been very adept at handling the higher workloads and providing high availability, QoS, security and performance monitoring to our virtual machine environment," said John Stroosnijder, storage architect at Dutch Telematics Organization. "The ability to flexibly and easily add 8Gbit/sec. capability to an existing SAN when it is needed, without having to undergo a major system upgrade, is also an important factor for SAN administrators."