Feature spotlights

Delivers high performance and flexibility at a low cost

MDS 9396S provides up to 96 autosensing Fibre Channel ports, capable of speeds of 2, 4, 8 and 16 Gbps – resulting in 16 Gbps of dedicated bandwidth for each port. The switch comes with 48 enabled ports, and it can be scaled up by adding one or more 12-port MDS 9396S On-Demand Port Activation licenses. MDS 9396S scales from 48 to 96 high-performance Fibre Channel ports in a 2RU form factor. It offers more buffer-to-buffer credits than previous-generation fabric switches.

High-availability platform for mission-critical deployments

In environments in which downtime is intolerable, MDS 9396S offers ISSUs. With this feature, Cisco NX-OS Software can be upgraded while the Fibre Channel ports carry traffic. MDS 9396S includes dual-redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fan trays. ( New hardware-based slow-port detection and recovery capabilities provide enhanced performance and monitoring.

Simplified storage management with sophisticated diagnostics

MDS 9396S offers built-in storage network management and SAN plug-and-play capabilities. All features are available through a command-line interface (CLI) or Cisco DCNM for SAN Advanced Edition, a centralized management tool. DCNM task-based wizards simplify management of single or multiple switches and fabrics. For virtual infrastructure, it manages the entire path: from the virtual machine and switch to the physical storage.

Intelligent network services and advanced traffic management

MDS 9396S uses VSAN technology for hardware-enforced, isolated environments within a physical fabric. It offers access control lists (ACLs) for hardware-based, intelligent frame processing. Advanced traffic management features, such as fabricwide quality of service (QoS) and Inter-VSAN Routing (IVR), are included in the optional Cisco MDS 9300 Family Enterprise Package.

Comprehensive network security framework

An extensive set of innovative and powerful security features and functions is available with the optional Cisco MDS 9300 Enterprise Package. It offers fabricwide, per-VSAN role-based authentication, authorization and accounting services using Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Microsoft Active Directory (AD) and Terminal Access Controller Access-Control System (TACACS+) – as well as other security-related features and functions.

Technical details

Software requirements

Software requirements for Cisco MDS 9396S 16G Multilayer Fabric Switch for IBM System Storage can be found here:

    Hardware requirements

    Hardware requirements for Cisco MDS 9396S 16G Multilayer Fabric Switch for IBM System Storage can be found here:

      Technical specifications

      Technical specifications for Cisco MDS 9396S 16G Multilayer Fabric Switch for IBM System Storage include:

      • Dimensions: (H x W x D): 8.64 x 44.25 x 56.59 cm (3.4 x 17.42 x 22.28 in.).
      • Ports: Available in a 48-port base configuration.
      • Hot swap components: Dual redundant power supplies. Fan tray with integrated temp/power management.
      • Performance - Port speed: 2/4/8/10/16-Gbps autosensing with 16-Gbps of dedicated bandwidth per port.
      • Programming interfaces - Scriptable CLI. Cisco DCNM web services API.
      See a complete list of technical specifications

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