The Cisco® MDS 9134 Multilayer Fabric Switch (Figure 1), designed for midrange to large
enterprise customers, provides line-rate 4-Gbps and 10-Gbps ports based on a purposebuilt “switch-on-a-chip” application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with high
performance, high density, and enterprise-class availability. The switch offers outstanding
value by providing flexibility, high-availability, security, and ease of use at an affordable
price in a compact one-rack-unit (1RU) form factor. With the flexibility to expand from 24
to 32 ports in 8-port increments and optionally activate 2 10-Gbps ports, the Cisco MDS
9134 offers the densities required for top-of-the-rack switch and edge connectivity in
enterprise SANs. The Cisco MDS 9134 offers non-blocking architecture, with all 32 4Gbps ports and the 2 10-Gbps ports operating at line rate concurrently.
The 10-Gbps ports support a range of optics for connection to the Cisco MDS 9000 family core
using 10-Gbps Inter-Switch Link (ISL) connectivity. The Cisco MDS 9134 can also be stacked
using copper CX4 X2 transceivers to cost effectively offer up to 64-port densities. The Cisco MDS
9134 supports quick configuration and task wizards that allow it to be deployed quickly and easily
in networks of any size. Powered by Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software, it includes advanced
storage networking features and functions and is compatible with Cisco MDS 9500 Series
Multilayer Directors and Cisco MDS 9200 Series Multilayer Fabric Switches, providing transparent,
end-to-end service delivery in core-edge deployments.
Figure 1. Cisco MDS 9134 Multilayer Fabric Switch
Highlights
Exceptional flexibility and scalability: The Cisco MDS 9134 offers up to 32 autosensing
Fibre Channel ports capable of speeds of 4, 2, and 1 Gbps and 2 10-Gbps ports in a
compact 1RU form-factor chassis with 4 Gbps of dedicated bandwidth for each port and an
aggregate platform bandwidth of 352 Gbps. The base configuration has 24 active ports with
the flexibility to upgrade onsite to 32 ports in 8-port increments with Cisco MDS 9134 OnDemand Port Activation Licenses.
High-performance connectivity: The 10-Gbps ports can be activated independently in 24- or
32-port configurations. The Cisco MDS 9134 is an ideal platform for a standalone
departmental storage area network (SAN) switch, top-of-the-rack switch, and edge switch in
enterprise core-edge SANs. Two Cisco MDS 9134 switches can be stacked together using
copper CX4 X2 transceivers to form up to a 64-port switch.
Intelligent storage networking services at an affordable price: The Cisco MDS 9134,
powered by Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software, offers intelligent storage networking
capabilities such as virtual SANs (VSANs), PortChannels, quality of service (QoS), and
security for cost-effective design, deployment, and management of departmental and
enterprise SANs.
Highly available platform for mission-critical deployments: The Cisco MDS 9134 is designed
for environments where downtime is unacceptable. It offers nondisruptive software
upgrades, dual hot-swappable power supplies (with integrated fans for redundancy), hotswappable fans, VSANs for fault isolation, and PortChannels for ISL resiliency.
Comprehensive security framework: The Cisco MDS 9134 supports RADIUS and
TACACS+, port security, fabric binding, Fibre Channel Security Protocol (FC-SP) host-toswitch and switch-to-switch authentication, Secure FTP (SFTP), Secure Shell Version 2
(SSHv2) and Simple Network Management Protocol Version 3 (SNMPv3) implementing
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), VSANs, hardware-enforced zoning, broadcast
zones, and per-VSAN role-based access control (RBAC).
Simplified storage management: The Cisco MDS 9134 includes built-in storage network
management, with all features available through a command-line interface (CLI) or the
Cisco Fabric Manager, a centralized management tool with task-based wizards that simplify
management of a standalone switch or multiple switches and fabrics.
IBM Fiber Connection (FICON) protocol integration: FICON Control Unit Port (CUP)
management and switch cascading facilitate mainframe connectivity. VSANs allow
hardware-based separation of Fibre Channel and FICON traffic switched on a single
physical SAN, decreasing overall total cost of ownership (TCO) without compromising
scalability, availability, manageability, or network security.
Sophisticated diagnostics: Industry-leading intelligent diagnostics such as Fibre Channel
Ping, Fibre Channel Traceroute, Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN), Cisco Fabric Analyzer,
and integrated Call Home capability enhance reliability, facilitate faster problem resolution,
and reduce service costs.
Reduced TCO: Common platform architecture and the use of Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS
Software intelligent storage networking services across all Cisco MDS 9000 family switches
reduce ongoing operating expenses by providing a consistent set of provisioning,
management, and diagnostic capabilities.
The Cisco MDS 9134 offers up to 32 auto-sensing Fibre Channel ports capable of speeds of 4, 2,
and 1 Gbps plus 2 10-Gbps ports in a compact 1RU form-factor chassis. With 4 Gbps of dedicated
bandwidth for each port, the Cisco MDS 9134 is designed to meet the performance and scalability
requirements of the most demanding environments.
The flexibility of the Cisco MDS 9134 is provided by the Cisco MDS 9134 On-Demand Port
Activation License, which allows the addition of 4- and 10-Gbps ports. Customers can start with a
base configuration of 24 ports and can upgrade onsite to 32 ports and also optionally add the 10Gbps ports using the appropriate licenses. With advanced storage networking capabilities built into
the platform, it is an ideal choice both as a standalone departmental SAN switch and as an edge
switch in enterprise core-edge SANs.
The Cisco MDS 9134 includes hot-swappable, Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP), LC interfaces.
All SFP interfaces are 4, 2, and 1 Gbps, with autosensing capabilities. Individual ports can be
configured with either short- or long-wavelength SFP optics for connectivity up to 860 meters (m)
and 10 kilometers (km), respectively. The 10-Gbps ports support X2 form-factor optics, copper or
optical.
VSANs for Segmentation and Isolation
VSAN, an industry standard for fabric virtualization capabilities, enables more efficient storage
network use by creating hardware-based isolated environments within a single physical SAN fabric
or switch. Up to 16 VSANs are supported per switch. Each VSAN can be zoned as a typical SAN
and maintains its own fabric services and management domains for added scalability and
resilience. VSANs allow the cost of SAN infrastructure to be shared among more users, while
helping ensure segregation of traffic and retaining independent control of configuration on a
VSAN-by-VSAN basis.
FICON Support
The Cisco MDS 9134 supports IBM zSeries FICON and Linux environments. Qualified by IBM for
attachment to all FICON-enabled devices in an IBM zSeries operating environment, the switch
supports transport of the FICON protocol in cascaded fabrics, as well as intermix of FICON and
open systems Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) on the same switch.
VSANs simplify intermix of SAN resources between z/OS, mainframe Linux, and open systems
environments, enabling increased SAN utilization and simplified SAN management. VSAN-based
intermix mode eliminates the uncertainty and instability often associated with zoning-based
intermix techniques. VSANs also greatly reduce the probability that a misconfiguration or
component failure in one VSAN will affect operation in other VSANs.
VSAN-based management access control simplifies partitioning of SAN management
responsibilities between mainframe and open systems environments, enhancing security. FICON
VSANs can be managed using the integrated Cisco Fabric Manager; the Cisco CLI; or IBM CUPenabled management tools, including IBM SA/390, Resource Measurement Facility (RMF), and
Dynamic Channel Path Management (DCM).
Advanced Traffic Management for High-Performance, Resilient SANs
Advanced traffic management capabilities integrated into the Cisco MDS 9134 simplify deployment
and optimization of core-edge fabrics.
Virtual output queuing helps ensure line-rate performance on each port, independent of
traffic pattern, by eliminating head-of-line blocking.
For 4-Gbps ports, each port group consisting of 4 ports has a pool of 64 buffer credits, with
a default of 16 buffer credits per port. When extended distances are required, up to 64
buffer credits can be allocated to a single port within the port group. This extensibility is
available without additional licensing. Each of the 10-Gbps ports has 64 buffer credits.
PortChannels allow users to aggregate up to 16 physical ISLs into a single logical bundle,
providing optimized bandwidth use across all links. The bundle can consist of any port from
the switch, helping ensure that the bundle remains active even in the event of a port failure.
Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF)–based multipathing provides the intelligence to load
balance across up to 16 equal-cost paths and, in the event of a switch failure, dynamically
reroute traffic.
QoS can be used to manage bandwidth and control latency, to prioritize critical traffic.
Comprehensive port and flow statistics facilitate sophisticated performance analysis and
service-level agreement (SLA) accounting.
Advanced Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Tools
Management of storage networks requires proactive diagnostics, tools to verify connectivity and
route latency, and mechanisms for capturing and analyzing traffic. The Cisco MDS 9134 integrates
the industry’s most advanced analysis and debugging tools. Power-on self-test (POST) and online
diagnostics provide proactive health monitoring. The Cisco MDS 9134 provides the integrated
hardware functions required to implement diagnostic capabilities such as Fibre Channel
Traceroute to detail the exact path and timing of flows, and SPAN to intelligently capture network
traffic. After traffic has been captured, it can be analyzed with the Cisco Fabric Analyzer, an
embedded Fibre Channel analyzer. With the Cisco MDS 9134, Cisco delivers a comprehensive
toolset for troubleshooting and analysis of an organization’s storage network.
Comprehensive Security
In recognition of the need for unassailable security in storage networks, the Cisco MDS 9134
offers an extensive security framework to protect highly sensitive data crossing today’s enterprise
networks.
VSANs are used to achieve higher security and greater stability by providing complete
isolation among devices that are connected to the same physical SAN.
Intelligent packet inspection at the port level, including the use of access control lists
(ACLs) for hardware enforcement of zones, VSANs, and advanced port security features
are provided.
Extended zoning capabilities help ensure that broadcasts are restricted to the selected
zones (the broadcast zones).
FC-SP provides switch-to-switch and host-to-switch Diffie-Hellman Challenge Handshake
Authentication Protocol (DH-CHAP) authentication supporting RADIUS or TACACS+, to
help ensure that only authorized devices access protected storage networks.
These features, in conjunction with management access and control plane security, makes the
Cisco MDS 9000 family among the most secure platforms in its class.
High-Availability Platform for Mission-Critical Environments
The Cisco MDS 9134 is designed for mission-critical availability. Nondisruptive software upgrades;
hot-swappable, redundant fans and power supplies; and the unique capability to automatically
restart failed processes combine to define a new standard for fabric switch availability.
High availability is implemented at the fabric level through the industry’s most robust and highestperformance ISLs. PortChannel capability allows users to aggregate up to 16 physical ports into
one logical bundle. The bundle can sustain the failure of any physical link without causing a reset.
Additionally, FSPF multipathing provides the intelligence to load balance across up to 16 equal-