Get a Converged, Intelligent SAN

Video Data Sheet

Learn about the new features and benefits of Cisco MDS 9513 Multilayer Director. (6:11 min)

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Video Data Sheet

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The Cisco MDS 9513 Multilayer Director is a high-performance, protocol-independent, director-class SAN switch that meets stringent enterprise data center storage requirements. Compatible with all generations of Cisco MDS 9000 switching modules, it provides high availability, scalability, security, and transparent integration of intelligent features.

Feature and Capabilities

Scalable expansion with outstanding investment protection
Multiprotocol architecture and convergence with multihop FCoE
Business transformation with enterprise cloud deployments
Platform for intelligent storage applications

Enterprise-Class Availability

The Cisco MDS 9513 Multilayer Director helps you meet server virtualization challenges such as:

Increased need for servers to access data on the network
Higher bandwidth density per server
Different security profiles for multitenancy, cloud computing, and heterogeneous environments
Loss of insight into individual applications for the SAN administration team

Converge Networks for Easy Storage Connectivity

You can easily connect a Cisco MDS-based SAN infrastructure to large converged networks with multihop Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). In addition, the operating system and management interface are the same as for all other Cisco data center switches.

Scale Your SAN for High Performance

With the Cisco MDS 9513 Multilayer Director, you can consolidate highly virtualized servers and high-end storage in a SAN. The Cisco MDS 9513 supports up to 528 high-performance 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbps Fibre Channel ports in one chassis.

Use Intelligent Storage for Mixed Environments

This SAN switch offers intelligence for heterogeneous environments with:

Fibre Channel or Fibre Channel over IP SAN extension and I/O acceleration
Cisco Storage Media Encryption
Cisco Data Mobility Manager
Third-party application for continuous data protection

Cisco Data Center Network Manager offers end-to-end, virtual-machine-aware path analytics and trending, to help you simplify management of your data center virtual infrastructure.

Specifications at a Glance

Software compatibility	Cisco MDS SAN-OS Software Release 3.0(1) or later Note: MDS 9513 Crossbar Switching Fabric3 Module requires Cisco NX-OS Software Release 5.2 or beyond
Performance/scalability	8.4 Tbps internal switching bandwidth Supported Fibre Channel port speeds 1/2/4/8 Gbps autosensing, optionally configurable 1/2/4 Gbps autosensing, optionally configurable 10 Gbps fixed rate Supported FCoE port speeds 10 Gbps fixed rate Supported Ethernet port speeds 1 Gbps fixed rate 32- and 48-port 8 Gbps Advanced Fibre Channel modules buffer credits: 32 per port (shared-mode ports), Up to 500 per port (dedicated-mode ports) standard Up to 4095 on an individual port (dedicated-mode ports with optional Cisco MDS 9000 Enterprise Package license activated)
Advanced functionality	VSAN Inter-VSAN Routing (IVR) PortChannel with multipath load balancing Flow-based, zone-based Quality of Service (QoS) N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV)
Reliability and availability	Online, nondisruptive software upgrades Stateful, nondisruptive supervisor module failover Hot-swappable redundant supervisor modules Hot-swappable redundant crossbar modules Hot-swappable redundant clock modules Hot-swappable 1+1 redundant power Hot-swappable fan trays with integrated temperature and power management Hot-swappable Enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) optics (2/4/8/10 Gbps) Hot-swappable small pluggable (X2) optics (10 Gbps) Hot-swappable switching modules Stateful process restart Any-module, any-port configuration for PortChannels Fabric-based multipathing Per-VSAN fabric services Online diagnostics Port tracking Virtual Routing Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) for management