Improve Performance and Flexibility
IBM mainframes have been the workhorses of the computing world for almost 50 years and many large organizations still entrust IBM System z servers with their most mission-critical and demanding applications.
The Cisco MDS 9000 Mainframe package can enable the connection of Cisco MDS storage directors with the IBM System z server with both FICON and FCP. This support includes the MDS 9700 family and the 9220i.
The MDS 9000 Mainframe package (included in NXOS 9.4(1a) and newer at no cost) includes a number of features, including:
- Support for Virtual SANs (VSANs)
This helps to enable workload isolation, division of management, and control of fault-domains all within a single platform, with superior reliability and scalability. - Support for the IBM CUP interface
This support within each FICON VSAN allows for management and performance data collection natively from the System z. - Support for Cascaded FICON Topologies
Customers can now scale in large FICON environments. They can also support FICON environments spanning across multiple data centers. - Support for Long Distance Tape and Remote Disk Replication (GDPS-XRC)
Support is offered through channel-acceleration logic for FICON over Fiber Channel over IP (FCIP). Customers get integrated encryption and compression for FCIP links. - Support for IBM's New System z17
This includes support for the new FICON Express 16S feature including complete interoperability with the Forward Error Correction (FEC) capabilities.