The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.
Contents
IBM FICON Qualification Status
This document describes the features, issues, and deployment guidelines for the Cisco MDS NX-OS software for use on the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches.
Note: The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product.
Note: Release notes are updated on an as needed basis with new information on restrictions and issues. See the following website for the most recent version of the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Release Notes.
Date |
Description |
August 29, 2025 |
Upgrading and Downgrading Cisco MDS NX-OS Software Image sections are moved to Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.x. Added CSCwo99445 to the Resolved Issues section. |
August 21, 2025 |
Added CSCwn10124, CSCwn94165 to the Open Issues section. |
August 18, 2025 |
Added CSCwo00133 to the Open Issues section. |
March 25, 2025 |
Added CSCwo03706 to the Open Issues section. |
March 03, 2025 |
Added CSCwn58100 to the Open Issues section. |
August 12, 2024 |
Added CSCwk33644 to the Open Issues section. |
February 26, 2024 |
Added CSCwi94490 to the Open Issues section. |
January 13, 2024 |
Initial Release |
The Cisco MDS 9000 Series of Multilayer Directors and Fabric Switches provide best-in-class high availability, scalability, security, and management that enables to deploy high-performance storage area networks. Layering a rich set of intelligent features onto a high-performance switch fabric, the Cisco MDS 9000 Series has the flexibility to fit small deployments and to address the stringent requirements of large data center storage environments: high availability, security, scalability, sustainability, ease of management, and seamless integration of new technologies.
MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(1a) is a FICON-qualified release. Fibre Connection (FICON) interface capabilities enhance certain Cisco MDS 9000 Series switches by supporting both open systems and mainframe storage network environments.
The Cisco MDS NX-OS operating system is shipped with the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches. The Cisco MDS NX-OS software consists of two images: the kickstart image and the system image. These images can be upgraded or downgraded to different versions. The versions of both images must match for the system to boot.
Each model of the Cisco MDS switch has unique kickstart and system images. For more information on the image names for each Cisco MDS switch, see the Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.x.
To download the new Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches NX-OS software, go to the Storage Networking Software download website at https://software.cisco.com/download/find/MDS.
Upgrade and Downgrade Paths
Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(1a) supports non-disruptive upgrade and downgrade to other Cisco MDS NX-OS Releases. For upgrade and downgrade paths, and guidelines that are recommended for upgrading or downgrading Cisco MDS NX-OS software images, see Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.x.
Note: If you have the SAN analytics feature enabled, ensure that you disable the SAN analytics feature using the no feature analytics command before upgrading. For detailed instructions, see Preventing SAN Analytics Corruption during ISSU section in the Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide, Release 9.x.
Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches contain a number of hardware components with updatable firmware. The Transceiver Firmware bundle contains updates for various port transceivers. The EPLD Firmware bundle contains updates for programmable logic devices in the system.
These updates can be disruptive and so are not part of the Cisco NX-OS software image. They are released with every Cisco NX-OS release but do not frequently contain changes. Refer to the specific Release Notes for any recommended fixes.
For more information on Transceiver Firmware, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Transceiver Firmware Release Notes, Release 9.4(1a).
For more information on EPLD bundles, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series EPLD Release Notes, Release 9.4(1a).
Choosing Between Cisco MDS NX-OS Open Systems Releases
Cisco uses release numbering to indicate the maturity of a Cisco MDS NX-OS release train. Cisco MDS NX-OS major versions are incremented when significant software features or hardware support are added. Because of the focus on new features and hardware, all bugs may not yet have been fixed. After an initial release, minor version numbers of the release train are incremented as bugs are resolved, and minor feature enhancements and security patches are integrated. This provides increased stability to the new features and updated security.
For Cisco recommended MDS NX-OS releases for each type of hardware, see the Recommended Releases for Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches document.
For information on supported software and hardware components, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Compatibility Matrix.
Cisco TrustSec FC Link Encryption
For more information about which set of interfaces on each module support FC-SP, see the Configuring Cisco TrustSec Fibre Channel Link Encryption chapter of the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Security Configuration Guide, Release 9.x.
IBM FICON Qualification Status
Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(1a) is IBM FICON qualified.
Fibre Connection (FICON) interface capabilities enhance certain Cisco MDS 9000 Series switches by supporting both open systems and mainframe storage network environments.
FICON Supported Platforms with MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(1a)
● Cisco MDS 9706 Director Switch
◦ Cisco MDS 9700 48-port 64-Gbps Switching Module (DS-X9748-3072K9)
Note: The 64G transceivers are not supported for FICON Channel or Control Unit connections.
◦ Cisco MDS 9700 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (DS-X9648-1536K9)
◦ Cisco MDS 24/10-Port SAN Extension Module (DS-X9334-K9)
◦ Cisco MDS 9706 Crossbar Fabric-1 Switching Module (DS-X9706-FAB1)
Note: FAB1 modules are not supported on IBM z17 System.
◦ Cisco MDS 9706 Crossbar Fabric-3 Switching Module (DS-X9706-FAB3)
◦ Cisco MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-1 Module (DS-X97-SF1-K9)
Note: SUP1 modules are not supported on IBM z17 System.
◦ Cisco MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-4 Module (DS-X97-SF4-K9)
● Cisco MDS 9710 Director Switch
◦ Cisco MDS 9700 48-port 64-Gbps Switching Module (DS-X9748-3072K9)
Note: The 64G transceivers are not supported for FICON Channel or Control Unit connections.
◦ Cisco MDS 9700-48 Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (DS-X9648-1536K9)
◦ Cisco MDS 24/10-Port SAN Extension Module (DS-X9334-K9)
◦ Cisco MDS 48-Port 16-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (DS-X9448-768K9)
Note: This switching module is not supported on IBM Z16 System.
◦ Cisco MDS 9710 Crossbar Fabric-1 Switching Module (DS-X9710-FAB1)
◦ Cisco MDS 9710 Crossbar Fabric-3 Switching Module (DS-X9710-FAB3)
◦ Cisco MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-1 Module (DS-X97-SF1-K9)
◦ Cisco MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-4 Module (DS-X97-SF4-K9)
● Cisco MDS 9250i Multiservice Fabric Switches
Note: MDS 9250i switches are not supported on IBM Z16 System.
● Cisco MDS 9220i Multiservice Fabric Switches
● Cisco MDS 9148V Fabric Switches
FICON on IBM OEM switches and modules
FICON is also supported on the following IBM OEM switches and modules:
● IBM SAN192C-6
◦ IBM 48-Port 64-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (03FR076)
Note: The 64G transceivers are not supported for FICON Channel or Control Unit connections.
◦ IBM 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (01FT644)
◦ IBM SAN Director Supervisor Module 4 (02JD753)
◦ IBM SAN Director Supervisor Module 1 (01FT600)
◦ IBM 24/10 Port SAN Extension Module (01FT645)
● IBM SAN384C-6
◦ IBM 48-Port 64-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (03FR076)
Note: The 64G transceivers are not supported for FICON Channel or Control Unit connections.
◦ IBM 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module (01FT644)
◦ IBM SAN Director Supervisor Module 4 (02JD753)
◦ IBM SAN Director Supervisor Module 1 (01FT600)
◦ IBM 24/10 Port SAN Extension Module (01FT645)
● IBM SAN50C-R
● IBM SAN16C-R
FICON Supported Releases
The following table lists Cisco MDS NX-OS releases that are qualified for FICON. Refer to the specific release notes for FICON upgrade path information.
Table 1. FICON Supported Releases
FICON Supported Releases |
|
MDS NX-OS |
Release 9.4(1a) |
Release 8.4(2e) |
|
Release 8.4(2c) |
|
Release 8.4(2b) |
|
Release 8.4(1a) |
|
Release 8.1(1b) |
|
Release 8.1(1a) |
FICON Tape Acceleration (FTA) is not supported with Release 9.4(1a) on any MDS 9000 platform.
There are no new hardware features in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.4(1a).
Product Impact |
Feature |
Description |
Licensing |
Licensing Package |
From MDS Release 9.4(1a), the Mainframe License Package is not required to configure FICON. For more information, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Licensing Guide, Release 9.x. |
FICON |
Support for FICON is available as part of the base feature set and does not require any license for FICON-supported platforms, including MDS 9706, MDS 9710, MDS 9220i, and MDS 9250i switches. For more information, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Fundamentals Configuration Guide, Release 9.x. |
|
Fabric Binding |
Support for the Fabric Binding feature is available as part of the base feature set and does not require any license. For more information, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Fundamentals Configuration Guide, Release 9.x. |
SDV feature
Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.3(2) and later releases do not support Cisco SAN device virtualization (SDV).
Traditional and Smart Licensing Version 1.0 Licenses
Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.2(2) and later releases do not support installation of Product Authorization Key (PAK) or Smart Licensing version 1.0 licenses.
For more information such as how to migrate licenses software updates, see the Smart Licensing Using Policy chapter in Cisco MDS 9000 Series Licensing Guide, Release 9.x.
Python 2
Support for Python 2 is deprecated from Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.2(2). Python 3 remains supported instead. Python 2 scripts should be checked for compatibility with Python 3 to ensure they continue to function as expected.
For more information, see the Python API chapter in the Cisco MDS 9000 Series Programmability Guide, Release 9.x.
Zoning Features
LUN zoning, read-only zones, and broadcast zones are no longer supported.
If these features are already configured, completely remove all the configurations that include these features before attempting to boot any module. In addition, you cannot configure these features after you bring up any module.
XRC Acceleration License
From Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.1(1a), the Cisco Extended Remote Copy (XRC) acceleration license is obsoleted on all Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches due to improvements in z/OS® Global Mirror feature (formally known as XRC). Cisco MDS continues to support z/OS® Global Mirror (formally known as XRC) over all supported FICON cascade topologies (FC, FC over DWDM, and FCIP).
Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)
From Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.3(1) and later, the VRRP feature is not supported on Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches.
Data Encryption Standard (DES) Encryption for SNMP
From Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1), AES-128 is the default encryption mechanism for SNMPv3. DES encryption for SNMP is supported only for DES users who upgrade from previous releases to Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1). Ensure that you delete all the SNMPv3 users configured with DES encryption before upgrading to Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1) and later releases. Any downgrades from Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1) will be restricted if any of the SNMPv3 users have DES encryption configured as the privacy protocol. All such users will either need to be deleted or reconfigured to use no privacy protocol or AES128 encryption before downgrading.
For more information, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Series System Management Configuration Guide, Release 9.x.
FPIN Notifications
Fabric Performance Impact Notifications (FPIN) notifications for oversubscription-based congestion is not supported.
FCWA, XER, DMM, SME
FCWA, XRC, DMM, and SME features are not supported from Release 8.x.
FICON Port Swap
FICON Port Swap is not supported from Release 9.4(1a).
FICON Prohibit/Allow and Block Attributes of FICON Ports
Prohibit/Allow and Block attributes that were used on a per FICON Port Address basis is not supported from Release 9.4(1a).
SAN Extension Tuner
SAN Extension Tuner (SET) is not supported on Cisco MDS 9220i switches in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 8.5(1) or later.
Fibre Channel Read Diagnostic Parameters
Fibre Channel RDP querying is not supported on NP, Port Channel, or FCoE links.
Slow Drain Detection and Congestion Isolation
ER_RDY is not supported on FC interfaces running at 10 Gbps.
FPIN
FPIN is not supported on switches that are operating in NPV mode.
FCIP Support
● In Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.2(2) or later releases, FCIP Write Acceleration is not supported between 24/10 SAN Extension Module and Cisco 18+4 MSM module and between 24/10 SAN Extension Module and Cisco SSN16 module.
● In Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 9.2(2) or later releases, Simultaneous use of IVR and FCIP Write Acceleration features is not supported on FCIP tunnels configured on Cisco MDS 9700 Director switches.
● On Cisco MDS 24/10 Port SAN Extension Module, configuring multiple FSPF equal cost paths (ECMP) port channels with FCIP members in the same VSAN is not a valid configuration. If this is configured, then the traffic flows through only one of the port channels.
● On FCIP links that are carrying FICON VSANs, compression and/or encryption should not be used.
iSCSI Support
iSCSI is not supported on Cisco MDS 9700 Directors with Cisco MDS 24/10 port SAN Extension Modules and Cisco MDS 9220i multiservice fabric switch.
Severity 1 (Catastrophic) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
A fabric switch with SFP checksum errors reloads after an ISSU |
8.4(2f) |
Severity 3 (Moderate) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
ssh-certificate and ssh-public based authorization parse and assign last group from ldap server |
9.4(1) |
|
LDAP:network-admin role not assigned to user if role is not the first entry in parsed roles |
9.4(1) |
|
Analytics treats NVME frames as SCSI frames and records incorrect SCSI metrics |
9.4(1) |
|
Link does not come up on 64 Gbps FC port randomly |
9.4(1) |
|
M9718 sup3 : Fib process crashed when triggered a reload |
9.4(1) |
|
callhome module crash on MDS 9396V platform |
9.4(1) |
|
MDS Fabric Switches can't save large service core files due to dump partition size |
9.2(2) |
|
ficonstat crash af ISSU to 8.4(2e) |
8.4(2e) |
Severity 4 (Minor) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
Need more detail in "Return code 0x4093007E (Issu cannot be done, bootflash is busy)." error |
8.5(1) |
Severity 1 (Catastrophic) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
An FC interface will not come up / switch to soft zoning |
9.4(1a), 9.4(1) 9.3(2a), 9.3(2), 9.3(1) 9.2(2), 9.2(1a), 9.2(1) 8.5(1) |
Severity 2 (Severe) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
MDS 9700 control plane packet drops after switch boot |
9.4(1a) 8.4(1) |
|
Kernel panic on MDS DS-X97-SF4-K9 model supervisor |
8.4(2a), 8.4(1a), 8.4(1) |
|
Cisco NX-OS Software CLI Command Injection Vulnerability |
9.4(2), 9.4(1a), 9.4(1) 9.3(2a), 9.3(2), 9.3(1) 9.2(2), 9.2(1a), 9.2(1) 8.5(1) 8.4(2f), 8.4(2e), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2), 8.4(1a), 8.4(1) 8.3(2), 8.3(1) 8.2(2), 8.2(1) 8.1(1b), 8.1(1a), 8.1(1) 7.3(1)DY(1), 7.3(1)D1(1), 7.3(0)DY(1), 7.3(0)D1(1) 6.2(9c), 6.2(9b), 6.2(9a), 6.2(9), 6.2(7), 6.2(5b), 6.2(5a), 6.2(5), 6.2(33), 6.2(31), 6.2(3), 6.2(29), 6.2(27), 6.2(25), 6.2(23), 6.2(21), 6.2(19), 6.2(17), 6.2(15), 6.2(13b), 6.2(13a), 6.2(13), 6.2(11e), 6.2(11d), 6.2(11c), 6.2(11b), 6.2(11), 6.2(1) |
|
Evaluation of MDS 9000 Series for OpenSSH regreSSHion vulnerability (CVE-2024-6387) |
9.4(2), 9.4(1a) |
|
Device unable to log into fabric due to maximum FLOGIs already on the port |
9.4(1a), 9.4(1), 9.3(1),9.2(1) 8.5(1), 8.4(1), 8.3(1), 8.2(1),8.1(1) |
|
Hosts losing paths due to FSPF instability due to LSRs reaching Max Age after upgrading to 9.4(2a) |
9.4(3), 9.4(2a), 9.4(2), 9.4(1a), 9.4(1) |
|
"analytics" service crashes |
9.4(1a) 9.3(2a) 8.4(2c) |
|
Linecard 'acltcam' service crashes with signal 6 |
9.4(1a), 9.4(1) |
|
When ficon CUP processes a C2 command from the host it loses about 700 bytes of memory |
9.4(1a) |
Severity 3 (Moderate) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
ISLs at 64G auto speed go to notConnected state sometimes after several flaps |
9.4(1a), 9.4(1) 9.3(2a), 9.3(2), 9.3(1) |
|
GLDN :: MDS[9132U, 9220I, 9148V, 9148T] : WWN Snmpwalk failure |
9.4(1) |
|
GLDN :: MDS[9396T,9396V] : NTP Snmpwalk failure |
9.4(1) |
|
9396s : pmon crash seen while running show tech fpm |
9.4(1a) |
|
Interfaces stuck in offline status after storage processor upgrade |
9.4(1a), 9.4(1) 9.3(2a), 9.3(2), 9.3(1) |
|
Strings "prohibit" or "block" are falsely interpret as FICON config when performing ISSU |
9.4(1a) |
Severity 4 (Minor) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
'show tech details' triggers 'pam_ftp(ftp:auth): conversation failed - ftpd' syslogs |
8.5(1) 8.4(1), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d). 8.4(2e) 8.3(2), 8.3(1) 8.2(2), 8.2(1) |
|
IPv6 source address not displayed in log in failure logs |
8.5(1) 8.4(1), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e) 8.3(2), 8.3(1) |
|
SCSI target discovery service running even after removal of last DS-X9334-K9 module from switch |
8.5(1) 8.4(1), 8.4(1a), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e) 8.3(1), 8.3(2) 8.2(1), 8.2(2) 8.1(1), 8.1(1a), 8.1(1b) |
|
Nondisruptive reload causes reinitialization of error disabled ports on other linecards |
8.5(1) 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e) |
|
Remove misleading ficonstat 'merge failed' message in non-FICON VSAN |
8.5(1) 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e) |
|
Linecard fails to boot up with '%PORT-5-MODULE_BRINGUP_NOT_ALLOWED' error |
8.4(2e), 8.4(2c) 8.1(1) |
|
Power Supply status of "Powered-dn" causes Amber System Status LED |
9.4(2a), 9.4(2) 9.4(1a), 9.4(1) |
Severity 5 (Cosmetic) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
"rmon event 5" displays as PMON@INFO instead of NOTIFICATION(5) owner PMON@NOTIFICATION |
8.4(1) |
Severity 6 (Enhancement) Issues
Bug ID |
Headline |
Known Impacted Releases |
All flows are briefly suspended while moving an IOA flow between 2 clusters |
8.5(1) 8.4(1), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e) 8.3(2), 8.3(1) 8.2(2), 8.2(1) 8.1(1b), 8.1(1a), 8.1(1) |
|
Streaming to telemetry receiver stops, receiver stays in "idle" state |
8.5(1) 8.4(1), 8.4(2), 8.4(2a), 8.4(2b), 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e) |
|
Need to automatically sync bootflash:/scripts directory between active and standby sups |
9.4(1) 8.1(1a) |
|
Need to save nonvolatile logs about BIOS programming errors |
8.5(1) 8.4(2c), 8.4(2d), 8.4(2e) 8.3(2) |
|
Enhancement: Upgrade MDS 9000 nginx version to greater than or equal to 1.20.1 |
9.4(1) 8.4(2c) |
|
A fabric module with a faulty link to a linecard is not powered down |
8.4(1) |
|
Add option to 'show tech-support' to exclude and include subcommands |
9.4(1) 8.1(1) |
|
Span tx is not working in NPV mode on all platforms, rx is working |
9.4(1) |
|
Need a syslog warning when number of zone members exceeds maximum supported |
8.4(2d) |
The documentation set for the Cisco MDS 9000 Series includes the documents that are listed in this section. To find a document online, access the following URL:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5989/tsd_products_support_series_home.html
Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (Formerly DCNM)
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9369/tsd_products_support_series_home.html
Release Notes
Licensing Information
Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/mds9000/hw/regulatory/compliance/RCSI.html
Compatibility Information
Installation and Upgrade
Configuration Guides
CLI
Troubleshooting and Reference
Statement of Volatility
Documentation Roadmap
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/storage/san_switches/mds9000/roadmaps/rel90.html
To provide technical feedback on this document, or to report an error or omission, send your comments to mds-docfeedback@cisco.com. We appreciate your feedback.
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