MDS9216i vs SN 5428

[nchinetti]

I am new to storage networking. I wish to connect a small Hitachi SAN to a few (no more than 4) Windows and Linux servers via fiber channel, and about a dozen other Windows and Linux servers over iSCSI. I will also want to do async replication across our MAN (100 Mbps) to another Hitachi SAN at a later time using application such as Truecopy and the FCIP protocol.

I have been eyeing the SN 5428 for its fairly attractive pricing and based on my limited understanding, it seems to provide the functions I need. But I have been told by various sources that I should consider the MDS 9216i instead. The MDS is quite a bit more costly. I would like to understand the key benefits of going with this option so that I can justify the extra expense. Thanks.

[tblancha]

The SN5428 is slated for end of sales as of June 30, 2005. So, if you want one, you will need to get your order in very quickly.

On the tech side, the 9216i is much easier to manage because the command line is just like IOS and there is a great GUI management tool as well. The FCIP capabilities are exactly what you need based upon your description. You can run two FCIP tunnels each from a gigE port to the other side to give you redundancy in a portChannel. However, it is more expensive and you will need a san-extension license as well for the FCIP. But then, out of the box, you will have 14 fibre channel ports and an expansion slot for another blade, depending on your needs. And you can run the iscsi to the same ports.

This capability of running a redundant FCIP connection and iscsi at the same time is not true in the 5428. You would have to use one port for FCIP and one for iscsi.