Nexus 9000 to support Storage traffic

[jahanzaib amin]

I need some clarification over Nexus 9000. Can we use Nexus 9000 for storage traffic (FCOE & FC) ? if yes the off-course we can use it at aggregation layer.

Best Regard,

[Matt Breitbach]

The Nexus 9k will act as an NPIV switch, does no local FCoE management, and does not have native FC ports.  It will support FCoE traffic, but management will need to be enabled upstream via a true FCoE switch with a FCF (Fiber Channel Forwarder) such as the Nexus 5k/75 series or MDS series switches.

[CSCO11969267]

A couple weeks ago I was told the ACI N9Ks can suppose FCoE and that I no longer need my N5Ks. Can you please confirm what you have posted above?

[Matt Breitbach · Accepted solution]

From what I can tell the 9k series does not have a Fiber Channel Forwarder in it.  If your 5k's are the only FC/FCoE SAN switches, then you will not be able to get rid of them.  If you have additional core SAN switches (MDS, Brocade, etc) then those will be able to use those to continue providing the core logic of the SAN.  

This is all coming from datasheets and materials I have available.  I do not have any Nexus 9k's right now (lab ones are coming online shortly) to confirm on, but being that these are merchant silicon switches, I'm going to make a leap and say they don't have full-blown FC features.

[zoroo1234]

Ol , if this is the case we need to use 5k with 9k as FCF . Then i want to know what will be the port configuration on 9k and 5k which connected each other . Thanks 

[jahanzaib amin]

Why we need FCF (N5k or MDS) when Nexus 9K can act as NPIV switch? Further in this way we will use same switch or single VDC for storage and classical traffic?

Thanks,

[Matt Breitbach · Accepted solution]

Sorry, the 9k acts in NPV mode, not NPIV mode (my mistake - fat fingers).  From what I can tell there is no way to configure zones or any of the traditional FC constructs of a traditional FC switch.  In NPV mode the 9k will simply forward Flogi/Plogi/Prli, all zone responsibilities, and things like RSCN  to an upstream switch that has an FCF.

[jahanzaib amin]

Great. Further does 9K support multiple VDCs so we can do separate storage VDC?

[Matt Breitbach · Accepted solution]

I do not believe that the 9k supports multiple VDC's.

[jahanzaib amin]

So this way, same switch (9K) can be use for Storage (FCOE) and classical data storage? 

[CSCO11969267]

Are we talking about N9Ks in ACI or NX-OS mode and does it matter?

[jahanzaib amin]

N9Ks in NX-OS.