10G core transition

[jmprats]

Hi, i would like to do the CORE migration of a small/medium enterprise. This transition must consider 10g server and ISCSI SAN access.

is there any Cisco Switch with 10G support for servers connectivity for small /medium enterprise?

I'm talking about ToR or stackable switches with 10G ports and L3 support

How can I approach this project without thinking in products like Catalyst 6500 or Nexus 7000 that are out of range?

Thanks

[Leo Laohoo]

Nexus can do 10G/40G.

6500 with Sup2T can support 10G/40G.

[jmprats]

We are talking about small / medium enterprise

They can't afford 6500 or Nexus 7000

Any other solution?

I know HP or Extreme has solutions for this market like Extreme x650 or HP ToR switches, but I would like to study all the Cisco options first

How can i face this project with Cisco?

Is there 10g sfp+ support in the Catalyst 3750 roadmap? It could be a solution

Thanks

[Joseph W. Doherty]

Disclaimer

The  Author of this posting offers the information contained within this  posting without consideration and with the reader's understanding that  there's no implied or expressed suitability or fitness for any purpose.  Information provided is for informational purposes only and should not  be construed as rendering professional advice of any kind. Usage of this  posting's information is solely at reader's own risk.

Liability Disclaimer

In  no event shall Author be liable for any damages whatsoever (including,  without limitation, damages for loss of use, data or profit) arising out  of the use or inability to use the posting's information even if Author  has been advised of the possibility of such damage.

Posting

For stackable 10g using SFP+, 3750-X offers dual 10 gig SFP+ ports on some of their optional modules.  (Non-stackable 3560-X offers same.)

The older 3560-E/3750-E also offers dual built-in 10g, but it's not SFP+.

Other stand alone switches that offer 10g include some models of the 4900 series and the very new 4500-X.

[Leo Laohoo]

2960S, 3560E/3560X, 3750E/3750X supports SFP+.

You could also look into 4900M, 4500X.

Unlike the Nexus or the 6500 (with Sup2T), the 2960S, 3560E/3560X and 3750E/3750X has very limited 10 Gbps ports (maximum of 2 per unit).

One more thing, know your options.  I've posted this in several threads before and in our situation, if we have more than two 3750X in a stack, then it's cheaper for us to get a 4510R+E with Sup7E plus associated line cards.

Another thing to look into is whether or not you'll be doing MPLS, VRF-lite or plain layer 2/layer 3.   3560E/3560X, 3750E/3750X, if memory serves me correctly, will only support VRF-lite.  2960S doesn't support MPLS or VRF-lite.  4500X will only support VRF-lite (but will be supporting VSS very soon).  Nexus and the Sup2T will support MPLS.

[pjmonline]

We looked at getting the 4900m. If memory serves me right it can support 24 sfp+ 10g modules.

Sent from Cisco Technical Support iPhone App

[Joseph W. Doherty]

Disclaimer

The   Author of this posting offers the information contained within this   posting without consideration and with the reader's understanding that   there's no implied or expressed suitability or fitness for any purpose.   Information provided is for informational purposes only and should not   be construed as rendering professional advice of any kind. Usage of  this  posting's information is solely at reader's own risk.

Liability Disclaimer

In   no event shall Author be liable for any damages whatsoever (including,   without limitation, damages for loss of use, data or profit) arising  out  of the use or inability to use the posting's information even if  Author  has been advised of the possibility of such damage.

Posting

4900M 10gig ports use X2 connectors, not SFP+.  For SFP+, on non-chassis, you would need 3560-X/3750-X or 4500-X.

[Leo Laohoo]

We looked at getting the 4900m. If memory serves me right it can support 24 sfp+ 10g modules.

Ok.  But I would still ask you to know your options.  There are some cases where the 4900M with 10 Gbps line cards can be more expensive than a 6500E with Sup2T.

Plus, bandwidth of a 6500E or a Nexus against the 4900M?  The 4900M does not stand a chance in some cases.

[nikolasgeyer]

Nexus 5548P/5596P platform is quite good for what you are after. Up to 96 ports of 1G/10G SFP+ in each box, vPC could cater for your stacking requirements and chuck the L3 daughter card in a pair for your route point. Depending on the size of your 10G foot print, you may be able to get away with a pair of Nexus 55xx switches and use FEX's for the HoR/ToR server connections.

Yes it is more expensive than 3750's, but generally nowhere near the cost of 6500/N7k hardware. This platform has become quite attractive for medium size implementations.

Just another option for Cisco aside from the 4900M

[jmprats]

Thanks to everybody. I'm surrounded by 10G Cisco experts! Great!

So 3750 stack is not an option because for the moment it lacks of 10G ports. Then the options you mention are:

a) 4900M (with Cisco OneX converter from X2 to SFP+)

b) 4500X

c) 4510R+E with Sup7E plus

d) Nexus 5548P/5596P with L3 card

OK, take a look to my requirements. They are:

- 4 x 10GBASE-T ports for the SAN migration from native FC to ISCSI

- 8 x SFP+ ports for the migration of the VM servers to 10G

- 6 x 1000BASE-SX fiber ports

- 50 x 1Gbps ports for netwok devices, floors connections and server transition from 1g to 10g

Not MPLS, not VRF, only static routing, vlan's, multicast.

What do you think now? Can we go a little deeper in the best solution?

Thanks

[nikolasgeyer]

My personal recommendation would be a pair of Nexus 5596UP's with the Layer 3 daughter card. Using the UP model means it can do FC/FCoE if something goes wrong with the iSCSI implementation and you need to roll back.

This is of course assuming the cabling topology is logical and neat. If you require HoR/ToR then look at using FEX's for the 50x 1Gbps hosts.

[jmprats]

Thanks for your recomendation but I think that's too expensive for their budget.

They now have an old Catalyst 6000

So I think the best option can be:

a) 4510R+E with Sup7E plus

or

b) Catalyst 6500 if they can use the 48x1G cards of the old 6000, so they only need chassis, supervisor and 10G card when needed

How do you see?

Do you think 4500 and 6500 have good performance for connecting the ISCSI san and the servers directly?  I say this because they lack the new congestion management and performance features of

Data Center Ethernet (DCE). Do you think it's enough for 10G iscsi?