Cisco Fabric Analyzer - Cisco MDS 9000 Series Troubleshooting Manual

Chapter 1 Troubleshooting Overview
S e n d c o m m e n t s t o m d s f e e d b a c k - d o c @ c i s c o . c o m .
When used in conjunction with the open source protocol analyzer, Ethereal (http//www.ethereal.com),
the Cisco Port Analyzer Adapter provides a cost-effective and powerful troubleshooting tool. It allows
any PC with a Ethernet card to provide the functionality of a flexible Fibre Channel analyzer. For more
information on using the Cisco Port Analyzer Adapter see the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Port Analyzer
Adapter Installation and Configuration Guide.

Cisco Fabric Analyzer

For more information about using the Cisco Fabric Analyzer, refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family
Configuration Guide.
The ultimate tool for troubleshooting network protocol problems is the protocol analyzer. Protocol
analyzers promiscuously capture network traffic and completely decode the captured frames down to the
protocol level. Using a protocol analyzer, you can conduct a detailed analysis by taking a sample of a
storage network transaction and by mapping the transaction on a frame-by-frame basis, complete with
timestamps. This kind of information lets you pinpoint a problem with a high degree of accuracy and
arrive at a solution more quickly. However, dedicated protocol analyzers are expensive and they must be
placed locally at the point of analysis within the network.
With the Cisco Fabric Analyzer, Cisco has brought Fibre Channel protocol analysis within a storage
network to a new level of capability. Using Cisco Fabric Analyzer, you can capture Fibre Channel control
traffic from a switch and decode it without having to disrupt any connectivity, and without having to be
present locally at the point of analysis.
The Cisco Fabric Analyzer consists of three main components:
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The text-based interface to the Cisco Fabric Analyzer is a CLI-based program for controlling the
analyzer and providing output of the decoded results. Using the CLI-based interface, you can remotely
access an Cisco MDS 9000 Family switch, using Telnet or a secure method such as Secure Shell (SSH).
You can then capture and decode Fibre Channel control traffic, which offers a convenient method for
conducting detailed, remote troubleshooting. In addition, because this tool is CLI-based, you can use
roles-based policies to limit access to this tool as required.
The GUI-based implementation (Ethereal) can be installed on any Windows or Linux workstation. This
application provides an easier-to-use interface that is more easily customizable. The GUI interface lets
you easily sort, filter, crop, and save traces to your local workstation.
The Ethereal application allows remote access to Fibre Channel control traffic and does not require a
Fibre Channel connection on the remote workstation.
The Cisco Fabric Analyzer lets you capture and decode Fibre Channel traffic remotely over Ethernet. It
captures Fibre Channel traffic, encapsulates it in TCP/IP, and transports it over an Ethernet network to
the remote client. The remote client then deencapsulates and fully decodes the Fibre Channel frames.
This capability provides flexibility for troubleshooting problems in remote locations.
OL-5183-02, Cisco MDS SAN-OS Release 1.3
An agent embedded in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches. This agent can be selectively enabled
to promiscuously capture designated control traffic.
A text-based interface to the control and decoded output of the analyzer.
GUI-based client application that you can install on any workstation to provide a full-function
interface to the decoded data.
Using Cisco Network Management Products
Cisco MDS 9000 Family Troubleshooting Guide
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