Brocade Communications Systems VDX 6940 Datasheet page 5

to separate each 40 GbE uplink into
four 10 GbE uplinks via breakout
cables. As capacity and need increase,
organizations can revert to 40 GbE
when ready.
•
Ports on Demand: Ports on Demand
(PoD) enables organizations to activate
additional ports. They can purchase
the number of ports that they currently
need and seamlessly scale up later by
simply applying a software license. This
flexible and cost-efficient "pay as you
grow" licensing model solves scalability
challenges by allocating IT resources
as needed.
Maximizes Network Availability
with Efficiency and Resiliency
Brocade data center fabrics create a
more efficient and resilient network, and
deliver the high performance and high
reliability required by modern data
centers, including cloud and highly
virtualized environments.
Optimizing East-West Traffic
Traditional data centers are architected
with a rigid, three-tier tree topology
optimized for the north-south traffic flow
of client-server computing environments,
compromising performance, increasing
latency, and creating bottlenecks. With
the increased prevalence of virtualization
and distributed applications, data center
network traffic is now predominantly
east-west, or server-server. Brocade
data center fabrics were designed and
optimized to address these traffic patterns
by moving traffic through any of the active
paths and avoiding the multiple hops
required in other tiered topologies.
In-Service Software Upgrade
The Brocade VDX 6940 delivers a highly
efficient In-Service Software Upgrade
(ISSU) by leveraging a software model
that uses a dual-OS infrastructure on a
multi-core CPU. This enables data center
administrators to deliver enterprise-class
business continuity on fixed switches
during a software upgrade/downgrade
process. This software change process is
non-disruptive to Layer 2, Layer 3, Fibre
Channel, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet
(FCoE) traffic. Moreover, the ISSU
implementation is hardware-optimized,
thus reducing the time it takes to complete
the upgrade/downgrade process.
Advanced Storage Support
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches provide
advanced storage support with multiple
storage connectivity options, including
FCoE, iSCSI, and NAS. They also feature
Data Center Bridging (DCB), which
enables the reliable exchange of storage
traffic over the LAN, eliminating packet
loss when network congestion occurs and
allocating bandwidth as needed to keep
the network running efficiently. Moreover,
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches offer
NAS Auto QoS intelligence to prioritize
delay-sensitive IP storage traffic within
the fabric and to help ensure consistent
performance while decreasing latency.
Brocade Global Services
Brocade Global Services has the
expertise to help organizations build
scalable, efficient cloud infrastructures.
Leveraging 20 years of expertise in
storage, networking, and virtualization,
Brocade Global Services delivers
world-class professional services,
technical support, and education
services, enabling organizations to
maximize their Brocade investments,
accelerate new technology deployments,
and optimize the performance of
networking infrastructures.
Acquisition Options That Match
Balance Sheet Objectives
Successful network deployments drive
business forward, providing technical
and financial agility. Brocade offers
the broadest financing models, from
traditional leasing to Brocade Network
Subscription. Network-as-a-Service
allows organizations to subscribe to
network assets today then upgrade
on demand, scale up or down, or return
them with 60-day notification. Brocade
Network Subscription plans can be
structured to meet IASC guidelines
for OpEx or CapEx treatment to align with
financial goals. Learn more at
www.nonetworkcapex.com.
Maximizing Investments
To help optimize technology investments,
Brocade and its partners offer complete
solutions that include professional
services, technical support, and education.
For more information, contact a Brocade
sales partner or visit www.brocade.com.
5