Chapter 29 Configuring Ficon; Ficon Requirements - Cisco AP776A - Nexus Converged Network Switch 5020 Configuration Manual

About FICON
S e n d d o c u m e n t a t i o n 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
The Cisco MDS 9000 Family supports the Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP), FICON, iSCSI, and FCIP
capabilities within a single, high availability platform. This solution simplifies purchasing, reduces
deployment and management costs, and reduces the complex evolution to shared mainframe and open
systems storage networks (see
Figure 29-1
Mainframe
systems
systems
FCP and FICON are different FC4 protocols and their traffic is independent of each other. Devices using
these protocols should be isolated using VSANs.
This section includes the following topics:
•
•
•
•

FICON Requirements

The FICON feature has the following requirements:
•
•
Cisco MDS 9000 Family CLI Configuration Guide
29-2
Shared System Storage Network
Open
FICON Requirements, page 29-2
MDS-Specific FICON Advantages, page 29-3
FICON Cascading, page 29-7
FICON VSAN Prerequisites, page 29-7
You can implement FICON features in the following switches:
Any switch in the Cisco MDS 9500 Series.
–
– Any switch in the Cisco MDS 9200 Series (including the Cisco MDS 9222i Multiservice
Modular Switch).
Cisco MDS 9134 Multilayer Fabric Switch.
–
MDS 9000 Family 18/4-Port Multiservice Module.
–
You need the MAINFRAME_PKG license to configure FICON parameters. To extendyour FICON
configuration over a WAN link using FCIP, you need the appropriate SAN_EXTN_OVER_IP
license for the module you are using. For more information, see
Licenses".
Figure 29-1).
FICON VSAN
Open systems VSANs
Chapter 29 Configuring FICON
Control
unit
Open
storage
Chapter 3, "Obtaining and Installing
OL-18084-01, Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 4.x