> # Cisco MDS-Supported FICON Features

> The Cisco MDS 9000 Family FICON features include:

> - Flexibility and investment protection—The Cisco MDS 9000 Family shares common switching and service modules across the Cisco MDS 9500 Series and the 9200 Series.

> Refer to the Cisco MDS 9500 Series Hardware Installation Guide and the Cisco MDS 9200 Series Hardware Installation Guide.

> - High-availability FICON-enabled director—The Cisco MDS 9500 Series combines nondisruptive software upgrades, stateful process restart and failover, and full redundancy of all major components for a new standard in director-class availability. It supports up to 528 autosensing, 4/2/1-Gbps, 10-Gbps, FICON or FCP ports in any combination in a single chassis. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS High Availability and Redundancy Configuration Guide.
> - Infrastructure protection—Common software releases provide infrastructure protection across all Cisco MDS 9000 platforms. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Software Upgrade and Downgrade Guide.
> - VSAN technology—The Cisco MDS 9000 Family provides VSAN technology for hardware-enforced, isolated environments within a single physical fabric for secure sharing of physical infrastructure and enhanced FICON mixed support. See "Configuring and Managing VSANs."
> - Port-level configurations—There are BB_credits, beacon mode, and port security for each port. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Interfaces Configuration Guide for information about buffer-to-buffer credits, beacon LEDs, and trunking.
> - Alias name configuration—Provides user-friendly aliases instead of the WWN for switches and attached node devices. See "Configuring and Managing Zones."
> - Comprehensive security framework—The Cisco MDS 9000 Family supports RADIUS and TACACS+ authentication, Simple Network Management Protocol Version 3 (SNMPv3), role-based access control, Secure Shell Protocol (SSH), Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), VSANs, hardware-enforced zoning, ACLs, fabric binding, Fibre Channel Security Protocol (FC-SP), LUN zoning, read-only zones, and VSAN-based access control. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Security Configuration Guide for information about RADIUS, TACACS+, FC-SP, and DHCHAP.
> - Traffic encryption—IPsec is supported over FCIP. You can encrypt FICON and Fibre Channel traffic that is carried over FCIP. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Security Configuration Guide.
> - Local accounting log—View the local accounting log to locate FICON events. For more information about MSCHAP authentication, and local AAA services, refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Security Configuration Guide.
> - Unified storage management—Cisco MDS 9000 FICON-enabled switches are fully IBM CUP standard compliant for in-band management using the IBM S/A OS/390 I/O operations console. See the "CUP In-Band Management" topic.
> - Port address-based configurations—Configure port name, blocked or unblocked state, and the prohibit connectivity attributes can be configured on the ports. See the "Configuring FICON Ports" topic.
> - You can display the following information:
> - Individual Fibre Channel ports, such as the port name, port number, Fibre Channel address, operational state, type of port, and login data.
> - Nodes attached to ports.
> - Port performance and statistics.

> See the "Calculating FICON Flow Load Balance" topic.

> - Configuration files—Store and apply configuration files. See the "FICON Configuration Files" topic.
> - FICON and Open Systems Management Server features if installed. —See the "VSANs for FICON and FCP Mixing" topic.
> - Enhanced cascading support—See the "CUP In-Band Management" topic.
> - Date and time—Set the date and time on the switch. See the "Allowing the Host to Control the Timestamp" topic.
> - Configure SNMP trap recipients and community names—See the "Configuring SNMP Control of FICON Parameters" topic.
> - Call Home configurations—Configure the director name, location, description, and contact person. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide.
> - Configure preferred domain ID, FC ID persistence, and principal switch priority—For information about configuring domain parameters, refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide.
> - Sophisticated SPAN diagnostics—The Cisco MDS 9000 Family provides industry-first intelligent diagnostics, protocol decoding, and network analysis tools as well as integrated Call Home capability for added reliability, faster problem resolution, and reduced service costs. For information about monitoring network traffic using SPAN, refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide.
> - Configure R_A_TOV, E_D_TOV—— See the "Fibre Channel Time-Out Values" topic.
> - Director-level maintenance tasks—Perform maintenance tasks for the director including maintaining firmware levels, accessing the director logs, and collecting data to support failure analysis. For information about monitoring system processes and logs refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS System Management Configuration Guide.

> Copyright 2010-2013, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.