> # Information About CFS

> The Cisco MDS NX-OS software uses the Cisco Fabric Services (CFS) infrastructure to enable efficient database distribution and to foster device flexibility. It simplifies SAN provisioning by automatically distributing configuration information to all switches in a fabric.

> Several Cisco MDS NX-OS applications use the CFS infrastructure to maintain and distribute the contents of a particular application’s database.

> Many features in the Cisco MDS switches require configuration synchronization in all switches in the fabric. Maintaining configuration synchronization across a fabric is important to maintain fabric consistency. In the absence of a common infrastructure, such synchronization is achieved through manual configuration at each switch in the fabric. This process is tedious and error prone.

> This section includes the following topics:

> - Cisco MDS NX-OS Features Using CFS
> - CFS Features
> - Enabling CFS for an Application
> - CFS Protocol
> - CFS Distribution Scopes
> - CFS Distribution Modes
> - CFS Connectivity in a Mixed Fabric
> - Locking the Fabric
> - Committing Changes
> - CFS Merge Support
> - CFS Distribution over IP
> - Static IP Peers for CFS over IP
> - About CFS Regions

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