Two Cisco MDS switches or directors make up separate fabrics to provide connectivity between the compute and storage layer.
The Cisco MDS model depends on the speed and total number of SAN ports that are required to support the compute and storage components. Connections from the storage components are over 16 Gbps connections. The number of storage connections varies depending on the storage platform and size.
Cisco UCS third-generation FIs provide an FC port channel with one of the following connections:
Cisco UCS Fourth-Generation FIs provide an FC port channel with one of the following connections:
The 32 Gbps connections require 32 Gbps SFPs and SAN.
Note: The Cisco MDS 9148S Multilayer Fabric Switch supports eight connections from the Cisco UCS domain and up to two domains.
The Cisco MDS switches provide:
Note: Inter-Switch Links (ISLs) to the external SAN or between switches are not permitted.
The following table shows SAN network layer components: