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Cisco MDS 9000 Family Fabric Manager Configuration Guide
OL-6965-03, Cisco MDS SAN-OS Release 2.x
Chapter 22 FICON Configuration
About FICON
MDS 9000 Family platform, storage replication services such as IBM PPRC and XRC can be extended
over metro to global distances using ubiquitous IP infrastructure and simplifying business continuance
strategies.
Caution When write-acceleration is enabled in an FCIP interface, a FICON VSAN will not be enabled in that
interface. Likewise, if a FCIP interface is up in a FICON VSAN, write-acceleration cannot be enabled
on that interface.

PortChannel Support

The Cisco MDS implementation of FICON provides support for efficient utilization and increased
availability of inter-switch links necessary to build stable large-scale SAN environments. PortChannels
ensure an enhanced ISL availability and performance in Cisco MDS switches.
See Chapter 17, “PortChannel Configuration,” for more information on PortChannels.

VSANs for FICON and FCP Intermixing

Cisco MDS 9000 Family FICON-enabled switches simplify deployment of even the most complex
intermix environments. Multiple logical FICON, Z-Series Linux/FCP, and Open-Systems FCP fabrics
can be overlaid onto a single physical fabric by simply creating VSANs as required for each service.
VSANs provide both hardware isolation and protocol specific fabric services, eliminating the
complexity and potential instability of zone-based intermix schemes.
By default, the FICON feature is disabled in all switches in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family. When the
FICON feature is disabled, FC IDs can be allocated seamlessly. Intermixed environments are addressed
by the Cisco MDS SAN-OS software. The challenge of mixing Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) and
FICON protocols are addressed by Cisco MDS switches when implementing VSANs.
Switches and directors in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family support FCP and FICON protocol intermixing at
the port level. If these protocols are intermixed in the same switch, you can use VSANs to isolate FCP
and FICON ports.
Tip When creating an intermix environment, place all FICON devices in one VSAN (other than the default
VSAN) and segregate the FCP switch ports in a separate VSAN (other than the default VSAN). This
isolation ensures proper communication for all connected devices.

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 224 autosensing, 2/1-Gbps, FICON