New Features in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 4.2(1a)
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
Where Documented
For documentation on the Cisco TrustSec Fibre Channel Link Encryption feature, see Chapter 11 of the
Cisco MDS 9000 Family NX-OS Security Configuration Guide.
FICON XRC Acceleration
eXtended Remote Copy (XRC) is a mainframe-based software replication solution in widespread use in
financial institutions worldwide. Cisco previously supported XRC over FCIP at distances up to 200 km
on the MSM-18/4 module. As of NX-OS Release 4.2(1a), Cisco supports XRC over virtually unlimited
distances.
XRC Acceleration is a licensed feature. The Mainframe package license and the SAN Extension (FCIP)
license are prerequisites for XRC Acceleration, as it builds on top of the FICON and FCIP capabilities
of the MDS 9000 Family.
Where Documented
For documentation on the FICON XRC Acceleration feature, see Chapter 11 of the Cisco MDS 9000
Family NX-OS Fabric Configuration Guide.
I/O Accelerator (IOA)
Cisco MDS NX-OS 4.2(1a) supports the I/O Accelerator (IOA) on the MDS 900018/4-port Multiservice
Module (MSM-18/4) and the 16-port Storage Service Node (SSN-16). IOA accelerates I/Os over MANs
and WANs using Cisco SCSI acceleration technology. IOA can be deployed with a disk data replication
solution such as SRDF, MirrorView, TrueCopy, and CA EVA to extend the distance between data centers
or reduce effects of latency. IOA can also be used to enable remote tape backup or restore operations
without significant throughput degradation. IOA includes the following key features:
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The IOA package is licensed per service engine and the IOA license is tied to the chassis. The number
of licenses required is equal to the number of service engines on which the intelligent fabric application
is used.
Where Documented
For documentation about the IOA feature, see the Cisco MDS 9000 I/O Accelerator Configuration
Guide.
Cisco MDS 9000 Family Release Notes for Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 4.2(1a)
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Fabric Service – IOA extends acceleration service as a fabric service to any port in the fabric,
regardless of where it is attached
Fibre Channel Write Acceleration (FC-WA) and Fibre Channel Tape Acceleration (FC-TA)
Fibre Channel over IP Write Acceleration (FCIP-WA) and Fibre Channel over IP Tape Acceleration
(FCIP-TA)
High availability PortChannels, plus acceleration over Fibre Channel and FCIP.
Transport Agnostic – IOA is a unified solution for disk and tape I/O acceleration over MANs and
WANs.
Speed Independent – IOA accelerates 1-, 2-, 4-, 8-, or 10-Gbps links and consolidates traffic over 8-
or 10-Gbps ISLs.
Transparent Insertion – IOA requires no fabric reconfiguration or rewiring.
OL-19964-02
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