Cisco NX-OS

I am placing this short article in the Cisco IOS category, even though it is about Cisco Nexus switches and thus NX-OS. It is an extension of EtherChannel (or PortChannel or Link Aggregation), i.e. aggregating (bundling) multiple ports into one virtual port. Normally, in aggregation, the ports must be located on a single physical switch or stack. The vPC technology allows the ports to be on two different Nexus switches.

The article briefly describes the basic configuration of a SAN network using Cisco MDS 9000 series switches. These use the Cisco NX-OS operating system. First there is a small introduction, then port configuration, VSAN and zoning. Finally, there are commands to display useful information. Knowledge of Cisco NX-OS or IOS and Fibre Channel (FC) technology is an advantage.

In the last article, we discussed the security features that secure communication on Cisco IOS switch ports. In this article, we'll look at the same thing, but for the Cisco Nexus. We won't be discussing the actual security methods, just the configuration and changes from IOS.

This article is a follow-up to the initial description of how to configure a Fibre Channel SAN using Cisco switches running NX-OS. Last time we covered the normal operation of the switch when it handles FC traffic. Today we will look at a special mode, called NPV mode, where the switch is used only to expand the number of ports and processing is done by another switch.