C H A P T E R
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
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Cisco MDS 9000 Family Troubleshooting Guide, Release 3.x
OL-9285-05
16
Troubleshooting FICON
Fibre Connection (FICON) interface capabilities enhance the Cisco MDS 9000 Family by supporting
both open systems and mainframe storage network environments. Inclusion of Control Unit Port (CUP)
support further enhances the MDS offering by allowing in-band management of the switch from FICON
processors.
This chapter includes the following sections:
•
FICON Overview, page 16-1
•
FICON Configuration Requirements, page 16-6
•
Initial Troubleshooting Checklist, page 16-7
•
FICON Issues, page 16-9
FICON Overview
The Cisco MDS 9000 Family supports the Fibre Channel, FICON, iSCSI, and FCIP capabilities within
a single, high-availability platform. Fibre Channel and FICON are different FC4 protocols and their
traffic are independent of each other. If required, devices using these protocols can be isolated using
VSANs. The Cisco SAN-OS FICON feature supports high-availability, scalability, and SAN extension
technologies including VSANs, IVR, FCIP, and PortChannels.
Tip
When you create a mixed 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.
You can implement FICON on the following switches:
•
Any switch in the Cisco MDS 9500 Series.
•
Any switch in the Cisco MDS 9200 Series (including the Cisco MDS 9222i Multiservice Modular
Switch).
•
Cisco MDS 9134 Multilayer Fabric Switch.
•
MDS 9000 Family 18/4-Port Multiservice Module.