Cisco MDS Series Reviews

Cisco MDS Series is primarily used for connecting storage arrays. The multi-protocol feature supports all protocols and functionality working seamlessly. Virtual SANs operate without any issues. Performance has been reliable with no major issues reported for these particular designs. The inter-switch link mechanism has provided excellent redundancy, and if any link fails, the system continues to operate without disruption.

I appreciate that Cisco MDS Series does not experience major issues unlike some other switches where port-related problems might occur. We have only experienced one issue with this particular switch throughout our time using it. The stability has been commendable with no major performance issues. The system consistently provides users the ability to access the network without any problems.

Currently, I do not have any major suggestions for improvement as everything is working well without issues. If additional functions could be introduced to simplify usage, I would suggest that AI functionality or better integration capabilities would be advantageous for Cisco MDS Series. Any new AI-related features or functionality added to Cisco MDS Series would represent a positive advancement.

I have been working with Cisco MDS Series for more than 10 years.

Hardware-wise, there have been no issues with Cisco MDS Series. We experienced only one issue throughout our time using it.

The scalability and ability to expand with Cisco MDS Series can be rated highly.

Cisco technical support provides prompt assistance when issues arise and tickets are raised. This support can be rated highly.

Comparing Brocade switches to Cisco MDS Series, I believe Cisco is superior in terms of commands, functionality, and support.

Cisco MDS Series has a simple initial setup process.

We are not involved in the purchasing of Cisco MDS Series. Our team concentrates primarily on the support field.

I continue to use and work with Cisco products. I work specifically with Cisco MDS Series SAN switches, not with FabricPath or other solutions like Cisco Secure Access or Cisco Duo. My work focuses majorly on the MDS module. Currently, we do not use any real-time monitoring tool for Cisco MDS Series and rely only on the command line for sessions. We did not evaluate the high port density benefits. I would give Cisco MDS Series an overall rating of 10. I would definitely recommend it to other users.

I am using Cisco MDS in SAN environments for storage connections and server connections.

The product is very stable and performs well. During the update periods, the devices do not need to reload, ensuring constant availability. It is easy to set up and use.

I do not have a central management software to manage these products due to the licensing cost. It would be beneficial to have central management software for easier handling.

I have been using the solution for approximately ten years.

The solution is very stable and performs all the necessary functions well.

It is a scalable solution.

If there are errors, I receive support from Cisco, and they provide very fast responses. The support is fast, knowledgeable, and customer-friendly.

Positive

The setup was straightforward and easy. It took one day to deploy the product.

I received help from integrators.

The pricing could be improved as the solution is very expensive. I am on a yearly payment basis.

I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten.

We deployed Cisco MDS Series in storage domains, which we use for 46 servers as a storage path in Active-Active Mode.

The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is performance and stability multipathing. The SAN Environment should be stable and require near-line performance. 

Cisco MDS Series can improve by having SAN Manager with life cycle management features and Integration with 3rd party storage monitoring tools.

I have been using Cisco MDS Series for approximately seven years.

The reliability of the Cisco MDS Series is good.

Cisco MDS Series is scalable and on the multi-chassis mode, it can provide support to 300 ports.

The support of the Cisco MDS Series is very good. 

I rate the support from Cisco MDS Series a five out of five.

Positive

I did not use another solution prior to Cisco MDS Series, the first in the Class NX-OS.

The initial setup of the Cisco MDS Series is straightforward, it is not complex.

We used a third party to implement the solution.

This solution is required for any type of IT infrastructure for Storage Networking and provides high availability for storage service.

This solution was the first choice, we did not evaluate other options.

We have one system or network administrator which should have storage domain knowledge.

I rate Cisco MDS Series a ten out of ten.

We use the solution in SAN environments for server connections.

It is a stable product. The solution doesn’t relapse during updates. The product is easy to use.

The product is very expensive.

I have been using the solution for approximately ten years. I am using the latest version of the product.

The tool is very stable and performs well.

The tool is scalable. We have four users in our group.

We contact support if we face any errors. The support is very fast.

The product is easy to set up. The deployment can be done in one day. Once the tool is installed, we put it in the production environment. We have system engineers in our technical team to deploy and maintain the product.

We got help from an integrator to deploy the solution.

We pay a yearly subscription fee.

We don't have a central management software to manage the products. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Our company primarily uses Cisco MDS Series for fiber channel connectivity.

SAN switches in Cisco MDS Series are a valuable feature of the solution for our company.

The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement.

I have been using Cisco MDS Series for more than twenty years. My company is a customer of Cisco MDS Series.

It is a pretty stable product, from my experience.

It is a scalable solution since one can add additional ports and modules. There is also an option to buy larger switches with more ports.

I have rarely contacted the technical support team. Based on my previous experiences with the support team, I rate the customer support team a nine out of ten.

Positive

The difficulty or ease experienced by a person in the initial setup process depends entirely on whether the person knows the initial setup process. So, if a person knows the solution well enough, the setup process won't be that hard. However, if a person has to learn the setup process, then it can get complex. In short, the setup process might be a bit difficult for new users. Also, only one person is required for the deployment process.

Pricing cannot be considered an advantageous trait of the solution since it is expensive. I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten.

Cisco MDS Series is best when used with servers from Cisco UCS since a single vendor manages them. So, it's an advantage since their compatibility is better, which makes their work better. The solution lacks in areas pertaining to its management interface and pricing. So, I rate the overall solution a six out of ten.

The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is its reliability, support, and scalability.

Cisco MDS Series could improve by adding more gigahertz. However, they are doing this over time.

I have been using Cisco MDS Series for approximately three years.

The solution is reliable.

I rate the scalability of the Cisco MDS Series a ten out of ten.

We have five people using the solution in my company. We have plans to increase our usage of the solution.

I rate the scalability of the Cisco MDS Series a ten out of ten.

I rate the support of the Cisco MDS Series a ten out of ten.

Positive

I use Brocade in parallel with Cisco MDS Series.

The initial setup of the Cisco MDS Series is not complex.

We have had an ROI using Cisco MDS Series.

The price of the Cisco MDS Series is high.

They offer some fascinating solutions, particularly the smaller ones that come with unique features that are not available from other vendors.

I rate the Cisco MDS Series a ten out of ten.

Cisco MDS 9148 SAN switch model is the best product. It is highly reliable and at a low cost, easy to deploy, easy to upgrade, easy to configure and easy to administer. This gives effective performance when used for SAN switch connectivity between hosts and storage boxes. It supports reverse compatibility 4/8/16 Gbps of throughput. When configured in redundancy there is a 0% chance of a path missing between the host and storage array. It also supports short distance and long-distance ISL configuration without any issues. WebUI is simple and easy to understand.

Migration tasks were easy from two different geographies. There were no issues reported on the SAN switch of a path failure. Path failures are handled very effectively. ISL works well. The SAN switch database gets replicated within a fraction of a second. No need to do manual update on zone database. Its intelligent network services and traffic management helps to deploy virtual SAN technology. The quality of services and inter-virtual SAN routing help multiple departments in the organization get prioritized services to data accessibility. At an organization level, it helps to meet network security requirements of role based access based on AAA. It easy to integrate with LDAP, Active Directory. It supports FTP, SFTP, SSHv2, SNMPv3 and also supports AES and many more features.

The features I found most valuable are the ease of deployment, it's easy to upgrade, easy to configure and easy to administer. There is no need for vendor professional services which saves project cost. The usage of WebUI for all primary features like hostname, IP address, SNMP traps, zone sets, addition and deletion of zone members or zone sets, backup of switch DB is very simple. 

The CLI mode is also very easy to use for deployment, management and administration. The commands are easy to remember and is also user-friendly to do all management and administration tasks. It helps to meet network security requirements of role-based access based on AAA. It's easy to integrate with LDAP, Active Directory. It supports FTP, SFTP, SSHv2, SNMPv3 and also supports AES and many more features.

It is quite a stable product. It should be shipped with the latest firmware to avoid download and upload schema at the beginning of the initial setup. There should also be the possibility of downgrading the firmware when required. Webui needs Data Center Network Management tool licensed copy for accessing Cisco Switches instead a web-based GUI should be made easily available the way Brocade san switch is managed.

It makes sense to get a licensed copy of Data Center Network Management tool if there are more cisco switches (network core or perimeter or san switches or managed TOR switches) or else to manage just Cisco SAN Switches for a few product would be costly and is challenging to convince a client from a cost perspective.

I have been working on this product for a long time now.

Highly reliable. I have not seen much failure or major failure incidents.

It is easy to scale through ISL or migrate in-family models is easy task.

Their support is very prompt and supportive.

We have no vendor lock-in system. We work on all products based on deal size and deal cost. I have exclusively worked on Brocade and Cisco SAN Switches.

The initial setup is pretty simple. It is a 45 mins task to bring the whole new setup for production go live.

I did it on my own from the manual and with the help of generic training videos like YouTube. 

Pricing is almost the same for most vendors. 

We use this solution to manage our storage and inner network solution.

Data Center Network Manager is good but it is not free and requires purchasing a separate license. It doesn't make sense to me - if you buy the switch the management software should be included with it.

The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning.

The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it.

It would be nice to have an HTML-based client.

The initial setup could be simplified.

I have been using this solution for six years.

We are not using the latest version. We are using version 8.3.

It's a stable solution. I don't have any issues with the stability of it.

The scalability is good.

We have three users in our organization who are using this solution. It is specifically for administration, and not for regular users. 

This is a management piece for the storage area network. Only storage administrative users, use it.

We are increasing the usage. We have purchased some new switches.

I have contacted technical support and they are okay, once you pass the initial tier. The initial tier can help you with simple things.

For the more complex issues, it is almost always escalated to another level.

In my previous employment, I used a competitive product call Brocade Switches from HP, for SAN management.

I changed employment and the new company uses MDS. Both are similar. 

Cisco is primarily used for Cisco environments. HP is more universal and it can manage any server, not just Cisco Servers, clients, and storage.

The initial setup was a bit complex. It is more on the complicated side than it is easy.

It took a month to deploy this solution.

I am responsible for the maintenance of it.

I completed the implementation myself.

It's perpetual licensing and maintenance is a recurrent cost.

I would recommend that you get training before using this solution.

I would rate Cisco MDS Series an eight out of ten.

The primary use case is as a standard SAN (single-site), and metro-SAN (10-15km between datacenters). Both types of switches, fixed and directors, are used.

There's no big choice in SAN, but if you have Cisco UCS blades, the choice is obvious.

MDs have good integration, a single point of management (DCNM), and support from the vendor. Also, CVD guides are very helpful in the design stage. They have the same CLI as on the Nexus models, which also helps in administering.

MDS's reliability is at a high level. The issues with these switches are extremely rare, and the whole product line is very predictable and stable. 

The licensing model could be less complicated.

We have been using the Cisco MDS Series for approximately five to seven years.

Haven't faced with major issues, so, i can say that it just works.

The scalability depends more on the chosen architecture ad topology, than on the specific device. The MDS directors are highly scalable and upgradable, but if the wrong model was chosen on the first stage - nothing can fix the problem of higher costs and downtimes.

Quite fast reaction on the cases, just as it should be. 

There's no big choice on SAN market - either Brocade (now is part of Broadcom) or Cisco MDS line. I worked with both, and both are high-quality products, but I prefer MDS if there's a choice. 

If everything was planned before - there was no major problems. Some installations must have more detailed planning and consultations with vendor (especially in case if you have long-distance links between switches than others, but in general, the product has very good documentation and support, so I can't say that the installation is complicated if it's planned correctly. 

Mostly we implemented it by our team. In rare cases there was a communication with vendor engineers, mostly in complicated installations with many vendors involved, and they were very helpful. 

Never calculated :).

SAN is highly critical component (actually, i'm not sure is there's something more critical than it), so my recommendation is to have your own trained and experienced staff, who will work with the partner or SAN vendor directly before purchase. Only in this case the choice of the topology, models, configurations and licenses will fit to your organisation's infrastructure. 

It depends, but sometimes Cisco gives better pricing than Broadcom, and the choice also depends on the other equipment of DC. For example, if you already use Nexuses in DC and also use DCNM, you may want to use DCNM to manage the SAN, which makes MDS more obvious choice.

The only advice is to invest in the staff education.

- It enables us to integrate and load balance between multiple layer one fiber vendor link. Very useful!
- The MDS 9222i VSAN technology allows us to create separate groups for multiple vendor links.
- Less expensive than other multi-protocol routers in the market
- Provides data compression QOS service at layer one which enables us to transfer larger data sets in less time

- We had to go through a difficult configuration to integrate it with our IBM Brocade SAN switch.
- I find it difficult to operate and troubleshoot.