cisco flex fabric competitive overview

PowerPoint Presentation

Cisco Flex Fabric Competitive overview Victor SanaviaSolutions Architect [email protected]

August 20122012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without noticeCisco Strategy for the DatacenterCompetitive review of Ciscos Datacenter networking platformsNexus 7000 (N7k)Nexus 5000/2000 (N5k/N2k)Nexus 3000 (N3k)Catalyst 49xxCatalyst 2360Catalyst 6500*HPN tools overviewConclusion

2Footer goes hereAgenda*Due to time constraints we wont go into this platform detailsCisco Strategy for the DatacenterIncrease footprint on Datacenter hardwareServers -> UCSLeverage large Cat6500 installed base for Nexus migration and use Nexus as a Trojan horse to position UCSIntroduction of new propietary lock-in featuresFabric Path, FCoE, VXLAN, OTVAggressive monetization of switches software featuresL3 features, dynamic routing (even EIGRP!!), storage features, etc.

4Footer goes hereCisco Strategy for the Datacenter

Datacenter focused switches are complicated to maintain and manageTwo different OS: NX-OS and legacy IOS. No guarantee about interoperabilityNX-OS has 15 code trains with 39 different versions!legacy IOS has 8 code trains and 11 different versions for just TOR switches (49xx and 2360)!!legacy IOS has 4 code trains (Sup-dependent) and 31 different versions for just the Cat6500 platform!!NX-OS is definitely NOT legacy IOSDifferent commandsLegacy proprietary protocols are being obsoleted: ISL, PAgP, VTPIOS packaging was replaced by Licensing scheme ($$$)5Footer goes hereCisco Strategy for the Datacenter (2)

What to attackDatacenter focused switches are complicated to maintain and manage27 code trains with 81 different OS versionsN3k 3 trains, 15 versiones nx-os (5.0(3)U3(x), 5.0(3)U2(x), 5.0(3)U1(x))

N5k/N2k 7 trains 10 versiones nx-os (5.1(3), 5.0(3), 5.0(2), 4.2(1), 4.1(3), 4.0(1a)N2(1), 4.0(1a)N1(1))

N7k 5 trains, 14 versiones nx-os (6.0, 5.2, 5.1, 5.0, 4.2, Upgrades FPGA/EPLD)

2360 3 trains, 3 versiones de ios (12.2EY, 12.2SE1, 15.0SE)

6500 4 trains, 31 versiones (15.0.1-SY2, 12.2SXH, 12.2SXI, 12.2SXJ)

27 trains diferentes!!81 VERSIONES DIFERENTES!!!5Isnt Cloud supposed to abstract customers apps from vendor-specific features?Does Cisco UCS play nicely with other vendor switches?Do Cisco proprietary features ever become fully supported standards?Are customers really happy with Cisco?UCS seems to be a viable solution to traditional DC servers but.UCS architecture forces customers to grow according to Cisco scaling and not on customers needsUCS is dependent on many third parties (VMWare, BMC, etc.) to properly functionUCS has experienced high rate of hardware failures6Footer goes hereCisco Strategy for the Datacenter (3)

What to attack6Competitive review of Cisco Datacenter networking platforms

8Footer goes hereNexus 7000 (N7k)

Number of slots 9, 10, and 18Bandwidth per slot 550 GbpsMax switching capacity 17.6 TbpsMax packets per second 11.5 billion1 GE density Up to 768 ports1 GE density with Cisco Nexus 2000 Up to 1536 portsLine-rate 10 GE density Up to 768 ports40GE and 100GE Up to 96 40GE ports. 32 100GE portsRedundant supervisors YesHitless software upgrade Yes: In Service Software Upgrade (ISSU)Switch virtualization Yes: Virtual Device Context (VDC)Programming interface XML and CLI scriptManagement tool Cisco Data Center Network ManagerEn rojo se presentan las caractersticas poco favorables para HP

En verde se presentan las caractersticas favorables para HP89Footer goes hereWhat to attackNexus 7000 (N7k) (2)PerformanceN7k linecards are a compromise between raw performance (F1, F2) and feature richness (M1,M2)L3 processing with non-L3 switching linecards can drain performance from L3 switching linecardsHPN 12500 linecards have advantages when considering factors such as MAC table size and ACL scalabilityEnvironmentN7k is a very energy demanding platformNo DC power supplies for the N7k!! (Service providers usually require this)Cisco Virtualization (VDC)Low scalability: 1 administrative context + 3 user contexts on SUP1, 1 administrative context + 4 user contexts on SUP2 and 1 administrative context + 8 user contexts on SUP2E

10Footer goes hereWhat to attackNexus 7000 (N7k) (3)(cont.)All VDCs run the SAME version of NX-OS. Not a good idea to collapse different security levels on the same switchIf you mix different types of linecards on the same switch (F & M) you have to reserve a VDC for F2 cardsLicensing ($$$, system and module based)

No service modules (Firewalls, Load Balancers, etc.). Use a Cat6.5k!!

10FlexFabric Enterprise core positioningTypical customer requirementsHigh density10 GbE server accessDeep buffersHigh Availability (control plane redundancy)Faster-convergence (link/module/chassis failures)Low LatencyScalability (MAC/FIB/ACLs)RMAT supports larger environments needing to reduceHW footprintHP differentiationIRF: Unmatched resiliency & topology simplificationComware: entire L2/L3 IPv4/IPv6/MPLS/VPLS stream without any additional licensingIMC: Single-pane-of-glass managementSupport for IEEE 802.1ah Provider Backbone Bridge (Mac in Mac)LeadAlternateModern architecture (CLOS, Midplane, distributed switching/routing/TCAM)Line rate 10GE for L2/L3 IPv4/IPv6/MPLS/VPLSDeep buffers (512MB/2 * 10GE ports) - strong QoS like VoQ/congestion avoidance4-chassis IRF: faster re-convergence than any competitive scheme (Cisco VSS/vPC, Juniper Virtual Chassis), supports entire stack (not limited to L2 like Ciscos vPC)Densities: 128 (1:1) 10G, 512 (4:1).High Availability control plane redundancyHighly Scalable (up to 256K* MAC, up to 1M FIB,up to 32K ACLs)Manageability (sFlow) with IMC

12500 1/10GbE

12Footer goes hereNexus 5000/2000 (N5k/N2k)

Gen 1 5k (5020, 5010)Performance: 1.04 Tbps (5020) / 500 Gbps (5010)Port density: Up to 56 ports: 40 fixed non-unified 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports with SFP+ connectors and two expansion slots (5020) Up to 28 ports: 20 fixed non-unified 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports with SFP+ connectors and one expansion slot (5010)Size: 2RU (5020) / 1RU (5010) Expansion modules: 10G, 1/2/4/8 native FC and 10G FCoE

En rojo se presentan las caractersticas poco favorables para HP

En verde se presentan las caractersticas favorables para HP1213Footer goes hereNexus 5000/2000 (N5k/N2k) (2)

Gen 2 5k (5596UP, 5548UP, 5548)Performance: 1.92 Tbps (5596UP) / 960 Gbps (5548UP) / 960 Gbps (5548) Port density: Up to 96 ports: 48 fixed unified 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet ports with SFP+ connectors and three expansion slots (5596UP) Up to 48 ports: 32 fixed unified 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet ports with SFP+ connectors and one expansion slot (5548UP) Up to 48 ports: 32 fixed non-unified 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet ports with SFP+ connectors and one expansion slot (5548)Size: 2RU (5596UP) / 1RU (5548UP) / 1RU (5548) Expansion modules: 10G, 1/2/4/8 native FC and 10G FCoE, L3 routing engine


En verde se presentan las caractersticas favorables para HP1314Footer goes hereNexus 5000/2000 (N5k/N2k) (3)

Cisco Nexus 2224TPCisco Nexus 2248TPCisco Nexus 2248TP-ECisco Nexus 2232PPCisco Nexus 2232TMFabric extender host interfaces2448483232Fabric extender host interfaces type100BASE-T/1000BASE-T ports: RJ-45 connectors100BASE-T/1000BASE-T ports: RJ-45 connectors100BASE-T/1000BASE-T ports: RJ-45 connectors1/10 Gigabit Ethernet ports SFP/SFP1/10GBASE-T ports: RJ-45 connectorsFabric extender fabric interfaces2448Uplink module: 8 SFP+ (N2K-M2800P)Fabric speed20 Gbps in each direction (40 Gbps full duplex)40 Gbps in each direction (80 Gbps full duplex)40 Gbps in each direction (80 Gbps full duplex)80 Gbps in each direction (160 Gbps full duplex)80 Gbps in each direction (160 Gbps full duplex)Oversubscription1.2:11.2:11.2:14:14:1PerformanceHardware forwarding at 88 Gbps or 65 mppsHardware forwarding at 176 Gbps or 131 mppsHardware forwarding at 176 Gbps or 131 mppsHardware forwarding at 560 Gbps or 595 mppsHardware forwarding at 560 Gbps or 595 mppsCisco parent switchCisco Nexus 5000 SeriesCisco Nexus 7000 SeriesCisco Nexus 5000 SeriesCisco Nexus 7000 SeriesCisco Nexus 5000 SeriesCisco Nexus 5000 SeriesCisco Nexus 7000 SeriesCisco Nexus 5000 SeriesFCoE supportNoNoNoYesNoEn rojo se presentan las caractersticas poco favorables para HP

En verde se presentan las caractersticas favorables para HP1415Footer goes hereWhat to attack

Nexus 5000/2000 (N5k/N2k) (4)N5k/N2k combination has serious performance issuesAll switching is done on parent switch (N7k/N5k), even for hosts connected on the same N2kL3 switching is non-existent on Gen1 N5k and severely limited on Gen2 N5kCut-through switching is only performed on 10G to 10G port trafficBest over subscription ratio is 1.2:1, attainable for 1G access portsTopological limitations on dual attached serversN7k/N2k combination seems better suited for high performance DCs but is not encouraged by CiscoEnvironmentNo DC power supplies for the N5k!! (Service providers usually require this)

16Footer goes hereWhat to attack

Nexus 5000/2000 (N5k/N2k) (5)N2k has 10G-BaseT support!! but try to get a rack/blade server with 10G-BaseT interfacesCiscos FCoE implementation is proprietaryLicenses are needed to use itMulti-hop support is limitedLicensing ($$$)

No 40G connectivity optionsFabricPath Services (Only for Gen2 N5k)FCoE NPVLayer 3 Base ServicesLayer 3 Enterprise ServicesStorage Protocols ServicesVM-FEX17Footer goes hereNexus 3000 (N3k)

Cisco Nexus 3064Cisco Nexus 3048Cisco Nexus 3016Rack unit (RU)111Switching capacity 1.28 -Tbps176 Gbps1.28 -TbpsInterface-type48 SFP+ and 4 QSFP+48 RJ-45 and 4 SFP+16 QSFP+Maximum 10/100/1000 Mbps ports48 (SFP+ 100/1000 Mbps ports with GLC-T, SFP-GE-T SFPs) Up to 480Maximum 1/10 GE portsUp to 64 (48 fixed; 16 using 4 QSFP-to-SFP+ cables)4Up to 64 (using 16 QSFP-to-SFP+ cables)Maximum 40 GE portsUp to 40Up to 16Switch latencySub-microsecond2.7 to 7.2 microsecondsSub-microsecondLine-rate traffic throughput (both Layer 2 and 3) on all portsYesYesYesRedundant and hot-swappable power supply and fansYesYesYesAir flow Front-back and back-frontFront-back and back-frontFront-back and back-frontEn rojo se presentan las caractersticas poco favorables para HP


Nexus 3000 (N3k) (2)N3k is one of the first Cisco switching platforms that doesnt use Cisco developed ASICsPotential problems with code developmentThis is the business model that HPN uses for their DC switching platformsCurrently deployment is focused on very specific environments (i. e. High-Frequency trading)Documentation is scarce when compared with whats available for the rest of the Nexus familyLicensing ($$$)

Base licenseLAN Enterprise license19Footer goes hereCatalyst 49xx

Feature and DescriptionCisco Catalyst 4948Cisco Catalyst 4948 10 Gigabit EthernetCisco Catalyst 4928 10 Gigabit EthernetCisco Catalyst 4900MCisco Catalyst 4948E and 4948E-FHeight1RU1RU1RU2RU1RUPower Redundancy1+1 AC or DC1+1 AC or DC1+1 AC or DC1+1 AC or DC1+1 AC or DCUplink Optic Types4 SFP opticsTwo X2 (10 Gigabit Ethernet) opticsTwo X2 (10 Gigabit Ethernet) opticsEight X2 (10 Gigabit Ethernet) opticsSFP/SFP+OpticsLH, SX, ZX, CWDMLR, CX4, LX4, SR, ER, LRM, ZR, DWDMLR, CX4, LX4, SR, ER, LRMX2: LR, CX4, LX4, SR, ER, LRM, ZR, DWDMSFP+: SRCWDM, DWDM, SR, LR, LRM, CX4Maximum 10/100/1000 Ports484804048Maximum Gigabit Ethernet (Fiber) Ports402832 (Cisco TwinGig Converter Module)4Maximum 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBase-T) Ports000160Maximum 10 Gigabit Ethernet (fiber) Ports02 (X2)2 (X2)124 (X2) 14 (SFP+)Switching Capacity96 Gbps136 Gbps96 Gbps320 Gbps176 GbpsThroughput72 mpps102 mpps72 Mpps250 mpps for IPv4125 mpps for IPv6131 mpps for IPv4110 mpps for IPv6



Catalyst 49xx (2)Cat49xx is a legacy platformNo support for 10G server interfaces (except for 4900M, which has capability for 16 10G interfaces)Code train is similar to Cat45xx, which is a LAN focused platform, not DatacenterNo support for datacenter oriented features such as switch virtualization

21Footer goes hereCatalyst 2360

48 ports of Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000-Gbps downlink connectivityFour 10 Gigabit Ethernet Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus (SFP+) uplinksDual field-replaceable power supplies, providing power redundancy and uninterrupted operationField-replaceable dual-fan module with reversible airflow (front-to-back or back-to-front) and cooling redundancyUSB storage interface for file backup, distribution, and simplified operationsMini-USB console port on the front of the switch for easy management accessLAN Lite software features to meet ToR Layer 2 switching requirementsForwarding bandwidth: 88 Gbps1-year limited warranty



Catalyst 2360 (2)No capability to connect 10G serversSwitching capacity is inadequate for DatacentersThe HPN 2910-48G al Switch has 2x the switching capacityL2 onlyInter-VLAN routing has to be delegated to an external deviceVery limited feature set

23Footer goes hereFlexFabric Enterprise Access PositioningLeadAlternateTypical customer requirements1 G or 10 GbE server accessRack or blade server connectivityStandard or deep buffersLow LatencyFCoEHP differentiationIMC: Single-pane-of-glass managementStreamlined management and lower OPEX with Virtual ConnectIRF: Un matched resiliency and topology simplificationIPv6 Ready Phase 2 Logo for all switching/routing devices1GbE cost-effective solutionLow latencyUp to 90 portsReversible airflowIRF 9 units5800AF (Rack)

5830AF (Rack)

1GbE Deep Buffers48 or 96 portsReversible airflowIRF

10GbE to serverFCoEIRF 9 unitsReversible airflow5820AF (Rack)

10GbE to server40GbE UplinksUltra low latencyCommware V7 Modular OSIRF 4 unitsDCB, TRILL & FCoE (future)Reversible airflow5900AF/5920AF ToR

23HPN tools overview

HP Networking Competitive Comparison Toolhttp://h17007.www1.hp.com/us/en/products/comparison/index.aspxIRISCompetitive Price Info (only available on standalone client)HPs very friendly Solution Architects

25Footer goes hereHPN tools overviewConclusions

HPN has a very modern and feature rich datacenter focused switch portfolioEngage your customers early and explain the benefits of HPNOpen standardsFair valueNo licensing constraintsMigration from IOS to NX-OS isnt trivialWith the right support, it might be easier and more cost effective to migrate to Comware

27Footer goes hereConclusionsGracias!!

cisco flex fabric competitive overview

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