Difference between switch and director

[SAM_24]

Hi,

What is the difference between Mcdata fibre channel director and switch?

Thanks.

[Mike Naime]

Port count!

Looking below, it looks like
64+ = Enterprise/Director
32 = Midrange
<32 = entry Level

Personaly, I would classify 8 ports as entry level.

B-Series Fabric
Enterprise Class
» Core Switch 2/64 & Core
Switch 2/64 PowerPak

Mid-range
» SAN Switch 2/32 & SAN
Switch 2/32 PowerPak

Entry Level
» SAN Switch 2/16 &
2/16 PowerPak
» SAN Switch 2/16-EL
» SAN Switch 2/8-EL
& 2/8 PowerPak
» MSA SAN Switch 2/8

C-Series Fabric
Enterprise Class
» Cisco MDS 9506
» Cisco MDS 9509

Mid-range
» Cisco MDS 9216

Entry
» Cisco MDS 9120
» Cisco MDS 9140

M-Series Fabric
Enterprise Class
» Director 2/64
» Director 2/140

Mid-range
» Edge Switch 2/32

Entry Level
» Edge Switch 2/12
» Edge Switch 2/24


Back when Brocade was the only source for Compaq branded SAN switches, the marketing people at Mcdata decided that they could appear to have an advantage over brocade by releasing a "DIRECTOR" class switch that had a true higher port count than the 16 port switches than Brocade was currently shipping at the time.

This advantage is only true if you really needed the higher port count. If you do not need 124 SAN ports. (2 64 port fabrics) There was no benefit. Only increased cost. McData was not targeting the smaller shops that only needed 8 ports. They where aiming at the bigger fish.

Even today, you can put together a fabric with the smaller port count switches cheaper than you can the larger switches. you use more ISL

[Sunil Sharma_1]

Hi,

As far as function is concern both are same.

for detail comparisn please look at this link.


http://data.fibrechannel-europe.com/technology/whitepapers/wp_250601_11.html

Sunil

[Ashwani Kashyap]

Really not much of a difference other than the fact that a Director class switch has redundant components meaing redundant back planes , redundant memory and processor controller , redundant power supplies and fans and crossbar between the backplanes plus lots of upgrades are online making it highly available .

A regular switch cannot do that .