Deploying a new AFF All SAN Array A250 into a customer’s data fabric, which two tools would give insight into their Cisco MDS fabric configuration?

Deploying a new AFF All SAN Array A250 into a customer’s data fabric, which two tools would give insight into their Cisco MDS fabric configuration?

• A. Brocade SAN Health
• B. Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM)
• C. Brocade SAN Health and Cisco DCNM
• D. SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor

Answer: (C)

When preparing to deploy a new AFF All SAN Array A250 into a Cisco MDS fabric, you need visibility into both the Cisco switches’ configuration and the overall SAN health. Cisco DCNM provides direct access to Cisco MDS fabric configuration—zones, zonesets, WWNs, port settings, and the current topology—so you can verify that zoning and fabric design align with the new array’s connectivity and requirements. Brocade SAN Health complements that by scanning the SAN fabric for health and best-practice issues across devices, producing a topology view, path information, and actionable recommendations. Using both tools gives a complete picture: DCNM for precise Cisco MDS configuration details and SAN Health for the broader fabric health assessment, which is essential before introducing the new storage array. SolarWinds NPM focuses on general network performance and isn’t tailored to Fibre Channel SAN fabric configuration, so it wouldn’t provide the same depth of MDS-specific insight.

When preparing to deploy a new AFF All SAN Array A250 into a Cisco MDS fabric, you need visibility into both the Cisco switches’ configuration and the overall SAN health. Cisco DCNM provides direct access to Cisco MDS fabric configuration—zones, zonesets, WWNs, port settings, and the current topology—so you can verify that zoning and fabric design align with the new array’s connectivity and requirements. Brocade SAN Health complements that by scanning the SAN fabric for health and best-practice issues across devices, producing a topology view, path information, and actionable recommendations. Using both tools gives a complete picture: DCNM for precise Cisco MDS configuration details and SAN Health for the broader fabric health assessment, which is essential before introducing the new storage array. SolarWinds NPM focuses on general network performance and isn’t tailored to Fibre Channel SAN fabric configuration, so it wouldn’t provide the same depth of MDS-specific insight.