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Architectural Breakthroughs & Core Capabilities
The Cisco DS-C9718 represents the pinnacle of modular SAN switching technology, designed for enterprises requiring petabyte-scale storage fabric with carrier-grade reliability. As the chassis component of Cisco MDS 9718 Multilayer Director, this 18-slot system delivers 49.152 Tbps of non-blocking Fibre Channel throughput – equivalent to streaming 4K video from 12 million simultaneous sources.
Three engineering innovations set it apart:
-
Distributed Crossbar Fabric
Six DS-X9718-FAB3 modules operate in parallel, each handling 8.192 Tbps through 512 virtual channels. This architecture reduces inter-switch latency to 1.2μs – 60% faster than previous-gen MDS 9500 series. -
Multi-Protocol ASIC Engine
Supports simultaneous FC-NVMe, FCoE, and FCIP traffic through hardware-level protocol conversion, eliminating software-based bottlenecks for mixed workload environments. -
Thermal-Adaptive Power Management
Twelve 3.5kW power supplies with N+1 redundancy automatically adjust voltage based on real-time load monitoring, achieving 94% efficiency even at 5% utilization.
Performance Benchmarks vs Legacy Directors
| Parameter | DS-C9718 (Current Gen) | MDS 9513 (Previous Gen) |
|---|---|---|
| Max FC Port Density | 768×64G | 336×16G |
| Fabric Latency | 1.2μs | 3.8μs |
| Buffer Credits Per Port | 2048 | 512 |
| Energy Efficiency | 0.8W/Gbps | 2.1W/Gbps |
| Mixed Protocol Support | FC/FC-NVMe/FCoE/FCIP | FC/FCoE Only |
Cisco’s 2024 validation tests demonstrate 72% lower power consumption and 3.9x higher IOPS density compared to 16G-era directors.
Deployment Scenarios & Operational Insights
1. AI/ML Training Clusters
In NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD installations, the DS-C9718’s 2048 buffer credits prevent RDY congestion during all-to-all communication patterns, enabling sustained 64G FC throughput across 1024 GPU nodes.
2. Financial Transaction Lakes
A Tier-1 bank achieved 99.9999% uptime for real-time fraud detection by:
- Implementing per-VSAN encryption (FIPS 140-3 Level 2)
- Deploying predictive analytics via Cisco Nexus Dashboard
- Configuring sub-2ms failover between redundant fabrics
Addressing Critical Enterprise Concerns
Q: How does it handle legacy 8G/16G FC devices?
The chassis auto-negotiates speeds without performance penalties through per-port isolation domains, preventing older devices from bottlenecking 64G links.
Q: What redundancy features exist?
Dual supervisor modules (DS-X97-SF4-K9) with hot-swappable SSDs enable hitless software upgrades – critical for 24/7 trading platforms.
Q: Is it compatible with third-party storage?
Validated with NetApp AFF A900, Pure Storage //XL, and HPE Primera through Cisco’s Multi-Vendor SAN Certification Program.
For organizations modernizing hyperscale storage infrastructure, explore DS-C9718 configurations at itmall.sale’s Cisco portfolio.
Engineering Perspective
The DS-C9718 isn’t merely a hardware refresh – it’s a strategic enabler of software-defined storage architectures. While competitors focus on raw port counts, Cisco’s genius lies in the asymmetric scaling capability: Enterprises can start with 192×32G ports and scale to 768×64G without chassis replacement. As 128G FC looms, this platform’s field-upgradable design positions it as the last 64G director businesses will need. Those clinging to fixed-configuration switches risk architectural obsolescence; the economics of port-per-watt and latency-per-dollar leave no room for compromise.