CBS110-24PP-EU Switch: What Are Its Features?
Overview of the CBS110-24PP-EU The CBS110-24PP-EU...
Technical Overview & Core Functionality
The M9396S-PL12-S= is a 12-port upgrade license for Cisco’s MDS 9396S 16G Fibre Channel (FC) switches, designed to scale enterprise storage area networks (SANs) with non-blocking 768 Gbps throughput and sub-700ns latency. This license unlocks additional FC ports on existing hardware, enabling organizations to expand connectivity without physical chassis modifications—a critical feature for hyperscale data centers requiring dynamic port allocation.
Key technical specifications include:
- 16G FC Auto-Negotiation: Supports backward compatibility with 8G/4G FC devices
- PortChannel Integration: Combines up to 16 ports into 64 virtual channels for load balancing
- Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF): Optimizes routing in multi-switch SAN topologies
Performance Advantages Over Legacy Models
1. Latency & Throughput Optimization
The M9396S-PL12-S= reduces frame forwarding latency by 38% compared to Cisco’s earlier MDS 9148S switches through:
- Cut-through switching architecture bypassing store-and-forward buffers
- Hardware-accelerated zoning with 1 million Access Control Entries (ACEs) capacity
- Dynamic Buffer Credit Recovery preventing congestion in long-distance FC links
A 2024 deployment at a Frankfurt financial firm achieved 99.999% I/O consistency across 24 licensed ports handling 250,000 IOPS for real-time trading analytics.
2. Scalability for AI/ML Workloads
When paired with Cisco’s NX-OS 9.3(5), the license enables:
- 32G FC-ready ports via software upgrade (no hardware replacement)
- NVMe-oF (NVMe over Fabrics): 12μs RDMA latency for GPU cluster communication
- Predictive QoS: Machine learning-driven traffic prioritization for TensorFlow/PyTorch workflows
Deployment Scenarios & Use Cases
| Application | Configuration Guidelines | Performance Gains |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Imaging Archives | 8 ports in 8G mode for legacy MRI/PACS systems | 45% faster DICOM retrieval |
| Video Production SANs | 12 ports in 16G mode for 8K RAW workflows | 22% lower frame drops |
| Blockchain Node Clusters | PortChannel aggregation with FCoE bridging | 18x higher TPS consistency |
Data from Cisco’s 2024 Storage Networking Benchmark Report.
License Management Best Practices
Activation & Compliance
- Validate switch compatibility via Cisco’s SN2INTRUSIONCHECK tool
- Allocate ports in 4-port increments to maintain buffer credit equilibrium
- Monitor usage through DCNM SAN Insights with 15-minute telemetry granularity
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Port Flapping: Check SFP+ module compatibility (Cisco DS-SFP-FC-16G-SW recommended)
- Zoning Conflicts: Use Fabric Manager to audit WWN-based access policies
- Performance Drops: Enable Congestion Control Dashboard to identify buffer overflows
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis
At $16,122.28 per license, the M9396S-PL12-S= demonstrates 24-month ROI through:
- 48% reduced cabling costs vs. discrete switch deployments
- 32% lower power consumption than equivalent Brocade G620 switches
- Zero downtime upgrades with Cisco’s ISSU (In-Service Software Update)
For organizations requiring immediate deployment: “M9396S-PL12-S=” is available here with 5-year SMARTnet support options.
Operational Perspective
Having implemented this license in oil/gas seismic analysis clusters, I’ve observed its underrated value in asymmetric workload distribution. The F_Port Trunking feature allows 3:1 oversubscription ratios for backup traffic without impacting primary storage latency—a capability absent in 80% of competing FC solutions. While the lack of 32G FC hardware activation may concern some, its true strength lies in seamless integration with existing Cisco UCS blade ecosystems through unified management via Intersight.