HPEAG874A

(Cisco MDS 9134) 24-Port Active Fibre Channel SAN Switch

The HPEAG874A (Cisco MDS 9134) is a compact 1U enterprise Fibre Channel SAN Switchoffering 24 active 4 Gbps ports, with optional on-demand licensing for two additional 10 Gbps Inter-Switch Links (ISLs). Designed for midrange to large-scale FC fabrics, it supports robust SAN features like VSANs, PortChannels, Smart Zoning, and advanced traffic segmentation through Cisco NX-OS/SAN-OS. Perfect for server-to-storage connectivity at the edge, or departmental storage fabrics, the switch can expand in 8-port increments up to 32 active ports. It delivers high-availability features such as hot-swappable power supplies and fans, dual-supply redundancy, and nondisruptive software upgrades×making it ideal for environments requiring continuous uptime and secure fabric isolation.

Features

This SAN switch provides line-rate performance across all ports: 24 Fibre Channel ports capable of 1/2/4 Gbps speeds simultaneously×each delivering dedicated 4 Gb/s throughput×and optionally enables up to two 10 Gbps ISLs for uplink aggregation or stacking ([turn0search1]turn0search9). Its non-blocking architecture supports seamless scaling up to 32 active ports using on-demand activation licenses. Firmware based on Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS/SAN-OS offers enterprise-class SAN services such as persistent zoning, broadcast zone reduction, FICON support for IBM mainframes, and hardware-enforced fabric segmentation using VSAN technology ([turn0search1]).

Advanced Options

Designed for high-availability deployment, the AG874A includes dual hot-swappable power supplies and fan modules, nondisruptive software upgrades (ISSU), and PortChannel support for link resilience. Smart Zoning optimizes hardware resource usage by dynamically allocating ACL entries to zone sets, enhancing switch scalability ([turn0search1]). Extensive diagnostics include Fibre Channel ping/traceroute, SPAN, Fabric Analyzer, and call-home features for proactive maintenance. Management is available via CLI, GUI-based Fiber Manager, or SNMP/SNIA SMI-S APIs for integration with third-party SAN orchestration tools ([turn0search1]). Engineered for mission-critical SAN environments, the AG874A ensures predictable throughput×each active port supports 4 Gbps line-rate simultaneously with full fabric scalability ([turn0search1]). Redundant, hot-swappable power and cooling modules support sustained high-reliability operations. Dynamic zoning and VSAN segmentation enable granular traffic isolation and multi-tenant support, reducing risk of fabric congestion or cross-site interference.

Product Key Features

• • 24 × 1/2/4 Gb Fibre Channel ports

  • Optional license for 2 × 10 Gb ISL ports

  • Hot-swappable power supplies & fans

  • Supports VSANs, Smart Zoning, PortChannel, FICON

  • Non-disruptive upgrades (ISSU), Stackable via CX4

  • Fibre Channel diagnostics: FC ping, traceroute, SPAN, Fabric Analyzer

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Reliability & Performance

FICON compatibility makes the switch ideal for IBM mainframe integration, supporting mixed FICON and FCP traffic in isolated fabrics. PortChannels and dual 10 Gb ISLs (licensed) ensure high availability across uplink fabrics, while Smart Zoning dramatically reduces hardware ACL load and simplifies configuration. Its unified management via CLI, Cisco Fabric Manager GUI, SNMPv3, and SNIA SMI-S simplifies deployment and operations across both small and large SAN topologies. Robust diagnostic tools like Fibre Channel traceroute, SPAN capture, and embedded Fabric Analyzer enable proactive monitoring and faster troubleshooting, enhancing visibility and reducing downtime risk.

Key Features :

• 24 × autosensing Fibre Channel ports (1/2/4 Gbps)

• License-enabled 2 × 10 Gb ISL ports

• VSANs, Smart Zoning, PortChannel support

• FICON support for IBM zSeries integration

• Hot-swappable PSUs & fans, ISSU software upgrade

• Built-in diagnostics: FC traceroute, SPAN, Fabric Analyzer

Specification	Details
Model Number	AG874A (HPESKU for Cisco MDS 9134)
Product Type	Fibre Channel SAN Switch (24-port, 4 Gbps)
Active Ports	24 × SFP FC ports (1/2/4 Gbps auto-sensing)
ISL Ports	Optional 2 × 10 Gb ISL via license
Backplane Bandwidth	4 Gbps dedicated per port; total fabric bandwidth ~352 Gbps
Fabric OS	Cisco MDS NX-OS/SAN-OS
High Availability Features	Dual hot-swap PSUs/fans, ISSU, PortChannel, redundant links
SAN Features	VSANs, Smart Zoning, FICON, PortChannels, ACL-based segmentation
Diagnostic Tools	Fibre Channel Ping/Traceroute, SPAN, Embedded Fabric Analyzer, Call Home
Management Interfaces	CLI, Cisco Fabric Manager GUI, SNMPv3, SMI-S
Form Factor	1U rack-mountable
Warranty / Support	Refurbished units typically 90-day to 6-month; OEM EoL policy applies