Summary

This chapter gives an overview of different SAN extension solutions that the ONS 15454 supports. SAN extension is supported over SONET and DWDM using the ONS 15454. You use the FC-MR-4 card to extend FC and FICON over SONET. You use the transponder and muxponder DWDM cards to extend FC, FICON, and ESCON over DWDM. The decision of whether to use SONET or DWDM is influenced by the distance between the data centers, the bandwidth required between the data centers, and the number of connections needed between the data centers. In addition, synchronous data replication affects the allowable distance between the primary and backup data centers.

The FC-MR-4 card is typically used when an existing SONET infrastructure is already in place, such as a service provider's private SONET rings sold to customers, when the bandwidth between data centers is less than 10G, and when a high density of SAN connections is not required between locations.