Miercom lab test results: Brocade DCX vs. Cisco MDS 9513 and 9509

Brocade commissioned Miercom to perform competitive lab tests of the Brocade DCX Backbone Switch vs. the Cisco MDS 9513 and 9509 Multilayer Directors. The tests focused on maximum aggregate throughput and scalability using full 8-Gbps Fibre Channel line rate loads and high port density per line card.

For the test in Figure 1 below, each product was configured with four partially populated 48-port 8-Gbps FC line cards and all traffic was forced to traverse the backplane and none of the traffic flows made use of local switching on the line cards. The port density for DCX was tested up to 128 ports. Since there were insufficient 48-port 8-Gbps modules for the Cisco MDS, the data for Cisco MDS test was a projection based on lower capacity tests, the results were in agreement with the stated capacity of the product.

Testing of the Cisco MDS 9509 and 9513 verified the maximum observable bandwidth per line card to be 104.8 Gbps. This proved higher than the 96 Gbps stated in Cisco’s documentation. The aggregate switching capacity of the MDS 9509 and 9513 can accommodate the bandwidth required for the switch to be fully configured with modules at the stated 96 Gbps capacity.

For the DCX test in Figure 2 below, traffic from 48 port pairs was forced to traverse the backplane while 16 port pairs made use of local switching. The Cisco MDS 9509 and 9513 data is based on the switches configured with two fully populated 48-port 8-Gbps modules. The test results for the Cisco MDS 9509 and MDS 9513 are within the its rated capacity of 96 Gbps per line card. Furthermore, randomized and mixed frame size traffic was used in the testing to better replicate customer environments' traffic distribution.

An analysis of power consumption, reliability and management was also conducted in the Miercom review.

The Brocade Management GUI (see the Figure 3 screenshot below), offers a centralized view of system activity.

Want more insight? Watch the video where Brocade's John Oram discusses the results.

Note: With regard to the results of the lab tests, Cisco declined to comment.

View the test in its entirety as well as more Cisco vs. Competitor Lab Tests.

What's your take on the Brocade DCX vs. Cisco MDS competitive lab tests?

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• Cisco
• Data Center
• LANs / WANs
• Network Management
• Brocade commissioned Miercom to perform competitive lab tests
• Brocade DCX vs. Cisco MDS competitive lab tests
• Brocade Management GUI
• Brocade's John Oram discusses the results
• Data for Cisco MDS test
• Testing of the Cisco MDS 9509 and 9513