Will this AFF A220 FC configuration work?

[MarcusSerrao]

We have a AFF A220 we will be deploying that has 8 x SFP+Optical 10 Gb Shortwave connectors. We wish to connect it to our Cisco 2960-X switches via the 2 x SFP interfaces on each switch. Unfortunately, the model of 2960 we procured seems to only be able to support 1 GB optical: 

Cisco Catalyst 2960X-24PSQ-L, 2 SFP (10/100/1000BT)

My questions are:

1) will we be able to connect the SAN to these switches assuming it will negotiate a connection down to 1 GB due to the switch limitations?

2) what client protocols over the FC are available to use for our vSphere cluster given the limited bandwidth on the switch. Assuming SCSI over FC is our only option

thanks in advance!

Marcus

[andris]

From a purely technical port connectivity perspective the UTA2 ports (e0c -> e0f) on the AFF A220 supports an optical 1GBASE-SX transceiver part available from NetApp. X6567-R6

I would also be concerned about using a 1GbE switch for your vSphere cluster. It might be a good idea to consider upgrading your switches to 10GbE levels.

[Ontapforrum · Accepted solution]

Found some interesting threads on this very topic:
https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-vSAN-Discussions/Novice-vSAN-connectivity-question-1GB-gt-10GB/td-p/476186

https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/2159167-is-a-10gb-switch-necessary-for-a-small-vsphere-cluster

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-uk/000140474/vsphere-vmotion-recommended-networking-best-practices

https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/ontap-systems/fas2700/install-detailed-guide.html#option-1-complete-system-setup-if-network-discovery-is-enabled

My questions are:

1) will we be able to connect the SAN to these switches assuming it will negotiate a connection down to 1 GB due to the switch limitations?
A: I don't know to be honest, not qualified to comment on this aspect. However, you might want to look up forums for answers. You might get a reply from our forum members.

I found this while looking for answers:
Can SFP+ Optics Auto-negotiate Down to 1G with Gigabit Switch?
For fiber-based transceivers such as fiber SFP and SFP+ optics, auto-negotiation is not supported.
https://community.fs.com/blog/can-10gb-switch-port-link-to-gigabit-switch-port.html

2) what client protocols over the FC are available to use for our vSphere cluster given the limited bandwidth on the switch. Assuming SCSI over FC is our only option.
A:FC mode supports FC initiator and FC target; CNA mode allows concurrent NIC and FCoE traffic the same 10GbE SFP+ interface and supports FC target.