Cisco DS-9300-CTL Full Official Product Description
Remark: DS-9300-CTL is the trading alias for integrated controller unit of Cisco MDS 9300 Series fixed-form factor multilayer Fibre Channel switches (MDS 9396S / MDS 9396T). There is no separate hot-swappable supervisor card; control plane is integrated onboard.
1. Part Number & Naming Definition
Official Full Name
Cisco MDS 9300 Series Integrated Controller Unit
Common Alias: DS-9300-CTL
Note: Unlike modular MDS 9500/9700 directors, MDS 9300 fixed switches embed the controller onboard, not a standalone pluggable module.
Naming Breakdown
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DS: Director / Storage Switch hardware family for MDS SAN platforms
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9300: MDS 9300 fixed-form Fibre Channel fabric switch series
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CTL: Integrated Controller (Control Plane, Management & Switching Processor)
Core Product Positioning
The DS-9300-CTL represents the embedded main control processor for Cisco MDS 9300 Series multilayer Storage Area Network (SAN) switches, including MDS 9396S and MDS 9396T platforms. It executes NX-OS operating system, manages Fibre Channel fabric routing, port control, system monitoring, configuration management, zoning databases and all data plane orchestration. Optimized for mid-market and data center edge SAN deployments, it delivers enterprise-grade SAN functions in a compact 2RU fixed chassis without requiring separate pluggable supervisor hardware.
2. Hardware & Platform Compatibility
Supported Chassis
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Cisco MDS 9396S 32Gbps 96-port Fibre Channel Switch
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Cisco MDS 9396T 32Gbps 96-port Fibre Channel Switch
Unsupported Platforms
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MDS 9100, MDS 9200 series compact SAN switches
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Modular MDS 9500 / MDS 9700 storage directors
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Nexus Ethernet switching platforms
Supported NX-OS Firmware Releases
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Minimum NX-OS Version: NX-OS 8.2(1)
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Fully validated: NX-OS 8.x, 9.x mainstream production releases
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Supports ISSU (In-Service Software Upgrade) for non-disruptive firmware upgrades
Onboard Interfaces Managed by Controller
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1 × RJ45 10/100/1000BASE-T Mgmt0 Ethernet port
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1 × RS232 Console serial port for local CLI administration
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Dual USB 2.0 ports for configuration backup and OS image upload
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System LED indicators: Power, Status, Fault, Fan, Power Supply status
3. Physical & Electrical Technical Specifications
Form Factor
Embedded onboard controller (non-hot-swappable standalone module), integrated within MDS 9300 2RU rack-mount chassis.
Controller Hardware Resources
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Multi-core enterprise-grade control CPU
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High-capacity DDR system memory for fabric routing tables, zoning databases and runtime processes
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Persistent flash storage for NX-OS firmware, startup configurations and log archives
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Non-volatile storage to preserve critical operational state information
System Capacity Supported
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Up to 96 line-rate 32Gbps Fibre Channel ports
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Port activation via incremental software licensing (48 → 64 → 80 → 96 ports)
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Supports SFP+ Fibre Channel transceivers at 16Gbps and 32Gbps speeds
Environmental Operating Parameters
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Operating ambient temperature: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
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Storage & transportation temperature: -40°C to 70°C (-40°F to 158°F)
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Relative Humidity: 10% ~ 90% non-condensing
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Maximum operating altitude: 2000 meters (6500 ft)
4. Core SAN Protocol & Feature Set
Fibre Channel Fabric Protocols
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FSPF (Fabric Shortest Path First) dynamic SAN routing
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Hardware-isolated VSAN (Virtual Storage Area Network) logical segmentation
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Hard zoning and soft zoning, distributed device alias services
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IVR (Inter-VSAN Routing) for cross-VSAN storage communication
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Support for FC-NVMe for NVMe over Fibre Channel workloads
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Native auto-zoning capability to simplify SAN deployment
Enterprise SAN Security Features
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FC-SP Fibre Channel security protocol
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DH-CHAP authentication for ISL inter-switch links
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SSHv2, SNMPv3, SFTP with AES encryption
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TACACS+ / RADIUS AAA authentication
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Per-VSAN RBAC role-based access control
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Port security to restrict unauthorized WWPN device login
Advanced Diagnostics & Unified Management
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Power-on self-test (POST) and continuous hardware monitoring
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FC ping, FC traceroute, SAN SPAN traffic mirroring
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Real-time per-port performance counters and CRC error logging
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Call Home automated event alerting
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Full compatibility with Cisco DCNM (Data Center Network Manager)
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NX-API REST interface for data center automation
5. Typical Enterprise SAN Deployment Use Cases
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Data Center Edge SAN Aggregation: Deploy MDS 9300 switches powered by DS-9300-CTL as edge fabric switches connecting host servers and storage arrays
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Virtualized Infrastructure Storage Networking: Support VMware, Hyper-V environments with FC and FC-NVMe traffic forwarding
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Mid-Size Enterprise Consolidated SAN: Cost-effective unified fabric for disk storage and tape backup libraries
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SAN Migration Projects: Gradual refresh of legacy 8G/16G fabrics to modern 32G Fibre Channel infrastructure
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Remote Site & Disaster Recovery SAN Access: Build resilient branch and campus storage fabrics
6. Regulatory & Compliance Certifications
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Safety Standards: UL 60950-1, CSA C22.2 No.60950-1, IEC/EN 60950-1
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EMC & EMI Compliance: CE Mark, FCC Part 15 Class A, ICES-003 Class A, VCCI Class A, EN 61000 series
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Environmental Standards: EU RoHS 2.0 compliant, EU WEEE compliant
7. Important Additional Note
Unlike MDS 9700 SUP1/SUP2 supervisor modules, DS-9300-CTL cannot be physically replaced as an independent FRU. Hardware faults affecting the integrated controller require full chassis replacement. Redundancy is achieved by deploying two separate MDS 9300 switches in redundant SAN topology rather than redundant supervisors inside a single chassis.
UNSPSC Classification Code
43222602 – Cisco DS-9300-CTL integrated control plane processor embedded within MDS 9300 series fixed-form multilayer Fibre Channel SAN switches, delivering fabric routing, system management, zoning control and NX-OS orchestration for mid-tier enterprise data center storage networks, supporting VSAN segmentation, auto-zoning, FC-NVMe, fabric security and DCNM unified management.
Standard Hardware Warranty
MDS 9300 chassis including embedded DS-9300-CTL controller carries a 1-year limited hardware warranty covering manufacturing defects under rated operating environmental conditions. Cisco Smart Net Total Care service provides 24×7 priority TAC technical support, advance hardware replacement, validated NX-OS firmware images and end-to-end SAN fabric troubleshooting.
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