This IBM® Redbook captures some of the best practices based on field experience and details the performance gains that can be achieved by implementing the IBM System Storage™ SAN Volume Controller. This book is intended for very experienced storage, SAN, and SVC administrators and technicians. Readers are expected to have an advanced knowledge of the SVC and SAN environment, and we recommend these books as background reading: IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller, SG24-6423 Introduction to Storage Area Networks, SG24-5470 Using the SVC for Business Continuity, SG24-7371

This IBM Redbooks publication describes how to install and configure the Cisco MDS 9000 family in an IBM Fibre Connection (FICON), Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP), and Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) environment. We have tried to consolidate as much of the critical information as possible while covering procedures and tasks that are likely to be encountered on a daily basis. Each of the products described has much more functionality than we could ever hope to cover in just one book. The IBM/Cisco SAN portfolio is rich in quality products that bring a vast amount of technicality and vitality to the SAN world. Their inclusion and selection is based on a thorough understanding of the storage networking environment that positions Cisco and IBM, and therefore its customers and partners, in an ideal position to take advantage by their subsequent deployment. In this book we cover the latest announcements related to the IBM/Cisco SAN family. We show how these announcements and the products can be implemented in both a mainframe and an open systems environment. We address some of the key concepts that they bring to the market, and in each case, we give an overview of those functions that are essential to building a robust SAN environment in an effective and concise manner.