Cisco introduced a number of storage area network (SAN) products for extending its vision for Data Center 3.0. The new Cisco SAN technology includes three Cisco MDS 9000 Family 8-Gigabit-per-second (8-Gbps) Fibre Channel switching modules and new capabilities in Cisco's SAN operating system, which has been re-branded NX-OS. 
The three new 8-Gbps Fibre Channel SAN switch modules are compatible with all Cisco MDS 9500 Series Multilayer Directors, SAN administrators can help protect their existing investments in 2-Gbps and 4-Gbps storage infrastructure and gradually phase in 8-Gbps technology as their network demands it. The new modules also address growing enterprise security and compliance requirements by delivering transparent, hardware-based, line-rate encryption of Fibre Channel data in motion between any Cisco MDS 9000 family 8-Gbps modules. The new Cisco modules include:
- Cisco 24-Port 8-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module -- this module delivers up to 192-Gbps of full-duplex bandwidth to connect high-end storage subsystems and for Inter Switch Link (ISL) connectivity between switches. The module provides multiprotocol capability for mainframe connectivity and Cisco Virtual SANs (VSANs) for hardware-based separation of Fibre Channel and FICON traffic.
- Cisco 48-Port 8-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module. With forty-eight auto-sensing 1/2/4/8-Gbps ports this module delivers 192 Gbps of full-duplex bandwidth, providing a balance of performance and scalability to connect highly virtualized servers in enterprise-class data centers.
- Cisco 4/44-Port 8-Gbps Host-Optimized Fibre Channel Switching Module. With four 8-Gbps ports and forty-four 4-Gbps ports, this high-density module provides a cost effective solution to consolidate standard servers with fewer SAN switches, often eliminating the need for a core-edge SAN topology.
