As safety laws tighten and quantum computing advances, organizations are prioritizing cybersecurity, making encryption more and more important. The Cisco MDS 9000 household of storage networking units affords cutting-edge encryption options, particularly by way of Cisco TrustSec Fibre Channel Hyperlink Encryption, guaranteeing safe knowledge transmission throughout Fibre Channel (FC) networks.
Threats and safety laws mandate stronger safety postures
Information is among the many most vital property for any company, so defending knowledge from unauthorized entry and misuse is a key concern. With the emergence of hybrid work, the adoption of cloud providers, and the malicious use of AI-based instruments, cyberthreats have change into extra superior and impactful. On the similar time, new privateness and safety laws are mandating that organizations obtain a greater, extra complete safety posture. Because of this, cybersecurity is the highest precedence amongst AI deployments, in accordance with the Cisco 2024 AI Readiness Index, and knowledge encryption is now in excessive demand from firms of all sizes and industries.
With FC being the protocol of selection for accessing business-critical enterprise datasets, an vital side of a safety posture is to validate the id of adjoining switches and to encrypt knowledge whereas in transit on a storage space community (SAN). These capabilities are supplied on the Cisco MDS 9000 household of storage networking units utilizing Cisco TrustSec FC Hyperlink Encryption. With latest NX-OS code, a brand new cypher has been launched to resist the brute-force calculations that may overcome present encryption requirements with quantum computing, that includes a simple configuration. Accessible underneath Benefit and Premier license tiers, this function helps director switches, fastened configuration switches, and multiprotocol switches, benefiting each mainframe and open system environments.
Authentication is a prerequisite to encryption
Cisco MDS 9000 Collection Switches implement the Fibre Channel Safety Protocol (FC-SP-2 commonplace, ANSI INCITS 496-2012), enabling switch-to-switch and host-to-switch authentication to handle safety challenges in enterprise materials. The Diffie-Hellman Problem Handshake Authentication Protocol (DHCHAP) is a FC-SP protocol that gives authentication between Cisco MDS 9000 Collection Switches and different units. DHCHAP combines the CHAP protocol with the Diffie-Hellman (DH) alternate, guaranteeing that solely trusted units can be part of a cloth, thereby stopping unauthorized entry.
DHCHAP is a safe, password-based key-exchange authentication protocol supporting each switch-to-switch and host-to-switch authentication. This configuration requires setting native and peer swap passwords, with DHCHAP negotiating hash algorithms and DH teams. With NX-OS 9.4(3), SHA-1 algorithm-based authentication is default, configured on the bodily FC interface stage.
Cisco TrustSec Fibre Channel Hyperlink Encryption
The Superior Encryption Customary (AES) is a high-security, symmetric-key block-cipher algorithm adopted globally since 2002. It helps numerous purposes, together with disk encryption, VPN methods, and messaging packages. Its substitution-permutation community includes refined bit operations, with hardware-efficient execution.
Cisco TrustSec FC Hyperlink Encryption extends the Fibre Channel Safety Protocol (FCSP), guaranteeing transaction integrity and confidentiality utilizing DHCHAP for peer authentication. Encryption configuration includes defining safety associations on interfaces, setting a key and utilizing a salt for enhancing safety by differentiating encrypted textual content patterns.
Cisco TrustSec FC Hyperlink Encryption permits AES-GCM (default, encryption and authentication) or AES-GMAC (authentication solely). Key lengths supported are 128 bits for 32G units and each 128-bit and 256-bit for 64G units, providing flexibility and selection. If executed in software program, AES-128 is marginally sooner and wishes much less system sources, whereas AES-256 offers better resilience towards brute-force assaults and elevates the answer to change into quantum resistant. Cisco MDS 9000 switches leverage superior hardware-assisted AES implementation in order that each AES-128 and AES-256 execute with the identical optimum stage of efficiency.
Business-leading efficiency and throughput
The Cisco 64G FC switching module offers excessive encryption capabilities, supporting eight ports at 64G speeds every, reaching 512G mixture encrypted throughput per module. This industry-leading efficiency outcomes from superior ASIC design, dealing with encryption with no efficiency penalty. The shop-and-forward structure ensures unchanged latency between encrypted and non-encrypted configurations, making MDS 9000 SAN switches distinctive in sustaining effectivity with the very best stage of safety. Fastened configuration and multiservice switches leverage the identical capabilities, however the variety of encrypted ports will depend on the swap mannequin. For instance, on Cisco MDS 9124V there are 4 ports that may be encrypted, on Cisco MDS 9148V there are eight, and on Cisco MDS 9396V there are 16.
Port independence and repair availability
In real-world deployments, port independence is essential for sustaining connectivity throughout disruptions. Cisco MDS 9000 Collection Switches excel on this, with an optimized ASIC structure and body path separation guaranteeing no impression on different encrypted ports throughout occasions like port errdisable or cable/SFP pull. This functionality enhances service availability considerably.
Cloth switches like Cisco MDS 9124V, 9148V, and 9396V help a number of encrypted ports with out decreasing the whole variety of usable ports, in contrast to competing merchandise. This functionality ensures constant useful resource allocation no matter encryption standing.
Distance help and SAN analytics compatibility
Enabling encryption on MDS 9000 Collection units doesn’t have an effect on supported distances, preserving buffer credit and permitting unaltered long-distance operations. Customers can keep the identical distance capabilities with encryption, eliminating design constraints throughout safety planning.
Cisco SAN Analytics offers deep visitors visibility and is the {industry} benchmark. It may be absolutely relevant to encrypted visitors, sustaining assurance and insights with out compromising visibility. The superior structure of the Cisco MDS 9000 Collection ensures that it’s all the time attainable to examine headers, in order that SAN Analytics might be utilized to encrypted visitors getting into the swap or leaving it.
Key size, rekeying, and quantum resistance
AES-GCM helps 128- and 256-bit keys. Key choice on 64G units affords flexibility, with handbook periodic rekeying obtainable as a further safety measure. AES-256 is favored for quantum resistance and safety towards the rising threats posed by quantum computer systems, at the side of Grover’s algorithm. The improved TrustSec functionality on MDS 9000 is taken into account safe at the very least till 2050, as per ETSI GR QSC 006 V1.1.1, future-proofing safety efforts.
Complete safety suite
The Cisco MDS 9000 Collection affords in depth safety features, each intrinsic and configurable. Intrinsic options embody Safe Boot and Anti-counterfeit expertise, whereas configurable choices embody VSANs, onerous zoning, port safety, cloth binding, safe syslog logging, safe erase, Transport Layer Safety (TLS) 1.3, Easy Community Administration Protocol Model 3 (SNMPv3), Safe Shell Model 2 (SSHv2), amongst others. These options help enterprise continuity and catastrophe restoration throughout knowledge facilities, providing encryption on FC and FC over IP (FCIP) Inter-Swap Hyperlinks (ISLs) by way of TrustSec and IPsec expertise, respectively (Determine 1).
Conclusion
Cisco MDS 9000 switches ship unmatched encryption for SANs, distinguished by superior ASIC design, superior {hardware} structure, and complex software program management. TrustSec FC Hyperlink Encryption is important for securely interconnecting SAN materials throughout knowledge facilities utilizing FC hyperlinks. With Cisco MDS 9000 64G units, you possibly can prolong SANs securely, enhancing the safety posture in preparation for quantum computing with out compromise.
Extra sources:
Cisco MDS 9000 Collection Safety Configuration Information
Cisco Storage Space Networking
Storage networking merchandise
What’s a storage space community (SAN)?
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