Connect. Secure. Manage.
Cisco SAN Fabric Migration
Plan a Cisco storage-fabric migration with supported connectivity, multipath dependencies and jointly agreed application and storage acceptance tests.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Cisco SAN fabric migration moves host-to-storage connectivity to a new or changed fabric without losing control of application dependencies. The appropriate method depends on the existing vendors, supported interoperability, host multipathing and the customer’s tolerance for interruption. MCI Network Services plans and delivers the networking elements of migrations involving Cisco MDS, with storage and application owners involved in the acceptance and recovery decisions.
Workload-led design
Start with application, compute and storage dependencies rather than the switch model.
Clear failure domains
Understand which links, devices and sites can fail together.
Operational clarity
Make fabrics, external routing and management responsibilities supportable.
Build a trustworthy current-state record
We inventory the fabrics, switch software, host adapters, target ports, zoning and physical connections. Existing documentation is compared with operational evidence because a migration based on stale port maps can move the wrong path or omit an important dependency. The record includes recovery and backup connections, not only the paths carrying normal production traffic.
The application and storage teams identify which services rely on each host and target relationship. They also confirm the supported multipath behaviour and any maintenance constraints. A fabric migration should not assume that a second visible path can carry the workload until its use has been verified.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
Cyber Essentials PlusMCI Network Services is operated by Proxar Ltd. Certifications apply to the certified legal entity and the scope of its certificates. View accreditation information
Select a supported migration method
Replacement in a maintenance window, staged parallel fabrics and supported interoperability can each be appropriate in different circumstances. We assess the exact hardware and software combination rather than relying on a general claim that two vendors can interoperate. Any restrictions become part of the migration decision.
The chosen method explains the temporary topology and how it will be retired. Temporary interconnections or duplicated zoning should not remain indefinitely because the initial cutover appeared successful. We define the desired final state before starting, including which equipment, licences and support responsibilities will remain.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Prepare zoning and endpoint mappings
Configuration conversion can assist a migration, but its output still needs review against verified initiator and target relationships. We check naming, membership, fabric placement and the intended active configuration. A syntax conversion does not prove that an inherited access relationship is still required or correctly authorised.
Storage-side presentation and host settings are coordinated separately. The migration plan states which team changes each component and when. This avoids a situation in which the fabric is ready but hosts cannot use the new paths because a storage or operating-system dependency has not been completed.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Stage the new fabric before production use
New Cisco MDS equipment is prepared with supported software, management protection, logging and the agreed fabric configuration. Physical links and optics are checked, and the team confirms access methods for the maintenance window. Staging reduces the amount of troubleshooting required while production paths are being moved.
We also validate the planned capacity and resilience of the destination. A replacement fabric may have enough ports but still have different interconnect constraints or shared dependencies. Those differences should be understood before the first critical host is connected, not discovered when a later migration group increases the load.
Move in controlled groups
Migration groups are selected according to application dependencies and operational risk. Each group has pre-checks, an implementation sequence, host and storage validation, and a decision point before proceeding. Where the design relies on one fabric remaining available, that state is confirmed before work begins on the other.
Rollback is described in practical terms. We identify which cables, zoning and endpoint changes must be reversed and who is available to do so. Some later actions may make a return to the old state more complicated, so the plan records when rollback remains viable and when a separate recovery decision is required.
Validate more than link status
After each stage, we confirm expected fabric membership, paths and relevant interface health. The storage and application owners verify access and representative workload operation. A green switch port is not sufficient evidence that the service is ready for the next migration group.
Where safe, agreed path-loss tests establish that the new arrangement retains its intended resilience. The record distinguishes directly tested behaviour from assumptions based on vendor support. Performance is compared under meaningful conditions so a slower or unstable path does not pass unnoticed simply because basic connectivity works.
Close the migration properly
Completion includes updated diagrams, zoning records, monitoring and support contacts, together with removal of approved temporary configuration. Retired equipment is handled through a controlled decommissioning process. The customer receives a clear record of the final estate and any residual risks requiring follow-up.
MCI’s Cisco storage networking services can support the full fabric transition or a defined part of a wider project. We do not promise universal non-disruption: the expected impact is established from the supported design and confirmed testing, with application and data responsibilities retained by their designated owners.
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
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