Brocade Communications Systems VDX 6940 Series User manual

DATA SHEET
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches
The Brocade VDX 6940-36Q is a xed
40 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE)-optimized
switch in a 1U form factor. It oers
36 40 GbE QSFP+ ports and can be
deployed as a spine or leaf switch (see
Figure 1). Each 40 GbE port can be
broken out into four independent
10 GbE SFP+ ports, providing a total of
144 10 GbE SFP+ ports. Deployed as
a spine, it provides options to connect
either 40 GbE or 10 GbE uplinks from
leaf switches. By deploying this high-
density, compact switch, data center
administrators can reduce their TCO
through savings on power, space,
and cooling.
In a leaf deployment, 10 GbE and
40 GbE ports can be mixed, oering
exible design options to cost-eectively
support demanding data center and
service provider environments. As
in other Brocade VDX platforms, the
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches
Optimizes Scale-Out
Architecture
Brocade VDX switches are designed
to help organizations stay ahead of
application-driven network change by
enabling agile growth through a scale-
out architecture. This approach oers
three key benets. First, it enables
network expansion as a business grows
over time. Data center administrators
can horizontally scale spine switches as
the number of leaf switches increases.
Second, scale-out architecture also
enables the creation of resilient network
fabrics, eliminating a single point of failure
and potential downtime. Third, and most
important, scale-out network architecture
delivers a compelling economic benet.
Unlike scale-up, a scale-out model
reduces upfront investment. And by using
high-density xed switches, it lowers the
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), reducing
power, cooling, and data center space.
Advanced Features Enable Data Center Transformation
The data center is evolving, driving requirements for infrastructure that
can support dynamic growth in Virtual Machines (VMs), distributed
applications, and Big Data, as well as the transition to cloud-based
computing—without compromising performance. The Brocade® VDX®
6940 and the Brocade VDX family of switches deliver the performance,
exibility, scale, and eciency essential to modern data centers, including
cloud and highly virtualized environments.
HIGHLIGHTS
•Transforms networks to deliver cloud
scale, agility, and operational eciency
with Brocade data center fabrics
•Oers the market’s highest 10, 40, and
100 GbE density in a xed form factor
•Meets today’s application demands with
high performance and low latency
•Delivers line-rate throughput for all ports
and packet sizes
•Fits into any data center design by
leveraging 40 GbE/100 GbE uplinks
and Ports on Demand (PoD)
•Maximizes network availability with
eciency and resiliency
•Supports storage environments with
advanced exibility

2
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q oers a Ports
on Demand (PoD) licensing model.
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q is available
with 24 ports or 36 ports. The 24-port
model oers a lower entry point for
organizations that want to start small
and grow their networks over time. By
installing a software license, organizations
can upgrade their 24-port switch to the
maximum 36-port switch.
Figure 1: The Brocade VDX 6940-36Q Switch
provides 36 40 GbE ports.
The Brocade VDX 6940-144S is a
10 GbE-optimized switch with 40 GbE
or 100 GbE uplinks in a 2U form factor.
It oers 96 native 1/10 GbE SFP/SFP+
ports and 12 40 GbE QSFP+ ports, or
4 100 GbE QSFP28 ports. In addition,
the Brocade VDX 6940-144S provides
exibility for uplinks, 40 GbE or 100 GbE
from leaf switches, and delivers greater
cross-sectional bandwidth for east-west
trac. Purpose-built for scale-out data
centers and service providers, it enables
aggregation of multiple server racks with
a single switch.
With its high density, the Brocade
VDX 6940-144S is an ideal t for
middle-of-row or end-of-row data
center deployments (see Figure 2). By
connecting multiple racks to a single
cut-through switch, this architecture
oers greater cross-sectional bandwidth
for applications. Servers from multiple
racks can be just one hop away from
one another. The compact 2U form
factor saves space, also reducing power
and cooling, resulting in lower TCO.
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches provide
the advanced feature set that data
centers require while delivering the high
performance and low latency virtualized
environments demand. Together with
Brocade data center fabrics, these
switches transform data center networks
to support the New IP by enabling cloud-
based architectures that deliver new levels
of scale, agility, and operational eciency.
These highly automated, software-driven,
and programmable data center fabric
design solutions support a breadth of
network virtualization options and scale
for data center environments ranging from
tens to thousands of servers. Moreover,
they make it easy for organizations to
architect, automate, and integrate current
and future data center technologies
while they transition to a cloud model
that addresses their needs, on their own
timetable and on their terms.
Figure 2: The Brocade VDX 6940-144S
Switch provides 96 1/10 GbE ports and
12 40 GbE or 4 100 GbE ports.
Transforms Networks to Deliver
New Levels of Scale, Agility, and
Operational Eciency
Brocade VDX switches enable
organizations to evolve their data center
networks at their own pace, with full
investment protection. As the foundation
for several data center architectures,
Brocade VDX switches support Brocade
IP fabrics, Brocade VCS® fabrics, as
well as network virtualization, including
controller-based network virtualization
architectures, such as VMware NSX,
and standards-based (BGP-EVPN)
controller-less architectures with Brocade
BGP-EVPN Network Virtualization for
architectural exibility (see Figure 3).
For organizations seeking automated
provisioning capabilities to improve IT
agility, Brocade VDX switches, together
with Brocade VCS Fabric technology,
accelerate time to value through
automated provisioning of network
devices and network virtualization.
Automated service and resource upgrades
further reduce ongoing maintenance time
and costs. High availability is achieved
through non-disruptive In-Service
Software Upgrade (ISSU) and self-healing
fabrics.
Read more about Brocade data center
fabrics.
Organizations that aim to automate the
entire network lifecycle and integrate with
cross-domain technologies to improve
business agility—but lack sucient
engineering resources or training—can
transform their networks with Brocade
Workow Composer™. Brocade Workow
Composer supports the Brocade VDX
platform, enabling enterprise and cloud
service provider IT organizations to bring
network automation to IT operations
(see Figure 4). Unlike other network
automation solutions that require
proprietary hardware platforms and focus
solely on conguration management,
Brocade Workow Composer provides
turnkey, customizable, or do-it-yourself
network workow automation for
provisioning, validation, troubleshooting,
and remediation of the entire Brocade
VDX platform—while integrating with
tool chains and processes from other IT
domains. Brocade Workow Composer
is powered by StackStorm, an open,
extensible, and microservices-based
framework that leverages the power
of proven DevOps methodologies;
popular open source technologies such
as Puppet, Python, and Mistral; and a
thriving technical community for peer
collaboration and innovation to provide
event-driven, cross-domain workow
automation.
Additionally, Brocade VDX switches oer
programmability and interoperability
options through a PyNOS Library and
YANG model-based REST and Netconf
APIs. Cloud orchestration and control

3
through OpenStack and OpenDaylight-
based SDN controller support enable
full network integration with compute
and storage resource provisioning and
management.
Meets Today’s Application
Demands with High Performance
and Low Latency
As data centers virtualize more of their
servers and VM density per server
increases, organizations will require
higher bandwidth connectivity to support
the explosion of data and application
processing. With 1/10 GbE and
40 GbE options, Brocade VDX 6940
Switches deliver the high-performance
computing needed to keep up with
the demands of a virtualized data
center, allowing organizations to reduce
network congestion, improve application
performance, and meet the capacity
required by 10 GbE servers. The 40 GbE
and 100 GbE uplinks can easily aggregate
high-bandwidth trac and reduce
bottlenecks that occur when aggregating
multiple 10 GbE or 40 GbE connections,
keeping data center networks working at
peak performance.
In a Brocade VCS fabric, Brocade VDX
6940 Switches also help maximize
network utilization with hardware-based
Brocade ISL Trunking. Organizations
can create a 120 GbE Brocade ISL
trunk by utilizing three 40 GbE ports
or 12 10 GbE ports between Brocade
VDX 6940 Switches. The Brocade ISL
trunk is automatically formed between
two Brocade VDX switches when they
are linked together, allowing trac to be
equally distributed among all ports. This
increases link eciency and limits trac
disruptions, especially during high-trac
times. Also, 40 GbE and 10 GbE trunking
is supported between Brocade VDX
6940, 6740, and 8770 Switches. Refer
to the Brocade VDX 6940 Hardware
Reference Manual for details.
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches oer a
unique balance between two conicting
attributes—buer and latency. Niche
products with very high buer often suer
from high latency, and products with
ultra-low latency are not a good t for
data centers with bursty trac. Brocade
VDX 6940 Switches, with a purpose-built
data center chip, excel in optimizing buer
and latency to deliver better application
performance. These switches deliver
800 ns any-port-to-any-port latency. In
addition, they oer an industry-leading
24 MB deep buer. This provides the
buering capacity to handle increases in
trac, especially during peak times when
ports are congested, allowing trac to be
distributed across the ports. Brocade VDX
6940 Switches also feature a single ASIC
Figure 3: Multiple network architectures oer the exibility that can help organizations rapidly adapt to changing business conditions and trac patterns.
Brocade Data Center Fabrics and Network Virtualization Options
Layer 2 Scale-Out: Up to 10,000 Servers
Layer 3 Scale-Out: Up to 500,000 Servers
UNDERLAY
VDX
UNDERLAY
VDX
Controller-based Network Virtualization
(VMware NSX,
VxLAN
)
OVERLAY
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
VDX
Controller-less
Network Virtualization
(BGP-EVPN, VxLAN)
Controller-based
Network Virtualization
(VMware NSX, VxLAN)
OR
OVERLAY OPTIONS

4
design, instead of multiple ASIC designs
commonly found in other switches. This
improves performance since all ports
communicate via the one ASIC.
Cloud and Big Data Environments
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches deliver
optimized buer and latency and high
performance to enable greater cross-
sectional bandwidth for east-west trac—
exactly what cloud workloads demand.
These switches oer the exibility needed
to scale out networks, deliver intelligence
to more eectively manage VM mobility,
as well as provide an SDN-enabled and
programmable infrastructure. In addition,
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches oer an
advanced feature set that non-virtual and
Big Data environments require. With 10,
40, and 100 GbE options for designing
oversubscribed or non-oversubscribed
networks, high throughput, and optimized
buer and latency, the Brocade VDX
6940 is an ideal switch for Big Data
applications. Together with Brocade
data center fabrics, Brocade VDX 6940
Switches can simplify network design and
operations for both cloud and Big Data
network fabrics.
Fits into Any Data Center Design
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and
6940-144S front access ports are
positioned to enable easy server or switch
connectivity and to simplify cabling.
With a choice of front-to-back or back-
to-front airow, these switches are ideal
for deployments connecting servers,
storage, and other switches, as well as
for providing compatibility for either hot
aisle or cold aisle data center designs.
For the 40 GbE ports that also support
10 GbE connections with breakout cables,
the switches oer the exibility needed
to support a mixed environment as data
centers or service providers transition to
higher bandwidth.
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches are
designed to connect data centers in
multiple ways to meet individual design
requirements. This exible design
provides investment protection, giving
organizations a single switch that can
support varying data center requirements.
The following features help organizations
meet their evolving needs:
•10/40/100 GbE uplinks: The 40 GbE
QSFP+ ports oer the exibility to
expand and interconnect the network
infrastructure intelligently and eciently
while reducing bottlenecks. Brocade
VDX 6940 Switches oer the option
Figure 4: Brocade Workow Composer brings workow-centric, cross-domain network automation to IT operations.
Rules
Engine
Credential /
Authorization Device
Inventory
Workflow
Engine Data Store REST API
Web GUI CLI
Visual Flow ChatOps
Audit
Workflows
Composable
Services
Sensors /
Actions
User
Interfaces
Sensor
Message Bus
Systems Devices Tools
Sensor Action Action

5
to separate each 40 GbE uplink into
four 10 GbE uplinks via breakout
cables. As capacity and need increase,
organizations can revert to 40 GbE
when ready.
•Ports on Demand: Ports on Demand
(PoD) enables organizations to activate
additional ports. They can purchase
the number of ports that they currently
need and seamlessly scale up later by
simply applying a software license. This
exible and cost-ecient “pay as you
grow” licensing model solves scalability
challenges by allocating IT resources
as needed.
Maximizes Network Availability
with Eciency and Resiliency
Brocade data center fabrics create a
more ecient and resilient network, and
deliver the high performance and high
reliability required by modern data
centers, including cloud and highly
virtualized environments.
Optimizing East-West Trac
Traditional data centers are architected
with a rigid, three-tier tree topology
optimized for the north-south trac ow
of client-server computing environments,
compromising performance, increasing
latency, and creating bottlenecks. With
the increased prevalence of virtualization
and distributed applications, data center
network trac is now predominantly
east-west, or server-server. Brocade
data center fabrics were designed and
optimized to address these trac patterns
by moving trac through any of the active
paths and avoiding the multiple hops
required in other tiered topologies.
In-Service Software Upgrade
The Brocade VDX 6940 delivers a highly
ecient In-Service Software Upgrade
(ISSU) by leveraging a software model
that uses a dual-OS infrastructure on a
multi-core CPU. This enables data center
administrators to deliver enterprise-class
business continuity on xed switches
during a software upgrade/downgrade
process. This software change process is
non-disruptive to Layer 2, Layer 3, Fibre
Channel, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet
(FCoE) trac. Moreover, the ISSU
implementation is hardware-optimized,
thus reducing the time it takes to complete
the upgrade/downgrade process.
Advanced Storage Support
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches provide
advanced storage support with multiple
storage connectivity options, including
FCoE, iSCSI, and NAS. They also feature
Data Center Bridging (DCB), which
enables the reliable exchange of storage
trac over the LAN, eliminating packet
loss when network congestion occurs and
allocating bandwidth as needed to keep
the network running eciently. Moreover,
Brocade VDX 6940 Switches oer
NAS Auto QoS intelligence to prioritize
delay-sensitive IP storage trac within
the fabric and to help ensure consistent
performance while decreasing latency.
Brocade Global Services
Brocade Global Services has the
expertise to help organizations build
scalable, ecient cloud infrastructures.
Leveraging 20 years of expertise in
storage, networking, and virtualization,
Brocade Global Services delivers
world-class professional services,
technical support, and education
services, enabling organizations to
maximize their Brocade investments,
accelerate new technology deployments,
and optimize the performance of
networking infrastructures.
Acquisition Options That Match
Balance Sheet Objectives
Successful network deployments drive
business forward, providing technical
and nancial agility. Brocade oers
the broadest nancing models, from
traditional leasing to Brocade Network
Subscription. Network-as-a-Service
allows organizations to subscribe to
network assets today then upgrade
on demand, scale up or down, or return
them with 60-day notication. Brocade
Network Subscription plans can be
structured to meet IASC guidelines
for OpEx or CapEx treatment to align with
nancial goals. Learn more at
www.nonetworkcapex.com.
Maximizing Investments
To help optimize technology investments,
Brocade and its partners oer complete
solutions that include professional
services, technical support, and education.
For more information, contact a Brocade
sales partner or visit www.brocade.com.

6
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Feature Overview
Overview Brocade VDX 6940-36Q Brocade VDX 6940-144S
Form factor 1U 2U
Switching bandwidth (data rate, full duplex) 2.88 Tbps 2.88 Tbps
Switch performance 2.16 Bpps 2.16 Bpps
Port-to-port latency 800 ns 800 ns
Dimensions and weight Width: 44 cm (17.32 in.)
Height: 4.4 cm (1.73 in.)
Depth: 43.8 cm (17.22 in.)
Weight: 8.9 kg (19.6 lb) without media;
10.1 kg (22.3 lb) with media
Width: 44 cm (17.32 in.)
Height: 8.7 cm (3.41 in.)
Depth: 48.5 cm (19.1 in.)
Weight: 15.46 kg (34.1 lb) empty;
17.32 kg (38.2 lb) with media
10 GbE SFP+ ports 144 10 GbE ports using breakout cables 96 xed 10 GbE ports and additional 48
10 GbE ports with breakout cables
1 GbE SFP 096
1/10 GBASE-T 0 0
40 GbE QSFP+ 36 12
100 GbE QSFP28 0 4
40 GbE Ports on Demand (PoD) 24, 36 6, 12
10 GbE Ports on Demand (PoD) N/A 64, 80, 96
Power supplies Two internal, redundant, eld-replaceable,
load-sharing AC/DC power supplies
Two internal, redundant, eld-replaceable, load-
sharing AC/DC power supplies
Cooling fans 5 eld-replaceable fans (FRUs);
each fan FRU has 2 fans
4 eld-replaceable fans (FRUs);
each fan FRU has 1 fan
Airow Rear-to-front or front-to-rear airow Rear-to-front or front-to-rear airow
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Specications
Scalability Information*
Connector options
Out-of-band Ethernet management: RJ-45 (xed)
Console management: RJ45 to RS-232 (xed)
Firmware and diagnostic: USB
Maximum VLANs 4,096
Maximum MAC addresses 112,000 (L2 MACs); fabric-wide 256,000 (CML)
Maximum port proles (AMPP) 512
Maximum members in a standard LAG 16
Maximum per-port priority pause level 8
Maximum switches that a vLAG can span 8
Maximum members
in a vLAG
64
Maximum jumbo frame size 9,216 bytes
* Please refer to the latest version of the release notes for the most up-to-date scalability numbers supported in software.

7
Scalability Information*
Queues per port 8
DCB Priority Flow Control (PFC) classes 8
Maximum ACLs 10,000
Maximum ARP entries 84,000
Maximum IPv4 unicast routes 12,000
Maximum IPv6 unicast routes 3,000
DCB Priority Flow Control (PFC) classes 8
HA/ISSU ISSU fully supported
Mechanical
Enclosure Front-to-rear, rear-to-front airow; 1U (6940-36Q) and 2U (6940-144S), 19-inch EIA-compliant;
power from non-port side
Environmental Brocade VDX 6940-36Q Brocade VDX 6940-144S
Temperature Operating: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
Non-operating and storage: −25°C to 70°C
(−13°F to 158°F)
Operating: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
Non-operating and storage: −25°C to 70°C
(−13°F to 158°F)
Humidity Operating: 5% to 93% at 50°C (122°F)
Non-operating and storage: 10% to 95% at
60°C (140°F)
Operating: 5% to 93% at 50°C (122°F)
Non-operating and storage: 10% to 95% at 60°C
(140°F)
Altitude Operating: 0 to 3,000 m (9,842 ft.)
Non-operating and storage: 0 to 12,000 m
(39,370 ft.)
Operating: 0 to 3,000 m (9,842 ft.)
Non-operating and storage: 0 to 12,000 m
(39,370 ft.)
Shock Operating: 15 G, 11 ms, half-sine wave
Non-operating and storage: 33 G, 11 ms, half-sine
wave, 5/ea axis, and 33 G 6 ms, trapezoidal,
1/ea axis
Operating: 15 G, 11 ms, half-sine wave
Non-operating and storage: 33 G, 11 ms, half-sine
wave, 5/ea axis, and 33 G 6 ms, trapezoidal,
1/ea axis
Vibration Operating: 1 G sine, 0.5 gms random,
5 to 500 Hz
Non-operating and storage: 2.4 G sine, 1.1 gms
random, 5 to 500 Hz
Operating: 1 G sine, 0.5 gms random,
5 to 500 Hz
Non-operating and storage: 2.4 G sine, 1.1 gms
random, 5 to 500 Hz
Airow Maximum: 159 CMH (94 CFM)
Minimum: 65 CMH (38 CFM)
Maximum: 370 CMH (218 CFM)
Minimum: 95 CMH (56 CFM)
Power
Power supplies Two internal, redundant, eld-replaceable, load-
sharing power supplies
Two internal, redundant, eld-replaceable, load-
sharing power supplies
Power inlet C13 C13
Input voltage 100 to 240 V or 48 V DC 100 to 240 V or 48 V DC
Input line frequency 50 to 60 Hz 50 to 60 Hz
Inrush current 30 A peak at cold start and 50 A peak at warm
start for <10 ms, 10 A peak for cycles 10 ms to
150 ms, <7 A peak for >150 ms
40 A peak at either cold or warm start <10 ms,
10 A peak for cycles 10 ms to 150 ms, <7 A peak
for >150 ms
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Specications (continued)
* Please refer to the latest version of the release notes for the most up-to-date scalability numbers supported in software.

8
Power (continued) Brocade VDX 6940-36Q Brocade VDX 6940-144S
Maximum current 6 A at 100 VAC
7 A at 90 VAC
6 A at 100 VAC
7 A at 85 VAC
Typical power consumption At 100 VAC 2.18 A, 215 W, 733.81 BTU/hr
At 200 VAC 1.12 A, 212 W, 723.57 BTU/hr
Input current calculated with 1 PSU; watts and
BTU/hour with 2 PSUs
At 100 VAC 3.288 A, 327 W, 1,116 BTU/hr
At 200 VAC 1.639 A, 321 W, 1,095 BTU/hr
Input current calculated with 1 PSU; watts and
BTU/hour with 2 PSUs
Maximum power consumption At 100 VAC 2.84 A, 282 W, 962.5 BTU/hr
At 200 VAC 1.44 A, 276 W, 942 BTU/hr
Input current calculated with 1 PSU; watts and
BTU/hour with 2 PSUs
At 100 VAC 2.706 A, 512 W, 1,747 BTU/hr
At 200 VAC 1.375 A, 500 W, 1,706 BTU/hr
Input current calculated with 1 PSU; watts and
BTU/hour with 2 PSUs
Safety Compliance
• CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1-07 including A1 / UL
60950-1-07, Ed. 2 including A1
• CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1 Second Edition
• EN 60950-1 Second Edition +A1/A12
• IEC 60950-1 Second Edition +A1
• GB 4943.1-2011 and GB9254-2008
• CNS14336-1(99)
• CSA/NRTL Certication
EMC
• FCC Class A
• ICES-003 Class A
• VCCI-Class A
• CE
• C-Tick
• BSMI
• KCC Class A
Immunity
• EN55024
Environmental Regulatory Compliance
RoHS-6 (with lead exemption) Directive 2002/95/EC
NEBS-Compliant
Standards Compliance
Brocade VDX 6940 products conform to the following Ethernet standards:
• IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol
• IEEE 802.1s Multiple Spanning Tree
• IEEE 802.1w Rapid Reconguration of Spanning Tree Protocol
• IEEE 802.3 Ethernet
• IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation with LACP
• IEEE 802.3ae 10G Ethernet
• IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Tagging
• IEEE 802.1p Class of Service Prioritization and Tagging
• IEEE 802.1v VLAN Classication by Protocol and Port
• IEEE 802.1AB Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)
• IEEE 802.3x Flow Control (Pause Frames)
• IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T
• IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-X
The following draft versions of the Data Center Bridging (DCB) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) standards are also supported on the
Brocade VDX 6940:
• IEEE 802.1Qbb Priority-based Flow Control
• IEEE 802.1Qaz Enhanced Transmission Selection
• IEEE 802.1 DCB Capability Exchange Protocol (Proposed under the DCB Task Group of IEEE 802.1 Working Group)
• FC-BB-5 FCoE (Rev 2.0)
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Specications (continued)

9
RFC Support
RFC 768 User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
RFC 783 TFTP Protocol (revision 2)
RFC 791 Internet Protocol (IP)
RFC 792 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
RFC 793 Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
RFC 826 ARP
RFC 854 Telnet Protocol Specication
RFC 894 A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagram over Ethernet Networks
RFC 959 FTP
RFC 1027 Using ARP to Implement Transparent Subnet Gateways (Proxy ARP)
RFC 1112 IGMP v1
RFC 1157 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) v1 and v2
RFC 1305 Network Time Protocol (NTP) Version 3
RFC 1492 TACACS+
RFC 1519 Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR)
RFC 1584 Multicast Extensions to OSPF
RFC 1765 OSPF Database Overow
RFC 1812 Requirements for IP Version 4 Routers
RFC 1997 BGP Communities Attribute
RFC 2068 HTTP Server
RFC 2131 Dynamic Host Conguration Protocol (DHCP)
RFC 2154 OSPF with Digital Signatures (Password, MD-5)
RFC 2236 IGMP v2
RFC 2267 Network Ingress Filtering
RFC 2328 OSPF v2
RFC 2370 OSPF Opaque Link-State Advertisement (LSA) Option—Partial Support
RFC 2375 IPv6 Multicast Address Assignments
RFC 2385 Protection of BGP Sessions with the TCP MD5 Signature Option
RFC 2439 BGP Route Flap Damping
RFC2460 Internet Protocol, Version 6 (v6) Specication (on management interface)
RFC 2462 IPv6 Stateless Address Auto-Conguration
RFC 2464 Transmission of IPv6 Packets over Ethernet Networks (on management interface)
RFC 2474 Denition of the Dierentiated Services Field in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers
RFC 2571 An Architecture for Describing SNMP Management Frameworks
RFC 2711 IPv6 Router Alert Option
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Specications (continued)

10
RFC Support (continued)
RFC 2865 Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS)
RFC 3101 The OSPF Not-So-Stubby Area (NSSA) Option
RFC 3137 OSPF Stub Router Advertisement
RFC 3176 sFlow
RFC 3392 Capabilities Advertisement with BGPv4
RFC 3411 An Architecture for Describing SNMP Frameworks
RFC 3412 Message Processing and Dispatching for the SNMP
RFC 3413 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Applications
RFC 3587 IPv6 Global Unicast Address Format
RFC 3623 Graceful OSPF Restart—IETF Tools
RFC 3768 VRRP
RFC 4271 BGPv4
RFC 4291 IPv6 Addressing Architecture
RFC 4292 IP Forwarding MIB
RFC 4293 Management Information Base for the Internet Protocol (IP)
RFC 4443 ICMPv6 (replaces 2463)
RFC 4456 BGP Route Reection
RFC 4510 Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): Technical Specication Road Map
RFC 4601 Protocol Independent Multicast—Sparse Mode (PIM-SM): Protocol Specication (Revised)
RFC 4724 Graceful Restart Mechanism for BGP
RFC 4861 IPv6 Neighbor Discovery
RFC 4893 BGP Support for Four-Octet AS Number Space
RFC 5082 Generalized TTL Security Mechanism (GTSM)
RFC 5880 Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)
RFC 5881 Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) for IPv4 and IPv6 (Single Hop)
RFC 5882 Generic Application of Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)
RFC 5883 Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) for Multihop Paths
RFC 5942 IPv6 Neighbor Discovery
RFC 7432 BGP-EVPN—Network Virtualization Using VXLAN Data Plane
IPv6 Routing
RFC 2545 Use of BGP-MP Extensions for IPv6
RFC 2740 OSPFv3 for IPv6
IPv6 Multicast
RFC 2710 Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) for IPv6
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Specications (continued)

11
VRRP/VRRPe
RFC 5798 VRRP Version 3 for IPv4 and IPv6
Brocade Network OS Software Capabilities
VCS Fabrics IP Fabrics
Software scalability Maximum switches in a fabric 48 Unlimited
Maximum ECMP paths in a fabric 32 32
Maximum LAGs in a fabric 2,000 144
Layer 2 switching Service Node Load Balancing BFD/ARP Optimizations X X
Conversational MAC Learning X X
Virtual Link Aggregation Group (vLAG) spanning X X
Layer 2 Access Control Lists (ACLs) X X
Edge Loop Detection (ELD) X X
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) RFC 826 X X
Private VLANs X
Maintenance Mode/Graceful Trac Diversion X
Distributed VXLAN Gateway X
Diagnostic Ports X
IP Maps Support X
L2 Loop prevention in an overlay environment X
High availability/In-Service Software Upgrade—hardware-enabled X X
IGMP v1/v2 Snooping X X
MAC Learning and Aging X X
Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) IEEE 802.3ad/802.1AX X X
Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) X X
VLAN Encapsulation 802.1Q X X
Per-VLAN Spanning Tree (PVST+/PVRST+) X X
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) 802.1w X X
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) 802.1s X X
STP PortFast, BPDU Guard, BPDU Filter X X
STP Root Guard X X
Pause Frames 802.3x X X
Static MAC Conguration X X
Uni-Directional Link Detection (UDLD) X X
Transparent LAN Services X
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Specications (continued)

12
VCS Fabrics IP Fabrics
Layer 3 switching Border Gateway Protocol (BGP4+) X X
DHCP Helper X X
Layer 3 ACLs X X
Multicast: PIM-SM, IGMPv2 X X
OSPF v2/v3 X X
Static routes X X
IPv4/v6 ACL X X
Policy-Based Routing (PBR) X X
Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) X X
32-Way ECMP X X
VRF Lite X X
VRF-aware OSPF, BGP, VRRP, static routes X X
VRRP v2 and v3 X X
IPv4/IPv6 dual stack X X
IPv6 ACL packet ltering X X
BGP Additional-Path X X
BGP-Allow AS X X
BGP Generalized TTL Security Mechanism (GTSM) X X
BGP Peer Auto Shutdown X X
Multicast Refactoring X X
IPv6 routing X X
OSPF Type-3 LSA Filter X X
Wire-speed routing for IPv4 and IPv6 using any routing protocol X X
BGP-EVPN Control Plane Signaling RFC 7432 X
BGP-EVPN VXLAN Standard-based Overlay X
Multi-VRF X X
IP Unnumbered Interface X
Intersubnet Routing (Symmetric and Asymmetric) X
IP over Port Channel X
VRRP-E X X
Fabric Virtual Gateway X
Static Anycast Gateway X
ARP Suppression X
Brocade Network OS Software Capabilities (continued)

13
VCS Fabrics IP Fabrics
Automation and
programmability
OpenFlow 1.3 X X
REST API with YANG data model X X
Puppet X X
Python X X
PyNOS libraries X X
Ansible X X
VMware vRealize plugins X X
DHCP automatic fabric provisioning X X
Netconf API X X
Multitenancy and
virtualization
TRILL FGL-based VCS Virtual Fabric feature X
Virtual fabric extension X
VM-Aware Network Automation X
BFD for virtual fabric extension X
Brocade VCS Gateway for NSX X
Brocade IP Fabric Gateway for NSX X
VMware NSX-v Certication X X
Automatic Migration of Port Proles (AMPP) X X
DCB Priority-based Flow Control (PFC) 802.1Qbb X
Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS) 802.1Qaz X
Manual conguration of lossless queues for protocols other than FCoE and iSCSI X
Data Center Bridging Exchange (DCBX) X
DCBX Application Type-Length-Value (TLV) for FCoE and iSCSI X
Fibre Channel/FCoE Multi-hop Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE); requires Brocade VCS Fabric
technology
X
FC-BB5 compliant Fibre Channel Forwarder (FCF) X
Native FCoE forwarding X
FCoE to Fibre Channel Bridging X
FCoE on Brocade VDX 6940 X
FCoE on QSFP+ port X
Multi-hop Access Gateway Support X
End-to-end FCoE (initiator to target) X
FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) v1 support for FCoE device login and initialization X
Name Server-based zoning X
Supports connectivity to FIP Snooping Bridge (FSB) device X
FCoE trac over standard LAG X
Brocade Network OS Software Capabilities (continued)

14
VCS Fabrics IP Fabrics
Fibre Channel/FCoE
(continued)
Interface Binding X
Dual Personality Ports X
Logical SANs X
High availability ISSU L2 and L3 X X
BFD X X
OSPF3-NSR X X
BGP4-GR X X
Quality of Service
(QoS)
ACL-based QoS X X
Eight priority levels for QoS X X
Class of Service (CoS) IEEE 802.1p X X
DSCP Trust X X
DSCP to Trac Class Mutation X X
DSCP to CoS Mutation X X
DSCP to DSCP Mutation X X
Random Early Discard X X
Per-port QoS conguration X X
ACL-based Rate Limit X X
Dual-rate, three-color token bucket X X
ACL-based remarking of CoS/DSCP/Precedence X X
ACL-based sFlow X X
Scheduling: Strict Priority (SP), Decit Weighted Round-Robin (DWRR), Hybrid
Scheduling (Hybrid)
X X
Queue-based Shaping X X
Flow-based QoS X X
Management and
monitoring
Logical chassis management X
IPv4/IPv6 management X X
Industry-standard Command Line Interface (CLI) X X
Netconf API X X
REST API with YANG data model X X
Brocade VDX Plugin for OpenStack X X
Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) IEEE 802.1AB X X
MIB II RFC 1213 MIB X X
Switch Beaconing X X
Management VRF X X
Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN) X X
Brocade Network OS Software Capabilities (continued)

15
VCS Fabrics IP Fabrics
Management and
monitoring
(continued)
Telnet X X
SNMP v1, v2C, v3 X X
sFlow RFC 3176 X X
Out-of-band management X X
Remote SPAN (RSPAN) X X
RMON-1, RMON-2 X X
NTP X X
Management Access Control Lists (ACLs) X X
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) X X
Range CLI support X X
UDLD X X
OpenStack Neutron ML2 plugin X X
Python X X
Puppet X X
Distributed Conguration Management X
Maps switch health monitoring X
Security Port-based Network Access Control 802.1X X X
RADIUS (AAA) X X
TACACS+ X X
Secure Shell (SSHv2) X X
BPDU Drop X X
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) X X
Secure Copy Protocol X X
Port Security X X
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Software License Ordering Information
Software SKU Description
BR-VDX6940-FCOE FCoE software license for Brocade VDX 6940
BR-VDX6940-144S-16-10GPOD 16×10 GbE Ports on Demand (PoD) license for Brocade VDX 6940-144S
BR-VDX6940-144S-6X40G-POD 6×40 GbE or 2×100 GbE Ports on Demand (PoD) license for Brocade VDX 6940-144S
BR-VDX6940-36Q-12X40G-POD 12×40 GbE Ports on Demand (PoD) license for Brocade VDX 6940-36Q
Brocade Network OS Software Capabilities (continued)

Corporate Headquarters
San Jose, CA USA
T: [phone]
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European Headquarters
Geneva, Switzerland
T: [phone]
[e-mail]
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T: [phone]
apac-inf[email protected]om
© 2016 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 07/16 GA-DS-1902-08
Brocade, Brocade Assurance, the B-wing symbol, ClearLink, DCX, Fabric OS, HyperEdge, ICX, MLX, MyBrocade, OpenScript,
VCS, VDX, Vplane, and Vyatta are registered trademarks, and Fabric Vision is a trademark of Brocade Communications Systems,
Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. Other brands, products, or service names mentioned may be trademarks
of others.
Notice: This document is for informational purposes only and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning any
equipment, equipment feature, or service oered or to be oered by Brocade. Brocade reserves the right to make changes to this
document at any time, without notice, and assumes no responsibility for its use. This informational document describes features
that may not be currently available. Contact a Brocade sales oce for information on feature and product availability. Export of
technical data contained in this document may require an export license from the United States government.
Brocade VDX 6940-36Q and 6940-144S Hardware Ordering Information
See the Brocade VDX Transceiver Support Matrix for optics and cable ordering details.
Harware SKU Description
BR-VDX6940-36Q-AC-F Brocade VDX 6940-36Q base system with 36 40 GbE QSFP+ ports, AC power supply, non-port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-36Q-AC-R Brocade VDX 6940-36Q base system with 36 40 GbE QSFP+ ports, AC power supply, port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-24Q-DC-F Brocade VDX 6940-36Q base system with 24 40 GbE QSFP+ ports, DC power supply, non-port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-24Q-DC-R Brocade VDX 6940-36Q base system with 24 40 GbE QSFP+ ports, DC power supply, port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-24Q-AC-F Brocade VDX 6940-36Q base system with 24 40 GbE QSFP+ ports, AC power supply, non-port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-24Q-AC-R Brocade VDX 6940-36Q base system with 24 40 GbE QSFP+ ports, AC power supply, port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-64S-AC-R Brocade VDX 6940-144S base system with 64 10 GbE SFP+ ports, AC power supply, port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-64S-AC-F Brocade VDX 6940-144S base system with 64 10 GbE SFP+ ports, AC power supply, non-port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-96S-AC-R Brocade VDX 6940-144S base system with 96 10 GbE SFP+ ports, AC power supply, port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-96S-AC-F Brocade VDX 6940-144S base system with 96 10 GbE SFP+ ports, AC power supply, non-port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-144S-AC-R Brocade VDX 6940-144S base system with 96 10 GbE SFP+ ports and up to 12 40 GbE QSFP+ ports or up
to 4 100 GbE QSFP28 ports, AC power supply, port-side exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-144S-AC-F Brocade VDX 6940-144S base system with 96 10 GbE SFP+ ports and up to 12 40 GbE QSFP+ ports or up
to 4 100 GbE QSFP28 ports, AC power supply, non-port-side exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-64S-DC-F Brocade VDX 6940-144S base system with 64 10 GbE SFP+ ports, DC power supply, non-port-side
exhaust airow
BR-VDX6940-64S-DC-R Brocade VDX 6940-144S base system with 64 10 GbE SFP+ ports, DC power supply, port-side
exhaust airow