CISCO-VSAN-MIB

MIB Reference — IPNetwork Monitor · Updated September 09, 2026

All MIBsCISCO-VSAN-MIB

Organization: Cisco Systems Inc.

Last Updated: 2006-02-06

Category: Fibre Channel and Storage, Vendor: Cisco Devices

Description: Manages Cisco Virtual Storage Area Networks (VSANs) for Fibre Channel fabric segmentation and isolation.

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What Is CISCO-VSAN-MIB?

CISCO-VSAN-MIB is a Cisco proprietary MIB module for managing Virtual Storage Area Networks (VSANs) on Cisco MDS and Nexus Fibre Channel storage fabric switches. It exposes configuration and operational data about VSAN segmentation, including VSAN identifiers, names, media types, MTU, load-balancing schemes, and inter-operability modes. It is explicitly useful for monitoring device status because it tracks each VSAN's administrative and operational state (up versus down) and the timestamp of the last configuration change, letting an operator detect unexpected fabric reconfigurations or isolation failures. It builds on Cisco's broader VSAN architecture and typically works alongside Fibre Channel and FSPF-related MIBs for full fabric visibility. It is deployed in enterprise and data-center SAN environments where Cisco MDS directors or Nexus switches segment shared Fibre Channel fabrics into isolated virtual fabrics, and administrators setting up SAN monitoring for the first time usually start with a CISCO-VSAN-MIB download from Cisco's software center to match the exact NX-OS/SAN-OS release in use.

IPNetwork Monitor allows you to monitor SNMP objects defined in CISCO-VSAN-MIB. Use the built-in SNMP Monitoring Browser to explore available variables, view their current values and descriptions, and select the objects you want to monitor. You can then create SNMP monitors, configure thresholds, and receive alerts when monitored values change.

Supported Devices

  • Cisco MDS 9700 Series (current) — 64-Gbps multilayer Fibre Channel directors, up to 768 line-rate ports
  • Cisco MDS 9000 32/64-Gbps Fabric Switches (current) — VSAN-capable SAN switches

Monitoring Examples

An administrator polls vsanTable/vsanEntry, keyed by vsanIndex, to read vsanName, vsanOperState, and vsanAdminState for each configured VSAN; a mismatch between admin and oper state (e.g. vsanAdminState 'active' but vsanOperState 'down') signals a fabric segmentation problem. Watching vsanLastChange alongside vsanNumber (the count of configured VSANs) reveals unauthorized or unexpected VSAN additions/removals. vsanMtu and vsanInterOperMode are checked when troubleshooting inter-switch connectivity between Cisco and third-party FC switches.

What Can Be Monitored

  • VSAN admin state
  • VSAN operational state
  • VSAN MTU
  • VSAN media type
  • VSAN load-balancing type
  • last VSAN configuration change time
Imported Objects

From CISCO-SMI

ciscoMgmtOBJECT-IDENTITY

From CISCO-ST-TC

FcNameId
VsanIndex

From CISCO-TC

CiscoMilliSeconds
ListIndex
ListIndexOrZero

From IF-MIB

InterfaceIndex
ifIndexOBJECT-TYPE

From SNMP-FRAMEWORK-MIB

SnmpAdminString

From SNMPv2-CONF

MODULE-COMPLIANCE
NOTIFICATION-GROUP
OBJECT-GROUP

From SNMPv2-SMI

Integer32
MODULE-IDENTITY
NOTIFICATION-TYPE
OBJECT-TYPE
Unsigned32

From SNMPv2-TC

RowStatus
TEXTUAL-CONVENTION
TimeStamp
TruthValue

How to Use in IPNetwork Monitor

Example using vsanNumber OID:

Select a Cisco MDS/Nexus Fibre Channel storage fabric switch as the target host to create a monitor — the SNMP service should be up and running on it. Click New Monitor, then check SNMP Custom on the Favorites tab, click Next, and confirm the host. On the next page, click Select... to open the built-in SNMP MIB Browser and type vsanNumber into the Find box to locate it in the OID tree, then select it and click OK. It reports the number of VSANs currently configured on this device. On the monitor's Main parameters page you can set the target's SNMP port (default 161), credentials, polling interval, and other settings — see the SNMP Monitor help for details. On the State conditions and Alerting tabs, configure when the monitor should change state and trigger an alert; since this is an Integer32-type OID, Value bounds is the most useful condition here — trigger an alert if the count changes from its expected baseline, since that would indicate a VSAN was added or removed unexpectedly. Click Finish to create the monitor; you can adjust any parameter later.
OIDs

FAQ

How is CISCO-VSAN-MIB used to catch unexpected Fibre Channel fabric reconfiguration?
It tracks each VSAN's administrative and operational state (up or down) along with the timestamp of its last configuration change, so an operator monitoring Cisco MDS directors or Nexus switches can spot an unexpected VSAN going down or a configuration change that wasn't scheduled, flagging a possible fabric isolation failure.

What VSAN-level details does CISCO-VSAN-MIB expose for SAN fabric management?
Beyond admin/operational state, it reports VSAN identifiers, names, media types, MTU, and load-balancing scheme, giving administrators segmenting a shared Fibre Channel fabric into isolated virtual fabrics enough detail to confirm each VSAN is configured as intended.

RFC description

Cisco vendor MIB for Virtual Storage Area Network configuration and management in Fibre Channel switches.

Start monitoring Cisco MDS/Nexus Fibre Channel storage fabric switches (VSAN) with a free 30-day trial of IPNetwork Monitor. Import MIBs, browse SNMP OIDs, create custom SNMP monitors, configure alerts, and monitor any SNMP-enabled network device from a single console.

Download CISCO-VSAN-MIB