Cisco Nexus 9500 Series Switches

The Cisco Nexus 9500 Series Switches are modular data center switches designed for high-performance, scalable, and programmable networking. They support spine-leaf fabric architectures, core/aggregation roles, and end-of-row access layer deployments. These switches operate in either Cisco ACI (Application Centric Infrastructure) mode or Cisco NX-OS mode, offering flexibility for various deployment scenarios.

 

Key Features:

1. High Performance:

- Delivers non-blocking performance with latency of 5 microseconds or less at speeds of 400G, 100G, 50G, 40G, 25G, 10G, and 1G.
- Supports up to:
- 256 400-Gigabit Ethernet ports
- 524 200-Gigabit Ethernet ports
- 1024 100-Gigabit Ethernet ports
- 2048 50-Gigabit Ethernet ports
- 1024 40-Gigabit Ethernet ports
- 2304 25-Gigabit Ethernet ports
- 2304 1/10-Gigabit Ethernet ports

 

2. Telemetry:

- Provides extensive real-time visibility into switch and fabric states.

 

3. High-Density Access:

- Supports multispeed ports (1G, 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G, 100G, 400G) on the same chassis, enabling organizations to transition from low-speed to high-speed server access designs.

 

4. High Availability:

- Includes redundant supervisors, system controllers, power supplies, and fan trays to eliminate single points of failure.
- Supports up to 6 fabric modules for redundancy and graceful degradation.

 

5. Future-Ready Design:

- Designed for future expansion with support for higher-speed ports and increased bandwidth.

 

6. Power Efficiency:

- Revolutionary design without a midplane ensures optimal front-to-back airflow and reduced power consumption.
- Typical power consumption per port:
- 10G: <3.5W
- 40G: <14W
- 100G: <22W
- Power supplies rated at 80PLUS Platinum or equivalent efficiency.

 

 

Deployment Scenarios:

1. Spine Nodes in Spine-Leaf Fabric:

- Ideal for use as spines in spine-leaf architectures, supporting both Cisco ACI and Cisco NX-OS modes.

 

2. Core or Aggregation Node:

- Suitable for L2/L3 networks with smart buffers, deep buffers, large tables, and high-density, high-speed Ethernet interfaces.

 

3. Border Gateway:

- Can function as a border gateway in L2/L3 networks.

 

4. End-of-Row Access Layer Switch:

- Provides access connections to blade or rack servers with high-density, multispeed Ethernet ports.

 

Components:

1. Switch Chassis:

- Available in 4-slot (N9K-C9504), 8-slot (N9K-C9508), and 16-slot (N9K-C9516) configurations.
- Specifications vary by model, including dimensions, weight, MTBF, and power requirements.

 

2. Supervisor Modules:

- Redundant supervisors manage all switch operations using an active-standby model.
- Models include N9K-SUP-A, N9K-SUP-A+, N9K-SUP-B, and N9K-SUP-B+ with varying processor cores, threads, DRAM, and SSD capacities.

 

3. System Controller:

- Offloads chassis management functions from supervisors.
- Manages power supplies, fan trays, and provides an Out-of-Band Channel (EOBC).

 

4. Fabric Modules:

- Up to 6 fabric modules can be installed, depending on the chassis size.
- Various types include cloud-scale, R-Series (deep buffer), and classic line cards.

 

5. Fan Trays:

- Hot-swappable and compatible with specific fabric modules.
- Ensures proper airflow and cooling across the chassis.

 

6. Power Supplies:

- Supports hot-swappable AC, DC, and universal high-voltage AC/DC power supplies.
- The 3150W high-voltage AC/DC power supply offers two inputs for flexible redundancy options.

 

Software Modes:

1. Cisco ACI Mode:

- Fully automated, policy-based architecture for rapid application deployment and workload mobility.
- Integrated with Cisco Nexus 9300 Series leaf switches.

 

2. Cisco NX-OS Mode:

- Supports foundational routing and switching technologies along with modern protocols like VXLAN with BGP-EVPN, Segment Routing, MPLS, and open APIs.
- Managed via Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM).

 

Warranty and Sustainability:

- Warranty: 1-year limited hardware warranty with hardware replacement within 10 days upon receipt of RMA.
- Environmental Sustainability: Compliant with RoHS-6 standards and part of Cisco's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

 

Services and Support:

- Cisco Services: Offers expert guidance for planning, deploying, managing, and supporting the switches.
- Cisco SMARTnet: Provides mission-critical problem resolution with direct access to Cisco network experts.
- Cisco Capital: Flexible payment solutions for acquiring hardware, software, and services.

Classification:

- Category: Networking Hardware / Data Center Switches
- Type: Product Datasheet
- Focus: Cisco Nexus 9500 Series Modular Switches