Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Common Equipment

Product Overview

Changing application environments are placing new demands on IT infrastructure. With application workloads deployed across a mix of virtualized and non-virtualized server and storage infrastructure, the network must provide constant connectivity, security, and visibility across bare-metal, virtualized, and cloud computing environments. Key aspects include:

The Cisco Nexus® 9000 Series Switches, featuring Cloudscale Technology, offer modular and fixed-port switches designed to be flexible, agile, and programmable. The Cisco Nexus 9500 platform, part of the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, provides three modular options: the Cisco Nexus 9504 Switch (4 slots), the Cisco Nexus 9508 Switch (8 slots), and the Cisco Nexus 9516 Switch (16 slots). These switches utilize the same supervisor, system controller, power supplies, and line cards. The platform offers Layer 2 and 3 nonblocking Ethernet switches with backplane bandwidth up to 115.2 Terabits per second (Tbps). The Cisco Nexus 9504, 9508, and 9516 Switches support 1, 10, 25, 40, 50, and 100 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces through a selection of modular line cards. They can be configured with up to 2304 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 2048 x 25 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 576 x 40 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 1024 x 50 Gigabit Ethernet ports, or 512 x 100 Gigabit Ethernet ports, providing capacity for access- and aggregation-layer deployments.

Note: The Cisco N9K-X9636PQ line card is not supported in 16-slot chassis.

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches Overview

The Cisco Nexus 9000 Series offers two operating modes: standard Cisco Nexus switch environments (NX-OS mode) and Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (Cisco ACI™) mode for automated, policy-based systems management. This data sheet focuses on standard Cisco Nexus 9500 platform deployment scenarios using NX-OS mode.

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Features and Benefits

The Cisco Nexus 9500 platform is a modular chassis supporting up to 16 line cards, 2 supervisor modules, 2 chassis controllers, 3 fan trays, 6 fabric modules, and 10 power supplies. It provides comprehensive Layer 2 and 3 functions on nonblocking 1, 10, 25, 40, 50, and 100 Gigabit Ethernet ports.

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Features and Benefits
Capability Benefit
Predictable high performance The backplane delivers up to 172.8 Tbps of nonblocking performance with latency of less than 5 microseconds, enabling robust network fabrics that can scale from 200 x 10/25 Gigabit Ethernet server ports to over 200,000 x 10/25 Gigabit Ethernet server ports.
High-density 1, 10, 25, 40 and 50 Gigabit Ethernet access configuration Facilitates transition from older 100 Megabit Ethernet and 1 Gigabit Ethernet server access designs (e.g., Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series Switches) to 1, 10, 25, 40, and 50 Gigabit Ethernet server access designs with similar port density.
High-density 10, 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet aggregation and spine configuration Supports transition from 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet infrastructure to 10, 40, and 100 Gigabit Ethernet infrastructure for scale-out, multinode application environments. 100 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP28 module compatibility with 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ enables migration and co-existence of multispeed aggregation to access layer connectivity.
Highly available, scalable, and robust solution Features redundant major components (supervisors, system controllers, power supplies, fan trays). Integrated buffer memory in forwarding ASICs avoids external memory modules. Pluggable transceivers support high Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF).
Chassis designed for 2 to 3 future generations of line cards Offers flexible and efficient chassis design for future expansion, supporting increased bandwidth, cooling, and double the number of power supplies for maximum configurations.
Power efficiency The chassis design allows direct connection of line cards and fabric modules, optimizing airflow and reducing power consumption. All Cisco Nexus 9000 Series power supplies are 80 Plus Platinum rated. Typical power consumption is less than 3.5W per 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, less than 14W per 40 Gigabit Ethernet port, and less than 22W per 100 Gigabit Ethernet port.

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Components

The Cisco Nexus 9500 platform is built using the components illustrated in Figure 2:

Figure 2. Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Components

[Diagram of Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Modular Switch showing components like Line Cards, Supervisor Modules, Power Supply, System Controller, Fabric Modules, and Fan Tray]

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Chassis

Customers can choose from 4-, 8-, or 16-slot chassis options:

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform for Cisco ACI Deployment
Chassis Type Specifications
N9K-C9504: 4-Slot Chassis
  • Up to 4 line cards
  • Up to 4 power supplies
  • Up to 6 fabric modules
  • Up to 2 system controllers
  • Up to 2 supervisors
  • Up to 3 fan trays
N9K-C9508: 8-Slot Chassis
  • Up to 8 line cards
  • Up to 8 power supplies
  • Up to 6 fabric modules
  • Up to 2 system controllers
  • Up to 2 supervisors
  • Up to 3 fan trays
N9K-C9516: 16-Slot Chassis
  • Up to 16 line cards
  • Up to 10 power supplies
  • Up to 6 fabric modules
  • Up to 2 system controllers
  • Up to 2 supervisors
  • Up to 3 fan trays

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Supervisor Module

A pair of redundant supervisor modules manages switch operations using a state-synchronized active-standby model. Supervisors support external clock synchronization and management via multiple ports, including USB, serial console, and a 10/100/1000-Mbps network port. Two supervisor options are available:

Supervisor B+ offers enhanced performance with additional computing and storage. Redundant supervisors must be of the same type within a chassis.

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform System Controller

Redundant system controllers offload chassis management functions from supervisors. They manage power supplies and fan trays and serve as a central point for the Gigabit Ethernet Out-of-Band Channel (EOBC) communication.

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Power Supply

The Cisco Nexus 9500 platform supports hot-swappable, front-panel-accessible AC, DC, and universal AC/DC power supplies. N+1 and N+N redundancy modes are supported. The 3000W power supplies are 80 Plus Platinum rated, offering over 90% efficiency.

Three power supply options are available:

Key Benefits of Power Supplies

Specific power supply models include:

Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Fan Trays

Three hot-swappable fan trays provide front-to-back cooling. Each fan tray supports two fabric modules and can be removed for access.

Deployment Scenarios

The Cisco Nexus 9500 platform is a versatile data center switching platform that can function as:

End-of-Row Access-Layer Switch

Configured as EoR access-layer switches, Cisco Nexus 9500 platform switches can connect to servers via 100 Megabit Ethernet, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections. This includes:

The platform offers an upgrade path from Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series, bringing NX-OS features to existing EoR configurations. Support for 100 Megabit Ethernet, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet copper connectivity allows a gradual transition to higher speeds.

Figure 3. Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Switches as EoR Access-Layer Switches

[Diagram illustrating Cisco Nexus 9500 Switches in an EoR configuration connecting to various servers and fabric extenders via 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 40 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks.]

For example, with eight 48-port 1 and 10GBASE-T line cards, a Cisco Nexus 9508 can support up to 384 servers, with 32 x 40 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks for server access or uplinks to the aggregation tier. The platform can also connect to 10 and 40 Gigabit Ethernet-equipped fabric extenders, Cisco Nexus B22 Blade Fabric Extenders, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet-equipped servers and systems like Cisco UCS.

Aggregation-Layer Switch

The Cisco Nexus 9500 platform switches can serve as aggregation-layer switches in traditional hierarchical architectures (Figure 4). Support for multiple speeds (1, 10, 25, 40, 50, and 100 Gigabit Ethernet) provides flexibility for new infrastructure or as replacements for existing switches with enhanced bandwidth and functions.

Figure 4. Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform as Aggregation-Layer Switches

[Diagram showing Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform in the Aggregation Layer connecting to Cisco Nexus 7000 Series in the Core Layer and Cisco Nexus 9300 Platform in the Access Layer.]

Leaf-and-Spine Architecture

The Cisco Nexus 9500 platform switches can function as leaf or spine nodes in network architectures (Figure 5). With Layer 3 capabilities, they can be used with Equal-Cost Multipath (ECMP) routing to accelerate traffic flow and reduce reconvergence time. Redundancy in a leaf-and-spine architecture enhances availability and workload placement flexibility.

For leaf-and-spine deployments in NX-OS mode, the Cisco Nexus 9500, 9300, or 9200 platform can be used for spine or leaf roles. In ACI mode, the Cisco Nexus 9500 or 9300 platform can be used for spine switches, and the Cisco Nexus 9300 platform for leaf switches. Refer to the Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform Switches for Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure data sheet for more ACI information.

Figure 5. Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform in a Leaf-and-Spine Architecture

[Diagram illustrating Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform as Spine switches connecting to Cisco Nexus 9300 Platform as Leaf switches.]

Cisco NX-OS Software Overview

Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches operate in two modes:

NX-OS is a purpose-built operating system for data centers, designed for performance, resiliency, scalability, manageability, and programmability. It offers a robust feature set for virtualization and automation requirements.

The Cisco Nexus 9000 Series uses an enhanced NX-OS with a single binary image for all switches in the series, simplifying image management. The operating system is modular, with dedicated processes for routing protocols to isolate faults and increase availability. Processes can be restarted without loss of state, and the system supports patching and online diagnostics. Stateful switchover ensures continuous availability during supervisor module failures.

Key features include:

For a complete list of supported features, refer to the Cisco Feature Navigator.

Software Requirements

The Cisco Nexus 9000 Series runs NX-OS on a 64-bit Linux kernel with a single binary image supporting both modular (Cisco Nexus 9500 platform) and fixed-port (Cisco Nexus 9300 platform) switches. The image integrates the Linux kernel and NX-OS, allowing boot-up via a standard Linux kickstart process.

Power Supply

Tables 3, 4, 5, and 6 list the properties of the Cisco Nexus 9500 platform power supplies.

Table 3. N9K-PAC-3000W-B Standard AC Power-Supply Properties
AC Power-Supply Properties Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform
Power 3000W
Input voltage 200 to 240V AC
Frequency 50 to 60 Hz
Efficiency 90% or greater (20 to 100% load)
RoHS compliance Yes
Hot swappable Yes
Port side intake airflow power supply Yes
Table 4. N9K-PDC-3000W-B DC Power-Supply Properties
DC Power-Supply Properties Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform
Power 3000W
Input voltage -48 to -60V DC (nominal)
-40 to -72V DC (min - max)
Frequency -
Efficiency 90% or greater (20 to 100% load)
RoHS compliance Yes
Hot swappable Yes
Port side intake airflow power supply Yes
Table 5. N9K-PUV-3000W-B Universal High-Voltage AC/DC Power-Supply Properties
AC/DC Power-Supply Properties Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform
Power 3000W
Input voltage 200 to 277V AC or
240 to 380V DC (nominal)
192 to 400V DC (min – max)
Frequency 47 to 63 Hz
Efficiency 90% or greater (20 to 100% load)
RoHS compliance Yes
Hot swappable Yes
Port side intake airflow power supply Yes
Table 6. N9K-PUV2-3000W-B Universal High-Voltage AC/DC Power-Supply Properties
AC/DC Power-Supply Properties Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform
Power 3150W
Input voltage 200 to 277V AC or
240 to 380V DC (nominal)
192 to 400V DC (min – max)
Frequency 47 to 63 Hz
Efficiency 90% or greater (20 to 100% load)
RoHS compliance Yes
Hot swappable Yes
Port side intake airflow power supply Yes

Environment

Table 7 lists the environmental properties of the Cisco Nexus 9500 platform.

Table 7. Environmental Properties
Property Cisco Nexus 9500 Platform
Physical (H x W x D)
  • Cisco Nexus 9504: 12.25 x 17.50 x 33.15 in. (31.1 x 44.50 x 84.20 cm)
  • Cisco Nexus 9508: 22.70 x 17.50 x 31.76 in. (57.78 x 44.50 x 80.67 cm)
  • Cisco Nexus 9516: 36.70 x 17.50 x 31.76 in. (93.41 x 44.50 x 80.67 cm)
Operating temperature 32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C)
Nonoperating (storage) temperature -40 to 158°F (-40 to 70°C)
Humidity 5 to 95% (noncondensing)
Altitude 0 to 13,123 ft (0 to 4000m)

Weight and Typical Power

Table 8 lists the weight and typical power consumption of the Cisco Nexus 9500 platform.

Table 8. Weight and Power Consumption
Component Weight Typical Power Maximum Power
Chassis
  • Cisco Nexus 9504 chassis: 84 lb (38.2 kg)
  • Cisco Nexus 9508 chassis: 150 lb (68.2 kg)
  • Cisco Nexus 9516 chassis: 192 lb (87.3 kg)
- -
Power supply
  • N9K-PAC-3000W-B: 6.2 lb (2.8 kg)
  • N9K-PDC-3000W-B: 6.4 lb (2.9 kg)
  • N9K-PUV-3000W-B: 5.9 lb (2.7 kg)
  • N9K-PUV2-3000W-B: 9.9 lb (4.5 kg)
- -
Fan tray (3 maximum)
  • Cisco Nexus 9504: 6.38 lb (2.9 kg)
  • Cisco Nexus 9508: 8.25 lb (3.7 kg)
  • Cisco Nexus 9516: 10.10 lb (4.6 kg)
  • Cisco Nexus 9504: 95W
  • Cisco Nexus 9508: 176W
  • Cisco Nexus 9516: 330W
  • Cisco Nexus 9504: 129W
  • Cisco Nexus 9508: 250W
  • Cisco Nexus 9516: 600W
Supervisor (2 maximum)
  • SUP-A+: 5.2 lb (2.37 kg)
  • SUP-B+: 5.3 lb (2.39 kg)
  • SUP-A: 4.84 lb (2.2 kg)
  • SUP-B: 6.00 lb (2.72 kg)
  • SUP-A+: 69W
  • SUP-B+: 75W
  • SUP-A: 69W
  • SUP-B: 75W
  • SUP-A+: 80W
  • SUP-B+: 80W
  • SUP-A: 80W
  • SUP-B: 90W
System controller (2 maximum) 1.91 lb (0.9 kg) 14W 25W

Mean Time Between Failure

Table 9 lists the MTBF information for the Cisco Nexus 9500 platform.

Table 9. MTBF Information
Component MTBF (Hours)
Chassis
  • Cisco Nexus 9504: 1,038,080
  • Cisco Nexus 9508: 928,910
  • Cisco Nexus 9516: 680,000
Power Supply
  • N9K-PAC-3000W-B: 287,097
  • N9K-PDC-3000W-B: 406,994
  • N9K-PUV-3000W-B: 324,000
  • N9K-PUV2-3000W-B: 585,396
Fan Tray (3 Maximum)
  • Cisco Nexus 9504: 8,900,530
  • Cisco Nexus 9508: 2,702,700
  • Cisco Nexus 9516: 1,822,650
Supervisor (2 Maximum)
  • Supervisor-A+: 414,240
  • Supervisor-B+: 421,040
  • Supervisor-A: 312,070
  • Supervisor-B: 292,110
System Controller (2 Maximum) 1,108,240

Regulatory Standards Compliance

Table 10 summarizes regulatory standards compliance for the Cisco Nexus 9500 platform.

Table 10. Regulatory Standards Compliance: Safety and EMC
Specification Description
Regulatory compliance Products should comply with CE Markings according to directives 2004/108/EC and 2006/95/EC.
Safety
  • UL 60950-1 Second Edition
  • CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1 Second Edition
  • EN 60950-1 Second Edition
  • IEC 60950-1 Second Edition
  • AS/NZS 60950-1
  • GB4943
EMC: Emissions
  • 47CFR Part 15 (CFR 47) Class A
  • AS/NZS CISPR22 Class A
  • CISPR22 Class A
  • EN55022 Class A
  • ICES003 Class A
  • VCCI Class A
  • EN61000-3-2
  • EN61000-3-3
  • KN22 Class A
  • CNS13438 Class A
EMC: Immunity
  • EN55024
  • CISPR24
  • EN300386
  • KN 61000-4 series
RoHS The product is RoHS-6 compliant with exceptions for leaded-ball grid-array (BGA) balls and lead press-fit connectors.

Ordering Information

Table 11 provides ordering information for the Cisco Nexus 9500 platform.

Table 11. Ordering Information
Part Number Product Description
Hardware
N9K-C9504-B3-E Nexus 9504 Chassis Bundle with 1 Sup, 3 AC PS, 2 SC, 3 Fan Trays, 4 E-Series 100G Cloudscale Fabric Modules
N9K-C9508-B3-E Nexus 9508 Chassis Bundle with 1 Sup, 3 AC PS, 2 SC, 3 Fan Trays, 4 E-Series 100G Cloudscale Fabric Modules
N9K-C9516-B3-E Nexus 9516 Chassis Bundle with 1 Sup, 3 AC PS, 2 SC, 3 Fan Trays, 4 E-Series 100G Cloudscale Fabric Modules
N9K-C9504 Nexus 9504 Chassis with 4 linecard slots
N9K-C9508 Nexus 9508 Chassis with 8 linecard slots
N9K-C9516 Nexus 9516 Chassis with 16 linecard slots
N9K-SUP-A+ Nexus 9500 4-Core/8-Thread Supervisor
N9K-SUP-B+ Nexus 9500 6-Core/12-Thread Supervisor
N9K-SUP-A Nexus 9500 4-Core/4-Thread Supervisor
N9K-SUP-B Nexus 9500 6-Core/12-Thread Supervisor
N9K-SC-A Nexus 9500 System Controller
N9K-PAC-3000W-B Nexus 9500 3000W 200V to 240V AC PS, Port Side Intake
N9K-PDC-3000W-B Nexus 9500 3000W -48V-60V DC PS, Port Side Intake
N9K-PUV-3000W-B Nexus 9500 3000W 200V to 277V AC or 240V to 380V DC Universal high voltage AC/DC PS, Port Side Intake
N9K-PUV2-3000W-B Nexus 9500 3150W Universal PS, Dual Input, Port-side Intake
N9K-C9504-FAN Fan Tray for Nexus 9504 chassis
N9K-C9508-FAN Fan Tray for Nexus 9508 chassis
N9K-C9516-FAN Fan Tray for Nexus 9516 chassis
Software
NXOS-AD-M8-16 NX-OS Advantage License for Modular Platforms Slot 8-16
NXOS-ES-M8-16 NX-OS Essentials License for Modular Platforms Slot 8-16
NXOS-AD-M4 NX-OS Essentials License for Modular Platform Slot 4
NXOS-ES-M4 NX-OS Essentials License for Modular Platform Slot 4
NXOS-SEC-XM Security License for Modular Platforms
NXOS-STRG-M NX-OS Storage SW License for Modular Platforms
Accessories
N9K-C9500-RMK= Nexus 9500 Rack Mount Kit for Nexus 9508 and Nexus 9516 chassis
N9K-C9504-RMK= Nexus 9500 Rack Mount Kit for Nexus 9504
N9K-C9500-ACK= Nexus 9500 Accessory Kit

Warranty

The Cisco Nexus 9500 platform includes a 1-year limited hardware warranty, covering hardware replacement with a 10-day turnaround from receipt of a Return Materials Authorization (RMA).

Service and Support

Cisco offers a range of services to accelerate deployment and optimization of the Cisco Nexus 9500 platform in data centers. Cisco Advanced Services provide an architecture-led approach to align data center infrastructure with business goals. Cisco SMARTnet® Service offers direct access to Cisco network experts and resources, including the Cisco Smart Call Home service for proactive diagnostics and real-time alerts.

Cisco Services offerings help increase investment protection, optimize network operations, support migration, and enhance IT expertise across the network lifecycle.

Cisco Capital Financing to Help You Achieve Your Objectives

Cisco Capital® financing assists in acquiring necessary technology to achieve objectives and maintain competitiveness. It aids in reducing Capital Expenditures (CapEx), accelerating growth, and optimizing investment dollars and ROI. Cisco Capital financing provides flexibility in acquiring hardware, software, services, and complementary third-party equipment with predictable payments. Financing is available in over 100 countries. Learn more.

For More Information

For more information about the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, please visit https://www.cisco.com/go/nexus9000.

PDF preview unavailable. Download the PDF instead.

cisco-nexus-9500-platform-common-equipment-datasheet Microsoft Word 2010 䵩捲潳潦璮⁗潲搠㈰㄰㬠浯摩晩敤⁵獩湧⁩呥硴′⸱⸷⁢礠ㅔ㍘

Related Documents

Preview Cisco Nexus 9504 スイッチ (NX-OS モード) ハードウェア設置ガイド
Cisco Nexus 9504 スイッチ (NX-OS モード) のハードウェア設置ガイド。設置場所の準備、環境要件、モジュール交換、電源、冷却、LEDインジケータなどの詳細情報を提供します。
Preview Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Quality of Service Configuration Guide, Release 7.x
A comprehensive guide for configuring Quality of Service (QoS) features on Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches running NX-OS. Learn about classification, marking, policing, queuing, and scheduling to optimize network traffic.
Preview Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Release Notes 10.4(3)F
This document provides release notes for Cisco NX-OS software Release 10.4(3)F for the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches, detailing new features, enhancements, and resolved issues.
Preview Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Release Notes, Release 10.4(2)F
This document provides details on new features, issues, and exceptions for Cisco NX-OS Release 10.4(2)F software used with Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches. It covers hardware compatibility, new and enhanced software features, and resolved and open issues.
Preview Cisco Nexus 9000 Packet Tracer Tool Explained
A guide to using the Packet Tracer utility on Cisco Nexus 9000 series switches for tracing packet paths and diagnosing network issues.
Preview Cisco NX-OS ソフトウェア機能のライセンス ガイド
Cisco NX-OSソフトウェア機能のライセンスに関する包括的なガイド。Cisco Nexusスイッチでの永続ライセンス、サブスクリプション、階層型パッケージ(Essentials、Advantage、Premier)の導入と管理について、各プラットフォーム別に詳しく解説します。
Preview Cisco ACI Fabric Endpoint Learning: A Comprehensive Guide
Explore the intricacies of Cisco ACI fabric endpoint learning, covering behavior, deployment, and optimization options for efficient network management and traffic flow.
Preview Cisco NX-OS Release Notes, Release 10.4(1)F for Nexus 9000 Series
This document provides release notes for Cisco NX-OS version 10.4(1)F, detailing new and enhanced software features, hardware support, known issues, and resolved issues for the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches.