Why Migrate to Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches?

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Stackable, Layer 2 and 3, 980 Gbps, Multigigabit, Up to 24 40G and 48 10G ports, DNA and SD-Access, these are the bright features of the new Catalyst 9500 switches.

  • Stackable, Layer 2 and 3, 980 Gbps
  • Multigigabit technology
  • PoE, PoE+, Cisco StackPower, UPOE
  • Up to 24 40G and 48 10G ports
  • Designed for DNA and SD-Access
  1. The Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches are the next generation of enterprise-class core and aggregation layer switches, supporting full programmability and serviceability.
  2. Based on an x86 CPU, the Catalyst 9500 Series is Cisco’s lead purpose-built fixed core and aggregation enterprise switching platform, built for security, IoT, and cloud.
  3. The switches come with a 4-core, 2.4-GHz CPU, 16-GB DDR4 memory, and 16-GB internal storage.
  4. The Catalyst 9500 Series is the industry’s first purpose-built 40 Gigabit Ethernet line of switches targeted for the enterprise campus.
Benefits of Migrating to Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches
Learn More: Why Migrate to Cisco Catalyst 9300 Switches?
                      Why Migrate to the Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series Switches?
Mapping Between Cisco Catalyst 4500X and 9500
4500X PIDs
9500 PID
Short description
WS-C4500X- 16SFP+ C9500-12Q Catalyst 9500 12-port 40GE QSFP switch
C9500-40X Catalyst 9500 40+ port 10GE SFP+ Switch
WS-C4500X- 32SFP+ C9500-40X Catalyst 9500 40+ port 10GE SFP+ Switch
C9500-48X Catalyst 9500 convenience bundle – 40P x 10G + 8P x 10G
C9500- 40X-2Q Catalyst 9500 convenience bundle – 40P x 10G + 2P x 40G
C9500-24Q Catalyst 9500 24-port 40GE QSFP switch
C9500-12Q Catalyst 9500 12-port 40GE QSFP switch
WS-C4500X- 40X-ES C9500-40X Catalyst 9500 40+ port 10GE SFP+ Switch
C9500-48X Catalyst 9500 convenience bundle – 40P x 10G + 8P x 10G
C9500- 40X-2Q Catalyst 9500 convenience bundle – 40P x 10G + 2P x 40G
C9500-24Q Catalyst 9500 24-port 40GE QSFP switch
C9500-12Q Catalyst 9500 12-port 40GE QSFP switch
FAQ: Cisco Catalyst 9500

Q: What are the SKUs in the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series?

A: The Cisco Catalyst 9500 has three SKUs:

  • 24 ports x 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP
  • 12 ports x 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP
  • 40 ports x10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ option with 8x 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ and 2x 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP uplinks

Q: Are the uplink modules of the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches the same as those for the Cisco Catalyst 3850 uplink modules?

A: No, uplink modules of the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches have different SKUs from those of the 3850.

Q: How many Rack Unit (RUs) do the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches have?

A: The Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches are 1RU switches; 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP SKUs are completely fixed and the 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ SKU has two uplink options.

Q: Do the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches come with built-in RFID?

A: Yes, they come with a built-in passive RFID tag.

Q: What management ports are available on the Cisco Catalyst 9500?

A: The Catalyst 9500 comes with a mini-B type USB console port and a 10, 100, or 1000 Ethernet (RJ-45) dedicated management port on the front panel of the switch. The Ethernet port is in a separate VRF instance called “Mgmt-vrf” in order to segment the management traffic from the global routing table of the switch.

Q: Can I use both console ports simultaneously on the Cisco Catalyst 9500?

A: No. The RJ-45 port is default and the console switches to USB when USB cable is connected.

Q: Do Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series switches support Trivial File Transport Protocol (TFTP) to boot the software image?

A: Yes, you can use TFTP to boot the application image over the network with the following parameters set up:

  • MAC_ADDR: The switch default MAC address
  • IP_ADDR: The IP address or netmask of the switch
  • DEFAULT_ROUTER: The IP address of the default router in the local network

Example:

  • Switch: set DEFAULT_ROUTER 10.4.2.1
  • Switch: set IP_ADDR 10.4.2.140/255.255.255.0
  • Switch: boot tftp://< tftp server ip addr>/<filename>

Q: Do the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches support OIR?

A: Yes, the 5 fans and the 2 power supply units support OIR. Also, uplink modules on the 10 Gigabit Ethernet SKU support OIR.

Q: How many fans can fail on the Cisco Catalyst 9500 without interrupting the system?

A: One. The Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches are designed to support a single fan failure. We always recommended that you replace fans as soon as possible when they fail.

Q: Do the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches support 802.1ae?

A: The Catalyst 9500 switches are hardware-capable for 802.1ae on all ports on the switch.

Q: What type of airflow do the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches support?

A: The airflow on the Catalyst 9500 is “front-to-back” airflow.

Q: What pluggable transceiver modules do the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches support?

A: Refer to the Cisco Transceiver Module Compatibility Matrixes for a complete list: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/interfacesmodules/transceiver-modules/products-device-support-tables-list.html

Q: Can the Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series Switches support redundant power supplies?

A: Yes, the Catalyst 9500 switches come with 2 950-watt AC power supplies.

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