The Cisco Nexus 9000 series switches include both modular (Nexus 9500 switches) and fixed-port switches (Nexus 9300 switches). The Cisco Nexus 9000 switches are the next generation of data center switching infrastructure by providing two modes of operation: Cisco NX-OS mode and ACI mode.
In Cisco NX-OS Software mode, the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series addresses the new challenges of current infrastructure designs, while building on first-generation software-defined networking (SDN) solutions and providing a path to Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI). In Cisco ACI mode, the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series provides the industry’s most advanced answer to SDN with a powerful combination of hardware and software custom developed to provide a more robust and comprehensive solution than anything else available on the market.
If you need to read more general information about the Cisco 9000 Nexus switches, you can read the article “Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches Overview”.
In this article, we will share the main hardware capabilities comparison of Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches, including Nexus 9500 modular Chassis, 40 GE modules, 10 GE Fiber modules, 10 GE Copper modules, and Nexus 9300 Fixed Chassis Comparison.
Nexus 9500 Modular Chassis
| Cisco Nexus 9504 Switch | Cisco Nexus 9508 Switch | Cisco Nexus 9516 Switch | |
| Form factor | 7 RU | 13 RU | 21 RU |
| Line card slots | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| Supervisor slots | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Fabric module slots | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| ACI support | Yes * | Yes | Yes * |
| Bandwidth per slot (Tbps) | 3.84 | 3.84 | 3.84 |
| Bandwidth per system (Tbps) | 15 | 30 | 60 |
| Maximum number of 1/10G BASE-T ports | 192 | 384 | 768 |
| Maximum number of 10 GE ports | 576 | 1152 | 2304 |
| Maximum number of 40 GE ports | 144 | 288 | 576 |
| Airflow | Front to back | Front to back | Front to back |
| Power supplies (3-kW AC) | Up to 4 | Up to 8 | Up to 10 |
| Fan trays | 3 | 3 | 3 |
40 GE Modules
| 9636PQ | 9536PQ | 9432PQ | 9736PQ | |
| Usage | 40G high-perf aggregation and FEX* | 40GE aggregation, ACI Leaf, and FEX* | 40G aggregation and FEX* | ACI spine |
| Front panel ports | 36x40GE | 36x40GE | 32x40GE | 36x40GE |
| Standalone | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| ACI leaf | No | Yes* | No | No |
| ACI spine | No | No | No | Yes |
| Chassis support | 4 and 8 slot | 4, 8 and 16 slot | 4, 8 and 16 slot | 4*, 8 and 16* |
| 40 GE ports | 36 | 36 | 32 | 36 |
| Switching performance | Nonblocking | 1.5:1 oversubscribed | Line rate >200 byte | Nonblocking |
| Buffer (MB) | 36 | 104 | 24 | 42 |
| Typical power (watts) | 260 | 360 | 240 | 197 |
| Minimum software version | 6.1(2)I1(1) | 6.1(2)I2(2a) | 6.1(2)I2(2a) | ACI-N9KDK9-11.0 |
| Orderable | Nov 2013 | Jun 2014 | Jun 2014 | Jul 2014 |
| SKUs | N9K-X9636PQ | N9K-X9536PQ | N9K-X9432PQ | N9K-X9736PQ |
10 GE Fiber Modules
| 9564PX | 9464PX | |
| Usage | 10 aggregation, ACI Leaf*, and FEX* | 10 aggregation and FEX* |
| Front panel ports | 48 x 10 GE + 4 x 40 GE | 48 x 10 GE + 4 x 40 GE |
| Standalone | Yes | Yes |
| ACI leaf | Yes* | No |
| ACI spine | No | No |
| Chassis support | 4, 8 and 16 slot | 4, 8 and 16 slot |
| 100 M/1 GE/10 GE copper ports | NA | NA |
| 10 GE fiber ports | 48 | 48 |
| 40 GE ports | 4 | 4 |
| Switching performance | Nonblocking | Line rate >200 byte |
| Buffer (MB) | 104 | 12 |
| Typical power | 300 | 160 |
| Minimum software version | 6.1(2)I2 | 6.1(2)I2(2a) |
| Orderable | Mar 2014 | Jun 2014 |
| SKU | N9K-X9564PX | N9K-X9464PX |
10 GE Copper Modules
| 9564TX | 9464TX | |
| Usage | End of row and ACI leaf* | End of row |
| Front panel ports | 48 x 10 GE + 4 x 40 GE | 48 x 10 GE + 4 x 40 GE |
| Standalone | Yes | Yes |
| ACI leaf | Yes* | No |
| ACI spine | No | No |
| Chassis support | 4, 8 and 16 slot | 4, 8 and 16 slot |
| 100 M/1 GE/10 GE copper ports | 48 | 48 |
| 40 GE ports | 4 | 4 |
| Switching performance | Nonblocking | Line rate >200 Byte |
| Buffer (MB) | 104 | 12 |
| Typical power (watts) | 450 | 320 |
| Minimum software version | 6.1(2)I2 | 6.1(2)I2(2a) |
| Orderable | Mar 2014 | Jun 2014 |
| SKU | N9K-X9564TX | N9K-X9464TX |
Nexus 9300 Fixed Switches
| Nexus 9396PX | Nexus 9396TX | Nexus 93128TX | Nexus 9336PQ | |
| Usage | ACI leaf, top of rack, FEX aggregation | ACI leaf, top of rack, end of row, FEX aggregation | ACI leaf, top of rack, end of row, FEX aggregation | ACI spine |
| Form factor | 2 RU | 2 RU | 3 RU | 2 RU |
| Throughput (Tbps) | 1.92 | 1.92 | 2.56 | 2.88 |
| 100 M/1 GE/10 GE copper ports | NA | 48 | 96 | NA |
| 10 GE fiber ports | 48 | NA | NA | NA |
| 40 GE ports | 12 | 12 | 8 | 36 |
| Latency (microseconds) | <2 | <2 | <2 | <2 |
| Buffer (MB) | 52 | 52 | 52 | 72 |
| Power supply (watts) 2 per switch | 650 | 650 | 1200 | 1200 |
| Typical power (watts) | 204 | 432 (1G), 568 (10G BASE-T) | 432 (1G), 568 (10G BASE-T) | 400 |
| Minimum software version | 6.1(2)I1(1) | 6.1(2)I1(1) | 6.1(2)I2(2a) | ACI-N9KDK9-11.0 |
| Orderable | Nov 2013 | Nov 2013 | Nov 2013 | Jul 2014 |
| SKU | N9K-C9396PX | N9K-C9396TX | N9K-C93128TX | N9K-C9336PQ |
*Future Notes: a) Detailed optics support; b) Current software support
More Cisco Nexus Switches Topics
Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches Overview
Nexus 7000 and Catalyst 6500 Comparison Guide
Cisco Nexus 3100, Ready to Support VMware NSX?
Cisco Nexus 6000 Switches: High-Density, Compact Form Factor
