C8550-G2 – 12x 1/10GE SFP+ – WAN MACsec All Ports – 1RU Aggregation Router
Established Global IT Distributor
With over a decade of industry experience, we are a certified Cisco Partner delivering genuine enterprise networking hardware and trusted services to system integrators, ISPs, and enterprises worldwide.
C8550-G2 Description
The C8550-G2 is the twelve-port aggregation member of the Cisco 8500 Series Secure Routers, a 1RU platform that trades port speed for table scale. Every one of its twelve WAN ports is a 1/10GE SFP+ cage with WAN MACsec supported across all of them, and Cisco lists no 40GE or 100GE ports on this model at all. What it carries instead is capacity: 8M IPv4 and IPv6 routes, 10,000 IPsec tunnels, 16M NAT sessions and 8K VRFs, backed by up to 115 Gbps of forwarding and 48 Gbps of IPsec. Power comes from a 750 W AC or 950 W DC supply, the chassis weighs 20.6 lbs, and NEBS GR-1089 and GR-63 criteria levels apply across the series.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
C8550-G2 |
|
Platform type |
1 RU fixed form factor |
|
WAN Ports |
12x 1/10GE (SFP+) |
|
WAN MACsec |
Supported in all built-in ports |
|
Power Supply |
750 W AC or 950 W DC |
|
Forwarding throughput |
Up to 115 Gbps at 512 bytes |
|
IPsec throughput |
Up to 48 Gbps at 512 bytes |
|
DRAM |
32 GB default, 64 GB option |
|
IPv4/IPv6 routes |
8M |
|
IPsec tunnels |
10,000 |
|
NEBS criteria levels |
GR-1089 and GR-63 |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 17.15.4 |
Product Performance
Key Features
Every WAN port is the same 1/10GE SFP+ type, so port assignment carries no speed constraint and any circuit can land on any cage; the mixed-speed models in this series and the 8400 line each reserve their fastest ports for specific bays.
WAN MACsec is supported in all built-in ports rather than a subset, which means an aggregation design does not have to plan which links can be encrypted and which cannot when assigning circuits.
Ten thousand IPsec tunnels is nearly three times the 3,500 ceiling of the 8400 Series, and it is what allows a single regional hub to terminate spokes that would otherwise need two routers.
Eight million IPv4 and IPv6 routes with 16M NAT sessions and 8K VRFs puts a full internet edge table and a large multi-tenant VRF plan on one 1RU chassis, well past the 5.8M the 8400 Series carries.
The same router takes a 750 W AC or 950 W DC supply, so an enterprise data hall and a DC-powered plant room standardise on one part number and differ only in the supply line.
The -500 to 10,000 foot altitude band plus NEBS GR-1089 and GR-63 covers sites from below sea level to high plateau installations without a separate derating table.
Application Scenarios
Deployed where a single site terminates thousands of branch tunnels, with the 10,000-tunnel ceiling rather than port count setting how many spokes the hub can carry.
Installed at an internet edge that holds complete IPv4 and IPv6 routing tables, using the 8M route capacity and 16M NAT sessions on one rack unit.
Placed where 8K VRF instances separate tenants or business units across a shared twelve-port aggregation layer.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
C8550-G2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Series |
Cisco 8500 Series Secure Routers |
Cisco 8500 Series Secure Routers |
Cisco 8400 Series Secure Routers |
|
WAN Ports |
12x 1/10GE (SFP+) |
12x 1/10GE (SFP+), 2x 40GE (QSFP+), 2x 40/100GE (QSFP28) |
8 x 1 GE (SFP), 8 x 1/10 GE (SFP+), 4 x 10/25 GE (SFP28) |
|
Highest port speed |
10 GE |
100 GE |
25 GE |
|
Simultaneous port cap |
All twelve ports |
240GE enabled simultaneously |
All twenty ports |
|
Power Supply |
750 W AC or 950 W DC |
750 W AC or 950 W DC |
400W AC, 400W DC, 400W HVDC |
|
Forwarding throughput |
Up to 115 Gbps |
Up to 190 Gbps |
Up to 91 Gbps |
|
IPsec throughput |
Up to 48 Gbps |
Up to 63 Gbps |
Up to 45 Gbps |
|
SD-WAN throughput |
Up to 19 Gbps |
Up to 21 Gbps |
Up to 21.7 Gbps |
|
IPv4/IPv6 routes |
8M |
8M |
5.8M |
|
IPsec tunnels |
10,000 |
10,000 |
3,500 |
|
Chassis weight |
20.6 lbs |
21 lbs |
15.5 lbs |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 17.15.4 |
Cisco IOS XE 17.15.4 |
Cisco IOS XE 17.15.3 |
- C8550-G2 and C8570-G2 share every scale figure in the data sheet, 8M routes and 10,000 tunnels alike, so the split between them is entirely about port speed. C8570-G2 adds 40GE and 100GE cages and 75 Gbps more forwarding for 0.4 lbs, while C8550-G2 keeps twelve uniform 10GE ports with no simultaneous-enable cap on them.
- Against C8475-G2 the boundary runs the other way. The 8400 model actually leads on SD-WAN throughput at 21.7 Gbps against 19 Gbps and carries 25 GE ports that C8550-G2 lacks, but it stops at 3,500 tunnels and 5.8M routes, so a hub sized by spoke count has no path there.
- SD-WAN throughput is the one column where moving up the series buys nothing. C8550-G2 delivers 19 Gbps, below both alternatives, so a design whose traffic is predominantly overlay should size on that number and may find the 8400 model sufficient at lower cost.
- For deciding which SKU to order, settle tunnel count and route table first, because those two figures separate the 8500 pair from C8475-G2 and cannot be raised by configuration; then decide whether any circuit needs more than 10 GE, since that single question is what moves the order from C8550-G2 to C8570-G2.
Selection Guide
1. When Every Circuit Terminates At Ten Gig
C8550-G2 gives twelve interchangeable 10GE cages with no bay grouping and no simultaneous-enable ceiling; C8570-G2 costs the same power envelope but reserves its high-speed ports to specific bays and caps total enabled capacity at 240GE, which buys nothing where no link exceeds 10 GE.
2. The Tunnel Ceiling That Justifies The Series
Ten thousand tunnels against the 3,500 of the 8400 Series is the reason to be in the 8500 line at all; a hub under that figure gets more SD-WAN throughput from C8475-G2 at 21.7 Gbps and a lighter 15.5 lb chassis, so spoke count should decide before anything else is compared.
3. Where Overlay Throughput Argues Downward
At 19 Gbps of SD-WAN throughput C8550-G2 sits below both C8570-G2 and C8475-G2; a deployment whose traffic is almost entirely encrypted overlay and whose spoke count fits inside 3,500 gains capacity by staying in the 8400 Series rather than moving up.
4. A Software Floor A Quarter Release Ahead
C8550-G2 starts at Cisco IOS XE 17.15.4 and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager 20.15.4 while the 8400 Series starts at 17.15.3 and 20.15.3; an estate frozen on 17.15.3 can run C8475-G2 today but has to move a maintenance release before this router enters service.
5. Sixty-Four Gigabytes Is An Order-Time Decision
DRAM is 32 GB by default with a 64 GB option and no field upgrade is documented, so a deployment expecting table growth over its life takes the larger memory at purchase rather than planning an upgrade later.
Ordering Checklist
|
Check Item |
What to Confirm |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
|
Power supply type |
Confirm whether the site feeds AC or DC, and order the 750 W AC or 950 W DC supply accordingly. |
The supply is selected at order time and an AC-only order cannot be wired into a DC plant. |
|
Optics for twelve cages |
Confirm SFP or SFP+ optics are on the order for every port that will be used. |
All twelve WAN ports are optical cages and ship without transceivers. |
|
DRAM sizing |
Confirm whether 32 GB is sufficient or whether the 64 GB option is required. |
Cisco documents no field memory upgrade, so undersizing means replacing the router. |
|
Software image floor |
Confirm the image is Cisco IOS XE 17.15.4 or later and the manager is Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager 20.15.4 or later. |
This model sits a maintenance release above the 8400 Series and an older image leaves it unsupported. |
|
Rack depth |
Confirm the rack clears 18.46 in. of chassis depth plus cabling. |
The 8500 chassis is deeper than both 8400 models and a shared rack plan can miss the difference. |
|
Site altitude |
Confirm the installation sits between -500 and 10,000 feet. |
The series is rated across that band and Cisco publishes no derating table outside it. |
Optional Add-ons
|
Add-on |
Description |
|---|---|
|
950 W DC power supply |
DC input option in place of the 750 W AC supply. |
|
64 GB DRAM |
Memory option above the 32 GB default. |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | C8550-G2 | Series | Cisco 8500 Series Secure Routers |
| Platform type | 1 RU fixed form factor | WAN Ports | 12x 1/10GE (SFP+) |
| WAN MACsec | Supported in all built-in ports | Management Port | 1x RJ-45 out-of-band management |
| Console port | 1x RJ-45 and 1x Micro-USB | Storage interface | USB 3.0 Type C |
| Asset tag | RFID | DRAM | 32 GB default, 64 GB option |
| Storage | 480 GB default | Power Supply | 750 W AC or 950 W DC |
| Forwarding (512B) | Up to 115 Gbps | IPsec (512B) | Up to 48 Gbps |
| SD-WAN (512B) | Up to 19 Gbps | SD-WAN measurement basis | IPsec, QoS, Deep Packet Inspection and Flexible NetFlow enabled |
| IPv4/IPv6 routes | 8M | IPsec tunnels | 10,000 |
| IPv4 ACLs | 4K | IPv4 ACEs | 380K |
| NAT Sessions | 16M | VRFs | 8K |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 1.73 in. x 17.50 in. x 18.46 in. | Rack Units (RU) | 1 RU |
| Chassis weight | 20.6 lbs with two AC power supplies and the fan tray | Operating temperature | 32 to 104 degrees F |
| Storage temperature | -40 to 150 degrees F | Relative humidity | 10 to 85 percent operating; 5 to 95 percent non-operating and storage |
| NEBS criteria levels | GR-1089 and GR-63 | Altitude | -500 to 10,000 feet (-152 to 3048 meters) |
| Minimum device OS | Cisco IOS XE 17.15.4 | Minimum SD-WAN Manager release | Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager 20.15.4 |
Get More Information
Need pricing, stock, or shipping details for the C8550-G2 ? Layer23-Switch can help you check current availability, lead time, and delivery options for this. Send us the part number, quantity, and destination country via live chat or email sales@layer23-switch.com for a fast quotation.
Quality Certifications
Customer Reviews
Questions & Answers
-
Can C8550-G2 connect directly to a 25G or 100G circuit?
-
Why consider C8550-G2 instead of C8475-G2 for a VPN hub?
-
Does C8550-G2 include threat protection and URL filtering?
-
Is C8550-G2 suitable for broadband aggregation functions such as LAC and LNS?
-
Which C8550-G2 ports support MACsec?
-
Should I size C8550-G2 encrypted traffic using the 115 Gbps forwarding figure?
-
Can C8550-G2 be configured with 64 GB DRAM?
-
What redundant power options are available for C8550-G2?
Warranty
Layer23-Switch.com offers genuine, high-quality ICT products at competitive wholesale prices—ensuring exceptional value without compromising quality.
All items are brand new, original, and factory-sealed.
Upon request, each unit can be fully tested and verified by a Cisco CCIE-certified engineer to ensure perfect working condition before shipment.
Our Cisco CCIE-certified experts provide free professional support via phone, email, online chat, or remote login—helping you deploy and troubleshoot with confidence.
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may request an exchange or full refund. Our customer service team will guide you through the return process quickly and smoothly. Visit Return Policy page for more information.
We support multiple secure payment and logistics options, backed by industry-leading verification:
Visit How to Pay page for more information
Extended, Worry-Free Warranty Coverage Factory New Sealed Enterprise Hardware:
· 3 Years Factory New Sealed
Visit Warranty Policy page for more information
Verify, plan, and comparewith confidence
Use practical tools to check device details, review lifecyclemilestones, and compare hardware before you buy.
Standard Services
Personalized Service, Superior Product Maintenance for Ultimate Satisfaction.
- Projects and Technical Support
- Easy Purchasing Supply
- Product Lifecycle Protection
- Exclusive F3 Team Support
Customized Support for Your Needs with CCIE, HCIE, HPE ASE, etc.