C8650-G2 – 20x 1/10GE SFP+ – 6x 40/100GE QSFP28 – 3RU N+2 Redundant Power
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C8650-G2 Description
The C8650-G2 is the only model in the Cisco 8600 Series Secure Routers, built for high-scale data center and colocation deployments. Its twenty-six WAN ports divide into 20x 1/10GE SFP+ and 6x 40/100GE QSFP28, with WAN/LAN MACsec supported on all of them and no simultaneous-enable ceiling published. Forwarding reaches up to 540 Gbps with 225 Gbps of IPsec and 80 Gbps of SD-WAN, and the tables scale to 16M routes, 32M NAT sessions and 12,000 SD-WAN IPsec tunnels. Power is 1100W AC or 950W DC arranged for N+2 redundancy, the chassis is 3 RU at 77.5 lb with four AC supplies, and the platform starts at Cisco IOS XE Release 26.1.2.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
C8650-G2 |
|
Platform type |
3 RU fixed form factor |
|
WAN ports |
20x 1/10GE (SFP+) and 6x 40/100GE (QSFP28) |
|
WAN/LAN MACsec |
Supported on all built-in ports |
|
Power supply |
1100W AC or 950W DC, N+2 redundancy |
|
Forwarding throughput |
Up to 540 Gbps at 512 bytes |
|
IPsec throughput |
Up to 225 Gbps at 512 bytes |
|
DRAM |
64 GB default |
|
IPv4/IPv6 routes |
16M |
|
SD-WAN IPsec tunnels |
12,000 |
|
Chassis weight |
77.5 lb (35.15 kg) with four AC supplies |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE Release 26.1.2 |
Product Performance
Key Features
Six QSFP28 ports run at 40 or 100GE and Cisco publishes no simultaneous-enablement cap for this platform, so the faceplate total is the usable total; the 8500 Series reaches 100GE but limits concurrent capacity to 240GE.
Supplies are arranged for N+2 redundancy instead of the two-supply arrangement the 1RU platforms use, which is what lets the chassis survive two concurrent supply failures rather than one.
WAN and LAN MACsec are both supported on all built-in ports, so a data center interconnect can encrypt at 100GE without reserving specific cages or dropping to a lower speed class.
Route capacity doubles the 8500 Series to 16M and NAT sessions double to 32M, which is what supports a colocation edge holding multiple full tables alongside large-scale address translation.
SD-WAN throughput of 80 Gbps is roughly four times the 21 Gbps ceiling of the 8500 Series, so an encrypted overlay design scales here without splitting traffic across chassis.
This platform starts at Cisco IOS XE Release 26.1.2 rather than the 17.15 family the 8400 and 8500 Series run, so adopting it is a software programme as much as a hardware one.
Application Scenarios
Deployed between data centers where 100GE links carry encrypted traffic and the route table spans multiple full internet tables.
Installed at a colocation facility aggregating tenant circuits across twenty 10GE ports while presenting 100GE toward upstream providers.
Placed where 32M NAT sessions and 16M routes are the sizing constraint rather than port count or link speed.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
C8650-G2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Series |
Cisco 8600 Series Secure Routers |
Cisco 8500 Series Secure Routers |
Cisco 8500 Series Secure Routers |
|
WAN ports |
20x 1/10GE (SFP+), 6x 40/100GE (QSFP28) |
12x 1/10GE (SFP+), 2x 40GE (QSFP+), 2x 40/100GE (QSFP28) |
12x 1/10GE (SFP+) |
|
100 GE port count |
6 |
2 |
None on this platform |
|
Simultaneous port cap |
No published cap |
240GE enabled simultaneously |
All twelve ports |
|
Power supply |
1100W AC or 950W DC at N+2 redundancy |
750 W AC or 950 W DC |
750 W AC or 950 W DC |
|
Forwarding throughput |
Up to 540 Gbps |
Up to 190 Gbps |
Up to 115 Gbps |
|
IPsec throughput |
Up to 225 Gbps |
Up to 63 Gbps |
Up to 48 Gbps |
|
SD-WAN throughput |
Up to 80 Gbps |
Up to 21 Gbps |
Up to 19 Gbps |
|
IPv4/IPv6 routes |
16M |
8M |
8M |
|
IPsec tunnels |
12,000 |
10,000 |
10,000 |
|
NAT sessions |
32M |
16M |
16M |
|
Rack units |
3 RU |
1 RU |
1 RU |
|
Chassis weight |
77.5 lb with four AC supplies |
21 lbs |
20.6 lbs |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE Release 26.1.2 |
Cisco IOS XE 17.15.4 |
Cisco IOS XE 17.15.4 |
- The gap between C8650-G2 and the 8500 pair is not incremental. Forwarding rises from 190 Gbps to 540 Gbps, IPsec from 63 Gbps to 225 Gbps and SD-WAN from 21 Gbps to 80 Gbps, while routes and NAT sessions both double; what pays for it is three rack units instead of one and 77.5 lb instead of 21 lbs.
- Tunnel scale is the exception that argues against moving up. C8570-G2 and C8550-G2 both carry 10,000 IPsec tunnels against 12,000 here, a 20 percent gain that does not track the fourfold jump in throughput, so a hub sized purely by spoke count gets little from the larger platform.
- The simultaneous-enable ceiling is the structural difference. C8570-G2 caps concurrent capacity at 240GE, so its two 100GE cages effectively exclude dense 10GE use at the same time; C8650-G2 publishes no such cap and runs six 100GE cages alongside twenty SFP+ ports.
- For deciding which SKU to order, treat the software train as the first filter, because C8650-G2 requires Cisco IOS XE 26.1.2 while both 8500 models run 17.15.4; then compare required concurrent capacity against the 240GE ceiling, since a design that fits under it and needs only two 100GE ports stays in one rack unit on C8570-G2.
Selection Guide
1. When Three Rack Units Are Worth The Speed
C8650-G2 delivers 540 Gbps against the 190 Gbps of C8570-G2 but occupies three rack units at 77.5 lb rather than one at 21 lbs; in a colocation cage billed per rack unit the 8500 model gives 100GE at a third of the footprint, and this platform earns its space only when concurrent capacity passes what 240GE allows.
2. A Different Release Family, Not A Newer Maintenance Build
Cisco IOS XE Release 26.1.2 is the floor here while the 8400 and 8500 Series run the 17.15 family; an estate with a qualified 17.15 image reaches 190 Gbps on C8570-G2 without touching its software programme, and moving to this platform means qualifying a new train alongside new hardware.
3. Where Tunnel Count Does Not Justify The Step
Twelve thousand tunnels against the 10,000 both 8500 models carry is a 20 percent gain while throughput rises fourfold; an SD-WAN hub whose sizing is driven by spoke count rather than bandwidth should stay in the 8500 Series, where the same tunnel ceiling costs far less rack space.
4. Two Supply Failures Instead Of One
N+2 redundancy means the chassis tolerates two concurrent supply losses where the 1RU platforms tolerate one; a facility whose maintenance window requires pulling a supply while another has already failed needs this arrangement, and no 8500 configuration provides it.
5. Six Cages Against Two For Hundred-Gig Fabrics
A design terminating more than two 100GE circuits has no option in the 8500 Series regardless of throughput headroom, since C8570-G2 carries exactly two QSFP28 cages; six here removes that constraint and leaves the twenty SFP+ ports fully usable alongside them.
Ordering Checklist
|
Check Item |
What to Confirm |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
|
Software train readiness |
Confirm the estate can run Cisco IOS XE Release 26.1.2 and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager 26.1.2. |
This platform does not run the 17.15 family the 8400 and 8500 Series use, so an unqualified train blocks deployment. |
|
Power supply count and type |
Confirm how many 1100W AC or 950W DC supplies the N+2 arrangement requires and that the facility can feed them. |
Chassis weight is published at three and four AC supplies, so the supply count affects both power and rack planning. |
|
Optics by cage type |
Confirm SFP+ optics for the twenty 1/10GE cages and QSFP28 optics for the six 40/100GE cages. |
The two cage families take different optics and a single-type order leaves part of the faceplate unusable. |
|
Rack space and weight |
Confirm three rack units are available and the rack supports 77.5 lb for this chassis alone. |
The 8600 chassis is three times the height and nearly four times the weight of the 8500 platforms. |
|
Rack depth |
Confirm the rack clears 26.85 in. of chassis depth plus QSFP28 cabling. |
This chassis is over 8 in. deeper than the 8500 Series and will not fit a shallow cabinet. |
|
Site altitude |
Confirm the installation sits between -500 and 10,000 feet. |
The platform is rated across that band and Cisco publishes no derating table outside it. |
Optional Add-ons
|
Add-on |
Description |
|---|---|
|
950W DC power supply |
DC input option in place of the 1100W AC supply. |
|
Additional 1100W AC power supply |
Extra supply to complete the N+2 redundancy arrangement. |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | C8650-G2 | Series | Cisco 8600 Series Secure Routers |
| Platform type | 3 RU fixed form factor | WAN ports | 20x 1/10GE (SFP+) and 6x 40/100GE (QSFP28) |
| WAN/LAN MACsec | Supported on 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 |
| Asset tag | RFID | DRAM | 64 GB default |
| Storage | 480 GB default | Power supply | 1100W AC or 950W DC, N+2 redundancy |
| Forwarding (512B) | Up to 540 Gbps | IPsec (512B) | Up to 225 Gbps |
| SD-WAN (512B) | Up to 80 Gbps | SD-WAN measurement basis | IPsec, QoS, Deep Packet Inspection and Flexible NetFlow enabled |
| IPv4/IPv6 routes | 16M | SD-WAN IPsec tunnels | 12,000 |
| IPv4 ACLs | 4000 | IPv4 ACEs | 380,000 |
| NAT sessions | 32M | VRF instances | 8000 |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 5.22 x 17.25 x 26.85 in. (13.26 x 43.81 x 68.20 cm) | Rack Units (RU) | 3 RU |
| Chassis weight | 77.5 lb (35.15 kg) with four AC supplies; 75 lb (34.02 kg) with three | Operating temperature | 32 to 104 degrees F (0 to 40 degrees C) |
| Storage temperature | -40 to 150 degrees F (-40 to 65.5 degrees C) | 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 Release 26.1.2 and later | Minimum SD-WAN Manager release | Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Release 26.1.2 and later |
Get More Information
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Customer Reviews
Questions & Answers
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Can all twenty-six C8650-G2 Ethernet ports be enabled at the same time?
-
Does C8650-G2 support Ethernet breakout cables?
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Is N+2 power redundancy standard on C8650-G2?
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Can C8650-G2 combine AC and DC supplies or keep one supply idle?
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What encrypted throughput and SD-WAN tunnel scale are listed for C8650-G2?
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Does enabling MACsec reduce the C8650-G2 packet forwarding rate?
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Will C8650-G2 fit in the same 1RU space as C8570-G2?
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Can the C8650-G2 fan tray be replaced while the router is running?
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Can C8650-G2 provide local threat protection and URL filtering?
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Which IOS XE and SD-WAN Manager releases are listed for C8650-G2?
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