C9400X-SUP-2XL – 480 Gbps Per Slot – 4x 100G/40G Uplinks – Core Catalyst 9400 Supervisor
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C9400X-SUP-2XL Description
The C9400X-SUP-2XL is the Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series Supervisor 2XL Module, the core and aggregation engine of the current supervisor generation and the only one that drives 480 Gbps to every line-card slot of a C9404R, C9407R or C9410R regardless of chassis size. Cisco frames its 100G uplink option as the popular alternative to 40G in the core, and the hardware carries advanced routing and infrastructure services including MPLS, software-defined access control and border capabilities such as a host-tracking database, cross-domain connectivity and VRF-aware LISP. Built on the Cisco Unified Access Data Plane 3.0sec ASIC with up to 9.6 Tbps centralized wired capacity and a 3 Bpps forwarding rate for IPv4 and IPv6, it presents up to 4 non-blocking 100/40 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks and up to 4 non-blocking 25/10 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks. Because Catalyst 9400 line cards are functionally transparent and leave packet processing, queuing, buffering and QoS to the supervisor, this engine is what raises a chassis to 14 supported line cards, adding C9400-LC-48HX, C9400-LC-48XS, C9400-LC-24XY, C9400-LC-12QC and C9400-LC-48TX. It fills one dedicated supervisor slot, pairs through the C9400X-SUP-2XL/2 redundant PID for 1+1 redundancy with NSF/SSO and sub-200 msec ISSU, holds 16 GB DRAM, 20 GB flash and up to 960 GB SSD, and requires Cisco IOS XE 17.7.1.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
C9400X-SUP-2XL |
|
ASIC |
Cisco Unified Access Data Plane 3.0sec |
|
Bandwidth per line-card slot |
480 Gbps on C9404R, C9407R and C9410R alike, the highest in the supervisor range |
|
Centralized wired capacity |
Up to 9.6 Tbps, with a 3 Bpps forwarding rate for IPv4 and IPv6 |
|
Uplinks |
Up to 4 non-blocking 100/40 Gigabit Ethernet and up to 4 non-blocking 25/10 Gigabit Ethernet |
|
Supported line cards |
14 cards, including C9400-LC-48HX, C9400-LC-48XS, C9400-LC-24XY, C9400-LC-12QC and C9400-LC-48TX |
|
Table scale |
128,000 MAC addresses, 256,000 IPv4 routes and 256,000 IPv6 routes with a Custom SDM template |
|
Memory and buffer |
16 GB DRAM, 20 GB flash, up to 960 GB SSD, 108 MB packet buffer |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 17.7.1 |
|
Rated MTBF |
304,315 hours |
Application Scenarios
Installed as the engine of a campus core chassis where uplinks toward the data center or service provider handoff run at 100G rather than 40G.
Deployed where the chassis acts as a software-defined access border, using the host-tracking database, cross-domain connectivity and VRF-aware LISP the hardware supports.
Racked in chassis populated with C9400-LC-48XS, C9400-LC-24XY or C9400-LC-12QC cards that need the full 480 Gbps slot to run without oversubscription.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
C9400X-SUP-2XL | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
ASIC |
Cisco UADP 3.0sec |
Cisco UADP 3.0sec |
Cisco UADP 2.0 |
|
Bandwidth per line-card slot |
480 Gbps on all three chassis |
240 Gbps on all three chassis |
240 Gbps on C9404R, 120 Gbps on C9407R, 80 Gbps on C9410R |
|
Positioned layer |
Core and aggregation |
Access |
Core and aggregation |
|
Centralized wired capacity |
Up to 9.6 Tbps |
Up to 9.6 Tbps |
Up to 1.44 Tbps |
|
Forwarding rate |
3 Bpps for IPv4 and IPv6 |
3 Bpps for IPv4 and IPv6 |
900 Mpps for IPv4 |
|
IPv4 routes |
Up to 256,000 |
Up to 256,000 |
Up to 144,000 |
|
Flash and packet buffer |
20 GB flash, 108 MB buffer |
20 GB flash, 108 MB buffer |
10 GB flash, 96 MB buffer |
|
Supported line cards |
14 |
14 |
9 |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 17.7.1 |
Cisco IOS XE 17.7.1 |
Cisco IOS XE 16.6.2 on C9407R and C9410R |
|
Rated MTBF |
304,315 hours |
304,308 hours |
253,010 hours |
- Doubling the slot rate is the entire difference between C9400X-SUP-2XL and C9400X-SUP-2: identical ASIC, capacity, forwarding rate, flash, buffer, table scale and line card support mean the premium buys 480 Gbps against 240 Gbps and nothing else, so a chassis whose cards cannot fill 240 Gbps is paying for headroom it will not use.
- Against C9400-SUP-1XL the difference is not merely rate but consistency: the older engine only reaches 240 Gbps in a C9404R and falls to 80 Gbps in a C9410R, whereas C9400X-SUP-2XL holds 480 Gbps in every chassis, which removes chassis size from the throughput calculation entirely.
- Line card entitlement moves with the generation rather than the tier. Both C9400X-SUP-2XL and C9400X-SUP-2 support 14 cards against 9 on C9400-SUP-1XL, so the five newer cards are not a reason to choose the XL variant over its own-generation sibling.
- For deciding which SKU to order, size the busiest line-card slot against 240 Gbps first, because that single number separates the two current engines, and reserve the comparison with C9400-SUP-1XL for cases where an installed base is being extended rather than replaced.
Selection Guide
1. Four Hundred Eighty Gbps Earns Its Place At The Card Level
The step from C9400X-SUP-2 to C9400X-SUP-2XL pays back only where a card would otherwise oversubscribe: C9400-LC-48XS and C9400-LC-12QC run 2:1 and C9400-LC-24XY runs 2.25:1 on the 240 Gbps engine, while copper and 1G fiber cards sit at 1:1 on both and see no change.
2. Chassis Size Stops Mattering With This Engine
C9400-SUP-1XL delivers 240, 120 or 80 Gbps per slot depending on whether the chassis is a C9404R, C9407R or C9410R, while this engine holds 480 Gbps in all three; a multi-site standard built on mixed chassis sizes gets one predictable slot figure instead of three.
3. MPLS And Fabric Border Roles Sit In The Hardware
The engine supports MPLS, software-defined access control and border capabilities including a host-tracking database, cross-domain connectivity and VRF-aware LISP; a design that needs those services in the campus core is choosing the engine for its service set rather than for slot bandwidth alone.
4. The Redundant Line Item Is C9400X-SUP-2XL/2
A 1+1 pair is ordered as C9400X-SUP-2XL plus the distinct C9400X-SUP-2XL/2 redundant PID, and both engines carry the same Cisco IOS XE 17.7.1 floor; listing the base PID twice does not describe the documented redundant configuration.
5. Template Planning Differs From The Previous Generation
Flexible ASIC templates are currently not supported in software on this engine and on C9400X-SUP-2, which use Custom ASIC templates instead; an Access, Core, SD-Access or NAT template plan carried over from a C9400-SUP-1XL design has to be rebuilt rather than reused.
Ordering Checklist
|
Check Item |
What to Confirm |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
|
Chassis software floor |
Confirm the target C9404R, C9407R or C9410R can run Cisco IOS XE 17.7.1 or later. |
The engine has no supported operation below that release on any of the three chassis. |
|
Free supervisor slot |
Confirm a dedicated supervisor slot is unused: slots 2 or 3 on C9404R, 3 or 4 on C9407R, 5 or 6 on C9410R. |
Line cards are not supported in supervisor slots and supervisor engines cannot occupy line-card slots. |
|
Redundant supervisor PID |
Confirm the second engine is ordered as C9400X-SUP-2XL/2 when a redundant pair is planned. |
Cisco lists a distinct redundant PID, and ordering the base PID twice does not match the documented configuration. |
|
Line card mix against the slot rate |
Confirm which cards occupy the busiest slots and whether they need the full 480 Gbps. |
Cards that run 1:1 on the smaller engine gain nothing here, which changes whether the engine tier is justified. |
|
Uplink optic line items |
Confirm the 100/40G and 25/10G uplink optics are ordered separately and appear on the Cisco device support tables. |
The engine ships without optics, and an unlisted transceiver may be rejected by the uplink port. |
|
Uplink port combination |
Confirm which uplink combination the design uses, since a dual-supervisor pair runs either 4x 10/25GE plus 1x 40/100GE per engine, or 2x 40/100GE per engine with the 10/25GE ports disabled. |
Not all uplink ports stay active in a redundant configuration, so a link plan counting every port will come up short. |
|
SSD requirement |
Confirm whether C9400-SSD-240GB, C9400-SSD-480GB or C9400-SSD-960GB is needed for application hosting. |
The SSD is a separate order line and cannot be added from the engine PID. |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | C9400X-SUP-2XL | Cisco ordering description | Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series Supervisor 2XL Module, spare part number C9400X-SUP-2XL=, redundant supervisor PID C9400X-SUP-2XL/2 |
| ASIC | Cisco Unified Access Data Plane 3.0sec | Processor and storage | Intel 2.4-GHz x86 with up to 960 GB SATA SSD local storage for container-based application hosting |
| Bandwidth per line-card slot | 480 Gbps on C9404R, C9407R and C9410R alike | Centralized wired capacity | Up to 9.6 Tbps |
| Forwarding rate | 3 Bpps for IPv4 and IPv6 | Uplink ports | Up to 4 non-blocking 100/40 Gigabit Ethernet and up to 4 non-blocking 25/10 Gigabit Ethernet |
| Dual-supervisor uplink combinations | Each engine runs 4x 10/25GE plus 1x 40/100GE active with the other three 40/100GE ports disabled, or 2x 40/100GE active with the 10/25GE ports disabled | Advanced services | MPLS, software-defined access control and border capabilities including a host-tracking database, cross-domain connectivity and VRF-aware LISP, and hardware capable flexible ASIC templates |
| Supported line cards | 14 cards, adding C9400-LC-48HX, C9400-LC-48XS, C9400-LC-24XY, C9400-LC-12QC and C9400-LC-48TX to the nine supported by the C9400-SUP-1 class | MAC addresses | Up to 128,000 with a Custom SDM template |
| IPv4 and IPv6 routes | Up to 256,000 each with a Custom SDM template | Multicast and snooping | Up to 32,000 multicast routes and 32,000/16,000 IGMP and MLD snooping entries |
| QoS and ACL entries | Up to 27,000 QoS hardware entries and 27,000 security ACL hardware entries | DRAM and flash | 16 GB DRAM and 20 GB flash |
| Packet buffer | 108 MB | VLAN and STP scale | 4096 VLAN IDs, 300 PVST instances and 1,000 switched virtual interfaces |
| Jumbo frames | 9216 bytes | ASIC template support | Flexible ASIC templates are currently not supported in software on this engine, which uses Custom ASIC templates instead |
| High availability | 1+1 supervisor redundancy with NSF/SSO for continuous forwarding during switchover and ISSU under 200 msec on dual engines | Supervisor slot positions | Slots 2 or 3 on C9404R, slots 3 or 4 on C9407R and slots 5 or 6 on C9410R, with line cards not supported in those slots |
| Compatible chassis | C9404R, C9407R and C9410R, providing 2, 5 and 8 line-card slots respectively | Minimum software release | Cisco IOS XE 17.7.1 on all three chassis |
| Rated MTBF | 304,315 hours | Dimensions (H x W x D) | 1.7 x 15.0 x 13.41 in. (4.32 x 38.1 x 34.06 cm) to the faceplate and 1.7 x 15.0 x 15.7 in. (4.32 x 38.1 x 39.88 cm) to the ejector |
| Weight and rack units | 11.5 lb (5.2 kg), 1 RU | Operating temperature | -5 to +45 degrees C up to 6,000 feet and -5 to +40 degrees C up to 10,000 feet |
| Storage temperature | -40 to 70 degrees C | Relative humidity | 10 to 95 percent, noncondensing |
| Operating altitude | -60 to 3,000 m | SSD options | C9400-SSD-240GB, C9400-SSD-480GB and C9400-SSD-960GB M2 SATA memory |
| Management interfaces | Bluetooth dongle support as a wireless management interface and an embedded WebUI in the default image with no additional license | Optics support reference | Supported optical modules and their minimum software releases are published in the Cisco transceiver module device support tables rather than in the supervisor engine data sheet |
Get More Information
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Quality Certifications
Customer Reviews
Questions & Answers
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What does C9400X-SUP-2XL provide for Catalyst 9400 chassis?
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When does C9400X-SUP-2XL fit a campus core or aggregation design?
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What capacity role does C9400X-SUP-2XL serve?
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What uplink planning matters for C9400X-SUP-2XL?
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What IOS XE planning matters for C9400X-SUP-2XL?
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Does C9400X-SUP-2XL change line-card bandwidth?
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What security detail matters for C9400X-SUP-2XL?
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What redundancy question applies to C9400X-SUP-2XL?
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