C9600-LC-24C – 24x QSFP28 Ports at 40GE and 100GE – Both Supervisors – Catalyst 9600 Line Card
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C9600-LC-24C Description
The C9600-LC-24C is the Cisco Catalyst 9600 Series 24-Port 40GE / 12-Port 100GE line card, a single-slot QSFP28 module for the C9606R chassis. Cisco designs it for medium port-density Campus Core designs with majority QSFP optics and states that it operates with both Supervisor Engine 1 and Supervisor Engine 2, which gives an installed base a high-speed card that does not force an engine decision. The engine does change what the 24 ports deliver: paired with C9600-SUP-1 at 1.2 Tbps full-duplex the card provides up to 24 non-blocking ports of 40 GE or 12 non-blocking ports of 100 GE, while paired with C9600X-SUP-2 at 3.2 Tbps full-duplex all 24 ports run non-blocking at 100/40 GE. Ten Gigabit Ethernet is also supported through a CVR adapter. Encryption follows the same pattern as the other dual-engine card in the family and is worth reading closely: MACsec-256 runs on the UADP 3.0 ASIC, but this line card does not support MACsec with C9600X-SUP-2. Maximum rated power is 200 W on the older engine and 280 W on the newer one, the card is rated at 710,750 hours MTBF, the highest of the Catalyst 9600 line cards, and weighs 3.48 kg (7.67 lbs).
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
C9600-LC-24C |
|
Ports |
24 line-rate QSFP28 ports at 40 GE and 100 GE, with 10 GE supported through a CVR adapter |
|
Ports with C9600-SUP-1 |
Up to 24 non-blocking ports of 40 GE or 12 non-blocking ports of 100 GE at 1.2 Tbps full-duplex |
|
Ports with C9600X-SUP-2 |
Up to 24 non-blocking ports of 100/40 GE at 3.2 Tbps full-duplex |
|
MACsec restriction |
MACsec-256 on the UADP 3.0 ASIC, but this line card does not support MACsec with C9600X-SUP-2 |
|
Compatible chassis |
C9606R 6 slot chassis, 4 line card slots behind 2 dedicated supervisor slots |
|
Maximum rated power |
200 W with C9600-SUP-1 and 280 W with C9600X-SUP-2 |
|
Physical form |
1.7 x 15.0 x 13.41 inches (4.32 x 38.1 x 34.06 cm) to the faceplate, 3.48 kg (7.67 lbs) |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 16.11.1 with C9600-SUP-1 and 17.7.1 with C9600X-SUP-2 |
|
Rated MTBF |
710,750 hours |
Application Scenarios
Installed in campus core positions where a moderate number of very fast trunks rather than a wide fan-out defines the slot, with QSFP optics as the dominant media.
Deployed where 40 GE or 100 GE backbone links between buildings converge on a single modular chassis.
Racked where existing 10 GE links must terminate alongside the high-speed trunks, using the CVR adapter path the card supports.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
C9600-LC-24C | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Port layout |
24x QSFP28 at 40GE and 100GE |
48x SFP56 at 50/25/10/1GE |
30x QSFP28 at 100/40G plus 2x QSFP-DD at 400/200/100G |
|
Optic family |
QSFP28 |
SFP56, SFP28 and SFP+ |
QSFP28 and QSFP-DD |
|
Maximum single-port speed |
100 GE |
50 GE |
400 GE |
|
Supervisor engine support |
C9600-SUP-1 and C9600X-SUP-2 |
C9600-SUP-1 and C9600X-SUP-2 |
C9600X-SUP-2 only |
|
MACsec with C9600X-SUP-2 |
Not supported |
Not supported |
Supported |
|
Maximum 100G ports in a C9606R |
48 with C9600-SUP-1, 96 with C9600X-SUP-2 |
Not applicable |
128 |
|
Minimum software release |
Cisco IOS XE 16.11.1 or 17.7.1 by engine |
Cisco IOS XE 16.11.1 or 17.7.1 by engine |
Cisco IOS XE 17.9.1 |
|
Maximum rated power |
200 W or 280 W by engine |
230 W or 300 W by engine |
420 W |
|
Rated MTBF |
710,750 hours |
640,750 hours |
580,420 hours |
- C9600-LC-24C is the low-draw, long-rated option of the three at 200 W or 280 W and 710,750 hours MTBF, against 420 W and 580,420 hours on C9600X-LC-32CD; a core that needs 100 GE but not 400 GE keeps both power and rated life by staying here.
- Doubling the 100 GE port count is the entire argument for C9600X-LC-32CD: 128 ports in a C9606R chassis against 96 here with C9600X-SUP-2, plus 400 GE and 200 GE that this card cannot reach at all, at the cost of losing C9600-SUP-1 compatibility.
- Against C9600-LC-48YL the difference is fan-out rather than speed tier. Forty-eight SFP56 ports serve many moderate links while 24 QSFP28 ports serve fewer, faster ones, and the QSFP card draws 30 W less on either engine and holds a 70,000-hour MTBF advantage.
- For deciding which SKU to order, ask whether any link must exceed 100 GE, because only C9600X-LC-32CD clears that bar, then choose optic family between QSFP and SFP, and use MACsec support to break the tie only if the chassis will run C9600X-SUP-2.
Selection Guide
1. Twelve Or Twenty-Four Hundred Gigabit Ports By Engine
On C9600-SUP-1 this card delivers 24 ports at 40 GE but only 12 non-blocking at 100 GE, while C9600X-SUP-2 lifts all 24 ports to non-blocking 100/40 GE; a design counting on 24 hundred-gigabit terminations from a single card is specifying the newer engine whether or not it realises it.
2. Encryption Rules Out The Newer Engine Pairing
This line card does not support MACsec with C9600X-SUP-2, so a core that must encrypt its 100 GE trunks either stays on C9600-SUP-1 and accepts 12 non-blocking 100 GE ports, or moves to C9600X-LC-32CD which keeps MACsec on the newer engine.
3. The Longest Rated Life In The Line Card Range
At 710,750 hours this card carries the highest MTBF of the Catalyst 9600 line cards against 640,750 on C9600-LC-48YL and 580,420 on C9600X-LC-32CD, which matters where a core chassis holds a small number of high-value trunks and card replacement is disruptive.
4. CVR Adapters Extend The Card Downward
Ten Gigabit Ethernet reaches 96 ports in a C9606R chassis through a CVR adapter, so a room that still terminates 10 GE links can consolidate them onto QSFP slots rather than adding an SFP card; the adapter is a separate consideration from the optic itself.
5. Where 400 Gigabit Changes The Card
C9600X-LC-32CD adds 2 ports of 400/200/100G QSFP-DD alongside 30 QSFP28 ports and doubles the chassis 100 GE ceiling to 128, but it drops C9600-SUP-1 support entirely and raises draw to 420 W; the step is worth it only when a link above 100 GE is genuinely in the design.
Ordering Checklist
|
Check Item |
What to Confirm |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
|
Hundred gigabit port count |
Confirm how many non-blocking 100 GE ports the design needs from one card. |
C9600-SUP-1 caps this card at 12 non-blocking 100 GE ports while C9600X-SUP-2 gives all 24. |
|
Link encryption requirement |
Confirm no link on this card must run MACsec if the chassis uses C9600X-SUP-2. |
This line card does not support MACsec with C9600X-SUP-2, and no software setting restores it. |
|
Software image floor |
Confirm the chassis runs Cisco IOS XE 16.11.1 with C9600-SUP-1 or 17.7.1 with C9600X-SUP-2. |
Each engine pairing has its own minimum release and staging below it leaves the card out of service. |
|
Free line card slot |
Confirm one of the four line card slots in the C9606R chassis is unused. |
Slots 3 and 4 are dedicated to supervisor engines and cannot take a line card. |
|
CVR adapter for 10 GE |
Confirm CVR adapters are on the order for any port that must terminate 10 GE. |
The card reaches 10 GE only through that adapter, which is not part of the line card line item. |
|
Optics against the TMG matrix |
Confirm the planned QSFP28 modules appear in the Cisco TMG compatibility matrix. |
The card ships without optics and an unlisted transceiver may be rejected by the host port. |
|
Facility power headroom |
Confirm the chassis power budget absorbs 200 W or 280 W per card depending on the engine. |
The same card draws 80 W more on the newer engine, which changes the four-card total by 320 W. |
Front Panel Components
|
1 |
Status LED |
5 |
Ejector levers |
|
2 |
Locate (Blue beacon) LED |
6 |
Port Link LED for the port in the top row |
|
3 |
100G QSFP28 or 40G QSFP+ ports |
7 |
Port Link LED for the port in the bottom row |
|
4 |
RFID embedded on the left ejector lever |
– |
– |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | C9600-LC-24C | Cisco ordering description | Cisco Catalyst 9600 Series 24-Port 40GE / 12-Port 100GE line card, spare part number C9600-LC-24C= |
| Port count and media | 24 line-rate QSFP28 ports at 40 GE and 100 GE, with 10 GE supported through a CVR adapter | Ports with C9600-SUP-1 | Up to 24 non-blocking ports of 40 GE or 12 non-blocking ports of 100 GE at 1.2 Tbps full-duplex slot bandwidth |
| Ports with C9600X-SUP-2 | Up to 24 non-blocking ports of 100/40 GE at 3.2 Tbps full-duplex slot bandwidth | Encryption | Advanced Encryption Standard 256 with the MACsec-256 algorithm on the UADP 3.0 ASIC |
| MACsec restriction | This line card does not support MACsec with C9600X-SUP-2 | Maximum ports in a C9606R at 40 GE | 96 with either supervisor engine |
| Maximum ports in a C9606R at 100 GE | 48 with C9600-SUP-1 and 96 with C9600X-SUP-2 | Maximum ports in a C9606R at 10 GE | 96 with a CVR adapter |
| Compatible chassis | C9606R 6 slot chassis, providing 4 line card slots behind 2 dedicated supervisor engine slots at positions 3 and 4 | Supported supervisor engines | C9600-SUP-1 and C9600X-SUP-2 |
| Positioned deployments | Medium port-density Campus Core designs with majority QSFP optics | Minimum software release | Cisco IOS XE 16.11.1 with C9600-SUP-1 and Cisco IOS XE 17.7.1 with C9600X-SUP-2 |
| Maximum rated power | 200 W with C9600-SUP-1 and 280 W with C9600X-SUP-2 | Power scaling note | Cisco states the Catalyst 9600X Supervisor Engine 2 provides higher power to support higher port speeds and density, which is why the same card is rated higher on that engine |
| Rated MTBF | 710,750 hours | Weight | 3.48 kg (7.67 lbs) |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 1.7 x 15.0 x 13.41 inches (4.32 x 38.1 x 34.06 cm) to the faceplate and 1.7 x 15.0 x 15.7 inches (4.32 x 38.1 x 39.88 cm) to the ejector | Standards | Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.3z, IEEE 802.3x and IEEE 802.3ab |
| Operating temperature | -5 to 45 degrees C (23 to 113 degrees F) up to 6,000 feet and -5 to 40 degrees C (23 to 104 degrees F) up to 10,000 feet | Storage temperature | -40 to 75 degrees C (40 to 167 degrees F) |
| Relative humidity | 10 to 95 percent, noncondensing, operating and non-operating | Altitude | -60 to 3000 m (-197 to 9843 feet) |
| 1 Gbps optic restriction | C9600X-SUP-2 supports only SFP-1G-SX and SFP-1G-LH optics for 1 Gbps operation with compatible line cards | Optics support reference | Optical transceivers are required to operate the card and the supported modules are published in the Cisco TMG compatibility matrix |
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Questions & Answers
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What is C9600-LC-24C used for?
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How many ports does C9600-LC-24C provide?
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Which supervisors support C9600-LC-24C?
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What optics are used with C9600-LC-24C?
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Why compare C9600-LC-24C with C9600X-LC-32CD?
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Can C9600-LC-24C replace a C9500-24Q switch?
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What power rating applies to C9600-LC-24C?
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What design question is specific to C9600-LC-24C?
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