DS-C9396T-96ITK9 – 32 Gbps – 96 Port – Fibre Channel Switch

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DS-C9396T-96ITK9

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DS-C9396T-96ITK9 Description

Cisco DS-C9396T-96ITK9 is the full-capacity, port-side-intake bundle in the MDS 9396T family. All 96 Fibre Channel ports are active on day one and operate at 32G line rate with autosensing to 16/8/4G, delivering up to 3 Tbps aggregate bandwidth in a compact 2RU chassis. The platform combines NVMe/FC readiness with hardware-assisted SAN Analytics, slow-drain detection, and model-driven telemetry for deep, real-time visibility. Redundant hot-swappable power supplies and fans, plus the ability to spread ISL port-channels across six 16-port groups, make DS-C9396T-96ITK9 a resilient aggregation/core building block for core-edge or end-of-row SAN designs that require intake airflow and full 96-port density from day one.

Product Highlights

Switching Capacity
Speed
Active Ports

Key Features

Full-density intake standardization

All 96 ports active on day one with port-side intake airflow, simplifying fleet standardization for front-cold-aisle data centers and eliminating staged licensing.

Cluster-scale consolidation

Six 16-port groups and non-blocking 32G forwarding let you collapse many access racks into a stable 2RU core with predictable latency and high fan-in.

Distance-optimized copy and mobility

Extended buffer-to-buffer credits on designated ports help sustain throughput over metro/long-haul links for synchronous/asynchronous replication, workload mobility, and DR testing.

Telemetry-driven SLO assurance

Hardware SAN Analytics, slow-drain detection, and model-driven telemetry surface congested paths and misbehaving endpoints early to maintain SLAs during busy cycles.

API-led operations at scale

Zero-touch provisioning (POAP), templating in Cisco NDFC/DCNM, and REST/NX-API/Ansible workflows enable repeatable rollouts and change control across sites.

Segmentation and governance

VSANs, IVR (license), QoS, and centralized AAA/RBAC provide clean isolation for tenants or environments, aligning with zero-trust and compliance audits.

Applications Scenarios

Cloud service providers and private cloud block storage

High port density for onboarding large multi-tenant clusters; analytics feed SLA dashboards and capacity triggers.

National research and campus data centers

Deterministic throughput for shared scratch/reference datasets; extended credits assist inter-building replication across campus rings.

Large retail and e-commerce platforms

Predictable 32G fabrics for peak season batch jobs, inventory/transaction systems, and cross-site DR, with intake airflow fitting front-cold aisle standards.

Front View

DS-9396T-front

1

LEM slot 1

3

LEM slot 3

2

LEM slot 2

DS-9396T-front

1

Serial console port

5

USB port

2

System status LED

6

Ethernet management ports (2)

3

Power supply status LED

7

Base Fibre Channel ports

4

Fan status LED

8

Airflow Grill

Rear View

DS-9396T-rear

1

Power supply unit fan

5

Power supply units (2)

2

Power supply unit handle

6

Chassis fan modules (2)

3

Power receptacle

7

Fan module locking screw

4

Power supply unit locking latch

DS-9396T-rear

1

Power supply unit slot 1

3

Chassis fan module slot 2

2

Chassis fan module slot 1

4

Power supply unit slot 2

Model Selection Guide – DS-C9396T-96ITK9

  • Ideal when you need all 96 active 32G FC ports on day one and your site mandates port-side intake airflow.
  • Choose for 2RU aggregation/core roles with high fan-in, predictable low latency, and a standard intake bundle across sites.
  • Suitable for metro/long-haul replication: use extended B2B credits on designated ports with LR/ER optics; validate latency budgets.
  • Works well for multi-tenant and mixed-environment SANs: segment with VSANs/IVR and automate via NDFC, REST/NX-API, and Ansible.
  • Not ideal if your DC requires exhaust airflow—pick DS-C9396T-96ETK9 instead.
  • Not ideal with a strict 1RU height limit—consider the 1RU MDS 9148T family (24/48 active).

Product Comparison

Parameter

DS-C9396T-48IK9

DS-C9396T-96ITK9

DS-C9396T-96ETK9

Physical FC ports

96

96

96

Base licensed ports

48

96 (bundle)

96 (bundle)

Port expansion

+16 to 96 (license)

N/A (max)

N/A (max)

Port groups

6 × 16

6 × 16

6 × 16

Line-rate speed

32G (auto 4/8/16/32)

32G (auto 4/8/16/32)

32G (auto 4/8/16/32)

Aggregate bandwidth

Up to 3 Tbps

Up to 3 Tbps

Up to 3 Tbps

NVMe/FC

Ready

Ready

Ready

Telemetry/analytics

Hardware-assisted

Hardware-assisted

Hardware-assisted

Long-distance credits

Supported (designated ports)

Supported

Supported

Airflow

Port-side intake (red)

Port-side intake (red)

Port-side exhaust (blue)

Fan modules

DS-C96S-FAN-I

DS-C96S-FAN-I

DS-C96S-FAN-E

PSUs

2 × DS-CAC-1200W

2 × DS-CAC-1200W

2 × DS-CAC-1200W

Typical use

Intake sites, staged growth

Intake sites, full density day one

Exhaust sites, full density day one

Specifications

Parameter Specification Parameter Specification
Product model DS-C9396T-96ITK9 (MDS 9396T family) Form factor 2RU fixed Fibre Channel switch
Physical ports 96 x SFP+/SFP28 Fibre Channel Licensed ports 96 active (bundle; max licensed)
Port speeds Auto-sensing 4/8/16/32-Gbps FC Aggregate bandwidth Up to 3 Tbps per switch
Port groups Six groups × 16 ports (smaller fault domains) Forwarding Non-blocking, line-rate at 32G
NVMe/FC NVMe-ready; coexistence with SCSI/FCP Long-distance credits Extended buffer-to-buffer credits on designated ports
Telemetry/analytics Hardware-assisted SAN Analytics; model-driven telemetry Diagnostics Slow-drain detection; ISL/HBA diagnostics; SPAN/RSPAN
Fabric services VSANs; IVR (license); Smart/Auto Zoning; QoS High availability Redundant hot-swappable PSUs and fans; ISL port-channels across groups
Airflow Port-side intake (red); DS-C96S-FAN-I Power supplies 2 × DS-CAC-1200W (bidirectional airflow)
Power/thermal Per datasheet/project file AC/DC input Per PSU spec (VAC and VDC supported)
Dimensions (H×W×D) Per datasheet Weight Per datasheet
Management NX-OS CLI/SSH, SNMP, REST/NX-API; NDFC/DCNM Security AAA/RBAC (TACACS+/RADIUS/LDAP/AD), FC-SP
Interoperability MDS 9000 family per Cisco matrix Accessories Rail kit; regional power cords; optics ordered separately

Get More Information

Discover unbeatable prices and fast shipping for the DS-C9396T-96ITK9 Access the detailed DS-C9396T-96ITK9 datasheet and ensure you’re getting the best deal with our reliable delivery service. Need assistance? Our free live chat support is here to help. For more information about the product and pricing, contact us via Live chat or email us at [email protected]

Quality Certifications

Customer Reviews

Write A Review
5.0
(3 reviews)
5 Stars
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4 Stars
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1 Stars
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    Qui-Gon Jinn
    Posted on 28/07/2024
    Verified Buyer
    5.0

    There’s always a bigger fish… but this is a very big switch. Works perfectly.

    Infrastructure Lead
    Posted on 22/02/2024
    Verified Buyer
    5.0

    96 ports of 32G FC. This is the heart of our storage network. Reliability is paramount.

    Supply Chain
    Posted on 12/11/2023
    Verified Buyer
    5.0

    Documentation was perfect for Australian customs. Thanks.

Questions & Answers

  • If I’m consolidating multiple 16G fabrics into a single 32G core, how should I stage port activation on DS-C9396T-96ITK9 to avoid long outages and preserve zoning consistency?

    Activate 32G ports in batches, build parallel ISL port-channels, and migrate VSANs fabric-by-fabric. Keep zoning exports as a rollback, validate credit behavior and latency after each batch, and only retire legacy trunks once counters remain clean under peak load.

  • What practical differences might I see between the DS-C9396T-96ITK9 and DS-C9396T-96ETK9 bundles during day-two operations and troubleshooting?

    Hardware is identical; license bundles differ. Enterprise bundles often include analytics or trunking features out-of-box, reducing time to insight. Verify entitlements early so monitoring, slow-drain detection, and port-channel options are available before go-live.

  • How do I design high-availability ISLs on the Cisco MDS 9396T to eliminate a single fiber cut from impacting both fabrics during maintenance?

    Deploy dual fabrics (A/B), diverse conduits and trays, and symmetric port-channels with equalized lengths. Land ISLs on different line cards where possible, and document optical routes to avoid accidental co-location during future cabling work.

  • Can DS-C9396T-96ITK9 handle mixed NVMe/FC and SCSI/FC without performance cliffs while we modernize arrays and HBAs?

    Yes. NVMe/FC and SCSI/FC can coexist in separate VSANs or shared ones. Ensure firmware alignment, enable analytics to observe queue depths, and watch buffer credits at aggregation links to prevent slow-drain from legacy initiators affecting NVMe flows.

  • What optics strategy should I standardize on for a dense 96-port MDS 9396T core where rows vary between short MMF and long SMF runs?

    Stock 32G SW for OM4 inside rows and 32G LW for SMF risers; keep limited 16G for legacy endpoints. Track DOM baselines after turn-up, label MMF vs SMF clearly, and maintain spare optics and cleaning kits to cut MTTR.

  • How can I prove a suspected slow-drain host is responsible for congestion rather than a failing DS-C9396T-96ITK9 port group?

    Enable slow-drain detection and capture credit starvation events per interface. Correlate with host WWNs, queue depths, and array logs. If congestion moves with the host’s port, remediate drivers or firmware before replacing switching hardware.

  • What upgrade cadence and method do you recommend to keep a 9396T SAN core current without disrupting backup windows or replication jobs?

    Plan fabric-by-fabric NX-OS upgrades, validate ISSU support, and pre-stage images. Drain sensitive flows, upgrade one fabric, run health checks and synthetic IO, then proceed on the second fabric. Keep rollback images and zoning exports ready.

  • Is there any reason to pin 32G ports to fixed speed on DS-C9396T-96ITK9 during mixed migrations?

    Pin speed when autoneg causes intermittent flaps with old HBAs. Otherwise, allow negotiation for flexibility. Monitor errors post-cutover; if credit or CRC issues rise, lock speeds per link until all endpoints support 32G cleanly.

  • How do I size buffer-to-buffer credits for long single-mode trunks attached to a DS-C9396T-96ITK9 core?

    Estimate RTT from fiber distance and switch latency, then allocate credits so frames in flight never starve. Use Cisco guidelines or calculators, verify with test traffic, and adjust based on measured utilization and latency histograms.

  • What documentation should accompany a new DS-C9396T-96ITK9 deployment to speed future troubleshooting by remote hands?

    Capture rack elevations, port-to-patch mappings, DOM baselines, OTDR traces for long runs, VSAN/zoning exports, and photos of panels. Store them centrally so on-call teams can guide remote techs through cleaning or cord swaps quickly.

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