DS-C9148T-24IK9 – 24x32G FC Ports – 48-Port 1RU Chassis – Intake SAN Switch

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DS-C9148T-24IK9 Description

The DS-C9148T-24IK9 is a Cisco MDS 9148T 32G Fibre Channel SAN switch for access-layer storage networking in a 1RU fixed chassis. The switch has 24 active ports on a 48-port SFP+ chassis, 4/8/16/32 Gbps autosensing, 1.5 Tbps of aggregate bandwidth and port-side intake airflow. Ports beyond 24 come from M9148T-PL8 8-port activation licenses, and the base switch has no factory optic bundle.

Quick Specs

Parameter

Specification

Product ID

DS-C9148T-24IK9

Product type

32G Fibre Channel SAN switch

Form factor

1RU fixed-switch form factor

Chassis Fibre Channel ports

48 SFP+ ports base

Active ports at order

24 active FC ports

Airflow

Port-side intake

Included optics

No factory optic bundle

Port activation path

M9148T-PL8 8-port activation license

Fibre Channel speed support

4, 8, 16, and 32 Gbps autosensing

Aggregate bandwidth

1.5 Tbps end-to-end full duplex

Minimum NX-OS release

Cisco MDS NX-OS 8.3(1) or later

Product Performance

Full-Duplex Fabric Bandwidth
Dedicated Bandwidth per Fibre Channel Port
On-Demand Port Growth

Key Features

Port-Side Intake Airflow

Air enters from the port side, with DS-CAC-650W-I supplies and DS-C32S-FAN-I fan modules. The exhaust variant reverses the direction, so a rack row needs one airflow type throughout.

Twenty-Four Active Ports On A 48-Port Chassis

The chassis has 48 SFP+ ports and 24 are active at the start. Any 24 ports can be enabled, so cabling is not tied to the first half of the faceplate.

Activation In 8-Port Steps

M9148T-PL8 licenses add 8 ports each, taking the switch to 32, 40 and then 48 active ports. Each step is a license file rather than a hardware change.

Three 16-Port Groups With Deep Buffers

Ports sit in three groups of 16, each with up to 8300 buffer credits, 500 per port by default and 8270 on one port. Each port has 32 Gbps of dedicated bandwidth, and the chassis aggregates 1.5 Tbps full duplex.

Two 650W Supplies And Four Fans

The two 650W AC supplies are 80 Plus Platinum rated at 100 to 240 VAC. Typical draw is 251W with 24 32G SW optics, and 217W for an idle chassis with no optics.

Software Baseline

Cisco MDS NX-OS 8.3(1) or later and Cisco DCNM 11(0) or later are the minimum releases, which matters for fabrics still on older MDS code.

Application Scenarios

Access-Layer SAN In Storage Racks

Racks of servers with Fibre Channel HBAs can connect to the fabric through the 24 active 32G ports of this switch.

Intake-Cooled Cabinet Rows

In cabinets where cool air is drawn from the port side, the port-side intake version keeps switch airflow in line with neighbouring equipment.

Growth From 24 To 48 Ports

A fabric that starts small can enable 32, 40 and finally 48 ports with 8-port licenses, so the same chassis serves as the project expands.

Product Comparison

Parameter

DS-C9148T-24IK9

DS-C9148T-24EK9

DS-C9148T-24PITK9

DS-C9148T-48PITK9

Fibre Channel ports

48 SFP+

48 SFP+

48 SFP+

48 SFP+

Active Fibre Channel ports

24

24

24

48

Port speed

4/8/16/32 Gbps autosensing

4/8/16/32 Gbps autosensing

4/8/16/32 Gbps autosensing

4/8/16/32 Gbps autosensing

Aggregate bandwidth

1.5 Tbps

1.5 Tbps

1.5 Tbps

1.5 Tbps

Buffer credits

8300 per 16-port group

8300 per 16-port group

8300 per 16-port group

8300 per 16-port group

Airflow

Port-side intake

Port-side exhaust

Port-side intake

Port-side intake

Included optics

Not included

Not included

24 x 32G SW

48 x 32G SW

Fan modules

4

4

4

4

Power supplies

2 x 650W AC

2 x 650W AC

2 x 650W AC

2 x 650W AC

DS-C9148T-24IK9 and DS-C9148T-24EK9 are the same base switch with 24 active 32G FC ports, 4 fans, 2 PSUs and no optics; the difference is airflow, port-side intake on DS-C9148T-24IK9 against port-side exhaust on DS-C9148T-24EK9, so racks that need exhaust take DS-C9148T-24EK9. Optics shipped with the switch change the model to DS-C9148T-24PITK9, which adds 24 x 32G SW optics, or DS-C9148T-48PITK9, which has 48 active ports and 48 x 32G SW optics. DS-C9148T-24IK9 grows to 48 ports in 8-port steps with M9148T-PL8 licenses.

Ordering Checklist

  • Airflow spares: Order DS-CAC-650W-I= and DS-C32S-FAN-I= for port-side intake. The exhaust versions, DS-CAC-650W-E= and DS-C32S-FAN-E=, would reverse airflow in the same chassis.
  • Port growth: M9148T-PL8 adds 8 ports; M9148T-PL8T adds 8 ports with 8 x 32G SW optics. The switch ships with 24 active ports, and each license block raises that to 32, 40 or 48.
  • Optics: Add DS-SFP-FC32G-SW or DS-SFP-FC16G-SW as separate lines. The base switch is ordered without optics, so no transceivers arrive unless they are on the order.
  • Power cords: Select a CAB-9K10A-* or CAB-9K12A-NA regional cord, or a CAB-C15-CBN cabinet jumper. The 650W AC supplies take a C15 cord, so the cord must match the destination country or cabinet.

Optional Add-ons

Model

Description

M9148T-PL8

Cisco MDS 9148T 8-port On-Demand Activation license

M9148T-PL8=

Cisco MDS 9148T 8-port On-Demand Activation spare license

M9148T-PL8-SL=

Cisco MDS 9148T 8-port activation Smart License spare

M9148T-PL8T

Cisco MDS 9148T 8-port activation license with 8 x 32G SW optics

DS-CAC-650W-I=

AC PSU port-side intake spare for MDS 9148T

DS-C32S-FAN-I=

MDS 9148T fan module port-side intake spare

DS-SFP-FC32G-SW*

Cisco 32G FC shortwave optic

DS-SFP-FC32G-LW=*

Cisco 32G FC longwave optic

DS-9148T-KIT-CSCO

MDS 9148T accessory kit for Cisco

Front View

DS-9148T-front

1

Serial console port

7

Activity status LED

2

System status LED

8

Ethernet management ports (2)

3

Power status LED

9

Fixed FC ports

4

Fan status LED

10

FC port status LEDs (48)

5

USB port

11

Airflow grill

6

Link status LED

Rear View

1

Power supply failure status LED

6

Power supply status LED

2

Power supply unit fan

7

Power supply units (2 units)

3

Power supply unit handle

8

Chassis fan modules (4 units)

4

Unswitched power receptacle

9

Chassis fan module release latches (8)

5

Power supply unit latch release

DS-9148T-rear

1

Power supply unit slot 1

4

Chassis fan module slot 3

2

Chassis fan module slot 1

5

Chassis fan module slot 4

3

Chassis fan module slot 2

6

Power supply unit slot 2

Specifications

Parameter Specification Parameter Specification
Product ID DS-C9148T-24IK9 Product compatibility Cisco MDS 9000 Family
Product type 32G Fibre Channel SAN switch Order configuration 24 active FC ports, 4 fans, 2 PSUs, port-side intake airflow
Rack units 1RU fixed-switch form factor Fibre Channel ports 48 SFP+ ports base
Active ports at order 24 active FC ports Port activation license M9148T-PL8 8-port upgrade license
Maximum active ports 48 active FC ports Fibre Channel speed support 4, 8, 16, and 32 Gbps autosensing
Dedicated bandwidth per port 32 Gbps Switching capacity 1.5 Tbps end-to-end full duplex
Port groups 3 port groups of 16 ports each Buffer credits Up to 8300 for a group of 16 ports, 500 default per port, 8270 maximum for a single port in the group
Port channel support Up to 16 load-balanced physical links in one port channel Fibre Channel port types E, F, B, SD, ST, NP, and TE
FC-NVMe support FC-NVMe listed in the protocol support Fabric services Name server, RSCN, login services, FCS, broadcast, and in-order delivery
Advanced functions VSAN, NPV, IVR, port channel with multipath load balancing, and flow- and zone-based QoS Security functions VSAN isolation, hardware zoning ACLs, FC-SP, RBAC, SFTP, SSHv2, SNMPv3, control-plane security, TrustSec payload encryption, secure boot, and anti-counterfeit technology
Diagnostics POST, OHMS, internal loopbacks, SPAN, Fibre Channel traceroute, Fibre Channel ping, Fibre Channel debug, Cisco Fabric Analyzer, syslog, port-level statistics, link diagnostics, and read diagnostic parameter High availability components Hot-swappable dual redundant power supplies, hot-swappable fan module, and hot-swappable SFP+ optics
Management port mgmt0 10/100/1000BASE-T and mgmt1 1/10G SFP+ port Console port RS-232 serial console port
USB port USB power-on auto-provision port Programmability NX-API RESTful interfaces, onboard Python interpreter, Cisco DCNM web services API, EEM, and NX-OS scheduler
Minimum NX-OS release Cisco MDS NX-OS 8.3(1) or later Minimum Cisco DCNM release Cisco DCNM 11(0) or later
Default power supply DS-CAC-650W-I 650W AC port-side intake power supply; two supplies in the order configuration AC input voltage 100 to 240 VAC, 10 percent range
AC input frequency 50 to 60 Hz nominal Typical power without optics 217W for idle 48-port switch without optics modules
Typical power with 24 optics 251W for 48-port switch with 24 32G SW optics under typical conditions Typical power with 48 optics 297W for 48-port switch with 48 32G SW optics under typical conditions
Airflow Front to back inward from ports using port-side intake fans Airflow rate with system fan assembly 50 CFM through system fan assembly at 77F (25C)
Airflow rate 100 CFM maximum Dimensions 1.72 x 17.3 x 22.3 in. (4.37 x 43.94 x 56.64 cm), excluding PSU and fan module handles
Operating temperature 32 to 104F (0 to 40C) with exhaust and intake airflow variants Operating humidity 10 to 90 percent noncondensing
Operating altitude -197 to 6500 ft (-60 to 2000 m) Supported FC optics 32G SW, 32G LW, 16G SW, 16G LW, 8G SW, and 8G LW optics listed
Included accessory kit Cisco-specific MDS 9148T accessory kit shipped as standard

Quality Certifications

Customer Reviews

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    Kevin Stevens
    Posted on 14/02/2026
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    5.0

    Reached out months later for a related question. They picked up the conversation seamlessly.

    Emily Taylor
    Posted on 04/02/2026
    Verified Buyer
    5.0

    I’ve ordered from a dozen resellers over the years. Layer23 is in the top tier.

    Kenji Lewis
    Posted on 23/01/2026
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    5.0

    Our experience aligns with the positive reviews. No marketing hype here.

    Enfys Nest
    Posted on 18/07/2024
    Verified Buyer
    5.0

    We take what we need. And we needed this switch. It works well.

    Val
    Posted on 02/05/2024
    Verified Buyer
    5.0

    Solid plan, solid execution. The gear arrived on time.

Questions & Answers

  • How are additional ports activated on DS-C9148T-24IK9?

    DS-C9148T-24IK9 starts with 24 of its 48 SFP+ ports active. Each M9148T-PL8 8-port activation license adds 8 more, giving 32, 40 and then 48 active ports as a license file with no hardware change.
  • What Fibre Channel port speeds does DS-C9148T-24IK9 run?

    DS-C9148T-24IK9 runs its Fibre Channel ports at 4, 8, 16 and 32 Gbps autosensing. Every port carries 32 Gbps of dedicated bandwidth, and the chassis totals 1.5 Tbps of full-duplex aggregate bandwidth across its 48 ports.
  • Which management ports does DS-C9148T-24IK9 have?

    DS-C9148T-24IK9 has an mgmt0 10/100/1000BASE-T port and an mgmt1 1/10G SFP+ port. It also has an RS-232 serial console port and a USB power-on auto-provision port. Cable the mgmt0 port to the out-of-band management network for remote access.
  • How many links can one port channel on DS-C9148T-24IK9 hold?

    One port channel on DS-C9148T-24IK9 holds up to 16 load-balanced physical links. The standard Fibre Channel port types are E, F and B, and the enhanced port types are SD, ST, NP and TE. A port channel bundles links between two switches into one logical link, so traffic keeps flowing if one member link drops.
  • What power does DS-C9148T-24IK9 draw once all 48 ports carry optics?

    DS-C9148T-24IK9 draws a typical 297W when 48 32G shortwave optics are fitted. The idle chassis without optics draws a lower typical figure, so the 297W value is the one to use when sizing the two 650W AC supplies and the circuits behind them for a fully populated switch.
  • What operating range does DS-C9148T-24IK9 support for temperature and altitude?

    DS-C9148T-24IK9 operates at 32 to 104F (0 to 40C) with the intake airflow variant, at 10 to 90 percent noncondensing humidity, and at altitudes from -197 to 6500 ft (-60 to 2000 m). Cabinets above those limits need cooling or a different location.

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  • DS-C9148T-24IK9 Datasheet