DS-C9710-V2K9 – MDS 9710 Base Config – 2x Supervisor-4, 3x Fabric-3, 4x 3kW AC – 14RU Director
Established Global IT Distributor
With over a decade of industry experience, we are a certified Cisco Partner delivering genuine enterprise networking hardware and trusted services to system integrators, ISPs, and enterprises worldwide.
DS-C9710-V2K9 Description
The DS-C9710-V2K9 is the Cisco MDS 9710 V2 Base Config, and reading that as a chassis part number is the most common way to get this order wrong: Cisco defines the PID in its ordering table as chassis plus 2 Supervisor-4 modules, 3 Fabric-3 crossbar switching fabric modules and 4 3kW AC power supplies, whereas the bare chassis is the separate DS-C9710 PID that ships with no power supplies.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
DS-C9710-V2K9 |
|
Configuration scope |
Chassis, 2 Supervisor-4, 3 Fabric-3 and 4 3kW AC power supplies |
|
Chassis form factor |
14 rack units, 24.35 x 17.3 x 34.0 in. (61.9 x 43.9 x 86.4 cm), 185.5 lb (84.2 kg) with fans |
|
Chassis slots |
6 crossbar switching fabric slots, 3 fan trays at the back and 8 power supply bays |
|
Bandwidth per slot with 3 Fabric-3 |
1536 Gbps front-panel Fibre Channel and 1320 Gbps FCoE |
|
System capacity |
Up to 24-Tbps front-panel Fibre Channel switching bandwidth and 21 Tbps FCoE bandwidth |
|
Fibre Channel port speeds |
2/4/8, 4/8/16 and 8/16/32-Gbps autosensing plus 10-Gbps Fibre Channel, with 2G not supported on the 32-Gbps module |
|
Power supply configuration |
4 of 8 bays populated with DS-CAC97-3KW 3000W AC supplies, with DS-CDC97-3KW 3000W DC as the alternative |
|
Typical power consumption |
2695 W at 192 ports, 3655 W at 288 ports and 4615 W at 384 ports with three fabrics |
|
Software compatibility |
Cisco MDS NX-OS Software Release 6.2.1 or later, and 8.4.1 or later for Supervisor-4 and Fabric-3 |
Product Performance
Key Features
Front-panel Fibre Channel bandwidth per slot rises in even steps with the Fabric-3 card count, from 512 Gbps on one card through 1536 Gbps on the three this configuration ships with to 3072 Gbps on six, so the three remaining fabric slots are a documented upgrade path rather than spare capacity.
Cisco states a fully populated chassis with four 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel cards needs a minimum of three Fabric-3 modules, which is precisely what this configuration includes, so the base config supports a full 32-Gbps line card load without adding fabric hardware.
Four of the eight power supply bays carry 3kW AC supplies in this configuration, leaving four bays available, which supports the hot-swappable 2N redundant power the platform provides as the port count and line card load grow.
Power supplies, fan trays with integrated temperature and power management, SFP+ optics and switching modules are all hot-swappable, so component replacement on a live SAN director does not require a maintenance window for the chassis itself.
The chassis supports 2/4/8, 4/8/16 and 8/16/32-Gbps autosensing Fibre Channel alongside 10-Gbps Fibre Channel, which lets legacy 8G arrays and current 32G hosts terminate on the same director, with the single exception that 2G is not supported on the 32-Gbps module.
At 14RU and 185.5 lb (84.2 kg) with fans the chassis takes roughly a third of a standard rack before any line cards are fitted, which makes floor loading and rack position part of the site survey rather than an install-day detail.
Application Scenarios
Installed as the core Fibre Channel director in enterprise storage networks where host and array connections converge on one chassis with redundant supervisors and fabrics.
Deployed where 8-Gbps legacy arrays and 32-Gbps current hosts share the same fabric, using the autosensing speed groups the chassis supports across its line cards.
Racked in facilities that cannot take the director out of service for component work, relying on hot-swappable supplies, fan trays, optics and switching modules within a 0 to 40 degrees C ambient envelope.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
DS-C9710-V2K9 |
DS-C9710-V3K9 |
DS-C9710 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
What the PID includes |
Chassis, 2 Supervisor-4, 3 Fabric-3, 4 3kW AC supplies |
Chassis, 2 Supervisor-4, 6 Fabric-3, 6 3kW AC supplies |
Chassis only, no power supplies, fans included |
|
Fabric-3 modules included |
3 of 6 slots |
6 of 6 slots |
Zero, all 6 slots empty |
|
Bandwidth per slot as shipped |
1536 Gbps Fibre Channel and 1320 Gbps FCoE |
3072 Gbps Fibre Channel and 2640 Gbps FCoE |
Not applicable until fabrics are added |
|
Power supplies included |
4 of 8 bays |
6 of 8 bays |
Zero, all 8 bays empty |
|
Supervisor modules included |
2 |
2 |
Zero, ordered separately |
|
Remaining fabric slots after delivery |
3 |
0 |
6 |
|
Software floor as shipped |
MDS NX-OS 8.4.1 or later for the included Supervisor-4 and Fabric-3 |
MDS NX-OS 8.4.1 or later for the included Supervisor-4 and Fabric-3 |
MDS NX-OS 6.2.1 or later for the chassis |
- These three PIDs are the same 14RU chassis sold at three levels of pre-population, so the comparison is not about hardware capability but about what arrives in the crate; DS-C9710 delivers a chassis with fans and nothing else, and a site ordering it still needs supervisors, fabrics and every power supply as separate lines.
- The step from DS-C9710-V2K9 to DS-C9710-V3K9 doubles the Fabric-3 count from three to six and lifts bandwidth per slot from 1536 to 3072 Gbps front-panel Fibre Channel, filling every fabric slot in the process; that leaves no in-chassis growth path, which is the trade against buying headroom up front.
- Power population follows the fabric count rather than the port count. DS-C9710-V2K9 populates four of eight bays and DS-C9710-V3K9 populates six, so both leave bays open for the hot-swappable 2N redundant power the platform supports as line cards are added.
- For deciding which SKU to order, size the front-panel bandwidth the first wave of line cards actually needs, since three Fabric-3 modules already cover a full load of four 48-Port 32-Gbps cards; choose DS-C9710-V3K9 only where the design commits to 3072 Gbps per slot from day one, and DS-C9710 only where supervisors and fabrics are already held in inventory.
Selection Guide
1. Reading This PID As A Bare Chassis Is The Expensive Mistake
DS-C9710-V2K9 arrives with two Supervisor-4 modules, three Fabric-3 modules and four 3kW AC supplies already included; ordering those components alongside it duplicates hardware that is in the box, and the PID for a genuinely empty chassis is DS-C9710 with no power supplies at all.
2. Three Fabrics Cover A Full Thirty-Two Gigabit Load
Because Cisco puts the minimum at three Fabric-3 modules for a fully populated chassis of four 48-Port 32-Gbps cards, this configuration reaches full line card population without further fabric spend; a design that stops at four line cards has no bandwidth reason to move to the six-fabric configuration.
3. The Sixteen Gigabit Redundancy Rule Differs
For 48-Port 16-Gbps cards the minimum is three fabric modules but four are needed to provide N+1 redundancy, so an estate standardising on 16-Gbps line cards and wanting fabric redundancy adds one Fabric-3 module to this configuration rather than treating three as sufficient.
4. Supervisor-4 And Fabric-3 Raise The Software Floor
The chassis itself runs from Cisco MDS NX-OS 6.2.1, but the Supervisor-4 and Fabric-3 modules included in this configuration require 8.4.1 or later; an estate validated on an earlier train cannot bring this PID into service without moving the software baseline first.
5. Two Gigabit Arrays Do Not Reach The Thirty-Two Gigabit Cards
The chassis supports 2/4/8-Gbps autosensing, but Cisco notes 2G is not supported on the 32-Gbps module, so a fabric still terminating 2-Gbps devices has to place them on a 16-Gbps class line card rather than assuming the newest card covers every legacy speed.
Ordering Checklist
|
Check Item |
What to Confirm |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
|
What the PID already contains |
Confirm the order does not separately list Supervisor-4, Fabric-3 or 3kW AC supplies alongside this PID. |
The configuration already includes 2 supervisors, 3 fabrics and 4 supplies, so duplicating them adds hardware the chassis cannot use. |
|
Line card count and type |
Confirm how many 48-Port 32-Gbps or 16-Gbps Fibre Channel cards the design carries. |
Fabric minimums differ by card type, and 16-Gbps cards need a fourth fabric module for N+1 redundancy. |
|
Software baseline |
Confirm the fabric runs Cisco MDS NX-OS Software Release 8.4.1 or later. |
Supervisor-4 and Fabric-3 support starts at that release even though the chassis itself runs from 6.2.1. |
|
Legacy device speeds |
Confirm no 2-Gbps device is planned for a 32-Gbps line card port. |
2G is not supported on the 32-Gbps module and those devices need a different card. |
|
Rack space and floor loading |
Confirm 14 rack units are free and the position supports 185.5 lb (84.2 kg) before line cards. |
The chassis weight excludes line cards, supervisors beyond those fitted and additional supplies. |
|
Remaining power bays |
Confirm whether the growth plan needs more than the four supplies included in the eight bays. |
Additional DS-CAC97-3KW or DS-CDC97-3KW units are separate order lines as the line card load rises. |
|
Optics and line card modules |
Confirm DS-X9648-1536K9, DS-X9748-3072-TK9, DS-X9748-3072-VK9 or DS-X9334-K9 modules are on the order as required. |
The configuration includes no line cards, so front-panel ports come entirely from separate module lines. |
Optional Add-ons
|
Model |
Description |
|---|---|
|
MDS 9700 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module | |
|
DS-X9748-3072-TK9 |
MDS 9700 48-port 64-Gbps Fibre Channel module with 48 x 32-Gbps shortwave optics |
|
DS-X9748-3072-VK9 |
MDS 9700 48-port 64-Gbps Fibre Channel module with 48 x 64-Gbps shortwave optics |
|
DS-X9334-K9 |
Cisco MDS 9000 Family 24/10 SAN Extension Module |
|
DS-X9710-FAB3 |
MDS 9710 Crossbar Switching Fabric-3 Module for the three remaining fabric slots |
|
DS-X97-SF4-K9 |
MDS 9700 Series Supervisor-4 module |
|
MDS 9700 3000W AC power supply for the four remaining power bays | |
|
DS-CDC97-3KW |
MDS 9700 3000W DC power supply for the four remaining power bays |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | DS-C9710-V2K9 | Cisco ordering description | MDS 9710 V2 Base Config: Chassis, 2 Sup-4, 3 Fabric-3, 4 3K AC |
| Chassis dimensions (H x W x D) | 24.35 x 17.3 x 34.0 in. (61.9 x 43.9 x 86.4 cm) | Rack units | 14 RU |
| Chassis weight | 185.5 lb (84.2 kg) including fans | Crossbar switching fabric slots | 6 |
| Fan trays | 3 fan trays at the back of the chassis | Power supply bays | 8, with 4 populated in this configuration |
| Bandwidth per slot by Fabric-3 count | 512 Gbps with one, 1024 Gbps with two, 1536 Gbps with three, 2048 Gbps with four, 2560 Gbps with five and 3072 Gbps with six | FCoE bandwidth per slot by Fabric-3 count | 440, 880, 1320, 1760, 2200 and 2640 Gbps respectively |
| System switching bandwidth | Up to 24-Tbps front-panel Fibre Channel | System FCoE bandwidth | 21 Tbps |
| Fibre Channel port speeds | 2/4/8-Gbps autosensing with 2G not supported on the 32-Gbps module, 4/8/16-Gbps autosensing, 8/16/32-Gbps autosensing and 10-Gbps Fibre Channel | Fabric module minimums | Three Fabric-1 or Fabric-3 for four 48-Port 16-Gbps cards with four for N+1 redundancy; six Fabric-1 or three Fabric-3 for four 48-Port 32-Gbps cards |
| Power supplies included | 4 x DS-CAC97-3KW 3000W AC | DC power supply alternative | DS-CDC97-3KW 3000W DC |
| Typical power consumption with three fabrics | 2695 W at 192 ports, 3655 W at 288 ports and 4615 W at 384 ports | Software compatibility | Cisco MDS NX-OS Software Release 6.2.1 or later, with 8.4.1 or later for Supervisor-4 and Fabric-3 support |
| High availability | Hot-swappable 2N redundant power, hot-swappable fan trays with integrated temperature and power management, hot-swappable SFP+ optics, hot-swappable switching modules, stateful process restart, fabric-based multipathing, per-VSAN fabric services, online diagnostics, port tracking and VRRP for management | Indicators | Power supply LED, FAN LED, Supervisor LED, Fabric LED and line-card module LED |
| Operating temperature | 32 to 104 degrees F (0 to 40 degrees C) ambient | Storage temperature | -40 to 158 degrees F (-40 to 70 degrees C) |
| Operating relative humidity | 10 to 90 percent noncondensing | Nonoperating relative humidity | 10 to 95 percent |
| Operating altitude | -197 to 6500 ft (-60 to 2000m) | Component weights | 48-port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel line card 17.5 lb (7.94 kg), 3000W AC power supply 6 lb (2.7 kg), Fabric-3 module 20 lb (9.07 kg), Supervisor-4 module 7.72 lb (3.5 kg), fan tray 8.5 lb (3.86 kg) |
| Orderable modules | DS-X97-SF4-K9 Supervisor-4, DS-X9710-FAB3 Fabric-3, DS-X9648-1536K9 48-Port 32-Gbps FC module, DS-X9748-3072-TK9 and DS-X9748-3072-VK9 48-port 64-Gbps FC modules, DS-X9334-K9 24/10 SAN Extension Module | Safety compliance | CE Marking, UL 60950, CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950, EN 60950, IEC 60950, TS 001, AS/NZS 3260, IEC60825, EN60825 and 21 CFR 1040 |
| EMC compliance | FCC Part 15 (CFR 47) Class A, ICES-003 Class A, EN 55022 Class A, CISPR 22 Class A, AS/NZS 3548 Class A, VCCI Class A, EN 55024, EN 50082-1 and EN 61000-6-1 |
Get More Information
Need pricing, stock, or shipping details for the DS-C9710-V2K9 ? Layer23-Switch can help you check current availability, lead time, and delivery options for this. Send us the part number, quantity, and destination country via live chat or email sales@layer23-switch.com for a fast quotation.
Quality Certifications
Customer Reviews
Questions & Answers
Warranty
Layer23-Switch.com offers genuine, high-quality ICT products at competitive wholesale prices—ensuring exceptional value without compromising quality.
All items are brand new, original, and factory-sealed.
Upon request, each unit can be fully tested and verified by a Cisco CCIE-certified engineer to ensure perfect working condition before shipment.
Our Cisco CCIE-certified experts provide free professional support via phone, email, online chat, or remote login—helping you deploy and troubleshoot with confidence.
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may request an exchange or full refund. Our customer service team will guide you through the return process quickly and smoothly. Visit Return Policy page for more information.
We support multiple secure payment and logistics options, backed by industry-leading verification:
Visit How to Pay page for more information
Extended, Worry-Free Warranty Coverage Factory New Sealed Enterprise Hardware:
· 3 Years Factory New Sealed
Visit Warranty Policy page for more information
Verify, plan, and comparewith confidence
Use practical tools to check device details, review lifecyclemilestones, and compare hardware before you buy.
Standard Services
Personalized Service, Superior Product Maintenance for Ultimate Satisfaction.
- Projects and Technical Support
- Easy Purchasing Supply
- Product Lifecycle Protection
- Exclusive F3 Team Support
Customized Support for Your Needs with CCIE, HCIE, HPE ASE, etc.
