DS-X9648-1536K9 – 48x 32G Fibre Channel Ports – Single Slot – MDS 9700 Switching Module
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DS-X9648-1536K9 Description
The DS-X9648-1536K9 is the Cisco MDS 9700 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module, the 32-Gbps line card for the MDS 9700 Series directors. Its 48 ports run 4/8-Gbps, 4/8/16-Gbps and 8/16/32-Gbps autosensing Fibre Channel, and the one speed the card does not reach is the lowest: on the MDS 9710 Cisco states 2-Gbps Fibre Channel is not supported on the 32-Gbps module, so 2G devices belong on a different card. Buffer credits carry the module's real design headroom, with 500 credits per port by default and, under an Enterprise license, 8300 credits shared among a single port group of 16 ports and a maximum of 8270 credits on one port, which is what allows long-distance replication links to keep the pipe full. Port channels reach up to 16 ports. Optics span 32-Gbps shortwave LC SFP+ at 70 m on OM3 and 100 m on OM4, 32-Gbps longwave at 10 km, and 16-Gbps shortwave at 100 m on OM3 and 125 m on OM4 alongside 16-Gbps longwave at 10 km. The card occupies one slot at 1.75 x 15.9 x 21.8 in. (4.4 x 40.39 x 55.37 cm) and 17.5 lb (7.94 kg), is hot-swappable along with its SFP+ optics, and a chassis fully populated with four of these cards needs a minimum of six Fabric-1 or three Fabric-3 modules behind it.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
DS-X9648-1536K9 |
|
Port count and speeds |
48 ports at 4/8-Gbps, 4/8/16-Gbps and 8/16/32-Gbps autosensing Fibre Channel |
|
Lowest supported speed |
2-Gbps Fibre Channel is not supported on this 32-Gbps module |
|
Default buffer credits |
500 per port |
|
Enterprise license buffer credits |
8300 shared among a single port group of 16 ports, with 8270 maximum per port |
|
Port channel |
Up to 16 ports |
|
Optics and reach |
32-Gbps shortwave at 70 m OM3 and 100 m OM4, 32-Gbps longwave at 10 km, 16-Gbps shortwave at 100 m OM3 and 125 m OM4, 16-Gbps longwave at 10 km |
|
Fabric module requirement |
Four of these cards in one chassis need a minimum of six Fabric-1 or three Fabric-3 modules |
|
Physical form |
Occupies one chassis slot, 1.75 x 15.9 x 21.8 in. (4.4 x 40.39 x 55.37 cm), 17.5 lb (7.94 kg) |
|
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 |
Product Performance
Application Scenarios
Installed in MDS 9700 Series director slots where 48 host or array connections at 16 or 32-Gbps Fibre Channel terminate on a single card.
Deployed on ports carrying array-to-array replication over extended fiber runs, using the buffer credit pool an Enterprise license unlocks to keep long links filled.
Added to a director already carrying production traffic, since the switching module and its SFP+ optics are both hot-swappable on the MDS 9700 platform.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
DS-X9648-1536K9 |
DS-X9748-3072-TK9 |
DS-X9748-3072-VK9 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Port count |
48 |
48 |
48 |
|
Maximum port speed |
32-Gbps Fibre Channel |
64-Gbps Fibre Channel |
64-Gbps Fibre Channel |
|
Optics supplied with the module |
None; optics ordered separately |
48 x 32-Gbps shortwave optics included |
48 x 64-Gbps shortwave optics included |
|
Autosensing speed groups |
4/8, 4/8/16 and 8/16/32-Gbps |
64-Gbps class module |
64-Gbps class module |
|
2-Gbps device support |
Not supported on this module |
Not supported on the 32-Gbps class and above |
Not supported on the 32-Gbps class and above |
|
Default buffer credits |
500 per port |
Not published in the MDS 9710 ordering table |
Not published in the MDS 9710 ordering table |
|
Module weight |
17.5 lb (7.94 kg) |
Not published in the MDS 9710 data sheet |
Not published in the MDS 9710 data sheet |
|
Fabric modules for four cards |
Minimum six Fabric-1 or three Fabric-3 |
Fabric requirement not stated separately for the 64-Gbps modules |
Fabric requirement not stated separately for the 64-Gbps modules |
- The three modules fill the same slot with the same 48-port count, so the decision is the speed tier and what arrives with the card rather than density; DS-X9648-1536K9 tops out at 32-Gbps while both DS-X9748-3072-TK9 and DS-X9748-3072-VK9 are 64-Gbps class modules.
- Bundled optics separate the two 64-Gbps modules from each other and from this one. DS-X9748-3072-TK9 ships with 48 x 32-Gbps shortwave optics and DS-X9748-3072-VK9 with 48 x 64-Gbps shortwave optics, while DS-X9648-1536K9 carries no optics in the PID, so its order needs a separate optics line for every populated port.
- Published detail is uneven across the three and that matters for planning. The 32-Gbps module data sheet states 500 default buffer credits, an 8270 per-port ceiling under Enterprise license, a 17.5 lb weight and the fabric minimum for a four-card chassis; the MDS 9710 ordering entries for the 64-Gbps modules do not carry equivalent figures.
- For deciding which SKU to order, set the port speed the arrays and hosts actually negotiate first, then decide whether bundled optics or independent optic selection suits the build, since a fabric already holding a shortwave optic inventory may prefer the module that leaves that choice open.
Selection Guide
1. Two Gigabit Devices Cannot Land Here
Cisco states 2-Gbps Fibre Channel is not supported on the 32-Gbps module, so a fabric still terminating 2G arrays needs those ports on a 16-Gbps class card; assuming the newest card covers every legacy speed is the specific mistake this boundary catches.
2. Buffer Credits Are A License Decision
Default operation gives 500 credits per port, and reaching 8300 credits shared across a 16-port group with an 8270 per-port ceiling requires an Enterprise license; a design sized on long-distance replication throughput is buying that entitlement alongside the card rather than getting it with the hardware.
3. Three Fabric-3 Modules Carry Four Of These Cards
A fully populated chassis of four 48-Port 32-Gbps cards needs a minimum of six Fabric-1 or three Fabric-3 modules, so a director already holding three Fabric-3 modules absorbs a full load of these cards without further fabric spend, while a Fabric-1 estate needs double the module count.
4. Optics Are Not In The Part Number
Unlike DS-X9748-3072-TK9 and DS-X9748-3072-VK9, which arrive with 48 shortwave optics each, this module ships bare; that suits a site with an existing optic inventory or a mix of shortwave and longwave runs, and penalises a greenfield build that would otherwise take optics in the same line.
5. Reach Splits By Optic Rather Than By Card
At 32-Gbps the shortwave option reaches 70 m on OM3 and 100 m on OM4 while longwave reaches 10 km, and stepping down to 16-Gbps shortwave extends the multimode figures to 100 m on OM3 and 125 m on OM4; a run that fails the 32-Gbps multimode budget may still work at 16-Gbps on the same card and fiber.
Ordering Checklist
|
Check Item |
What to Confirm |
Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
|
Lowest device speed on these ports |
Confirm no 2-Gbps Fibre Channel device is planned for this module. |
2G is not supported on the 32-Gbps module and those devices need a different card. |
|
Fabric module count in the chassis |
Confirm the director holds at least six Fabric-1 or three Fabric-3 modules for a four-card load. |
Below that count the chassis cannot carry a full population of these cards at rate. |
|
Enterprise license for buffer credits |
Confirm the Enterprise license is on the order if the design needs more than 500 credits per port. |
The 8300 shared and 8270 per-port credit figures are licensed capabilities rather than default behavior. |
|
Optics line items |
Confirm shortwave or longwave SFP+ optics are ordered separately for every port to be populated. |
The module PID includes no optics, unlike the 64-Gbps modules that bundle 48. |
|
Fiber grade against reach |
Confirm the OM3 or OM4 multimode grade or single-mode plant matches the 70 m, 100 m, 125 m or 10 km figure for the chosen optic and speed. |
Reach differs by both optic type and negotiated speed on the same card. |
|
Software baseline |
Confirm the director runs Cisco MDS NX-OS Software Release 6.2.1 or later, and 8.4.1 or later where Supervisor-4 and Fabric-3 are fitted. |
The chassis software floor governs whether the module comes into service. |
|
Free line card slot |
Confirm an unused line card slot exists in the target MDS 9700 director. |
The module occupies one full slot at 17.5 lb (7.94 kg). |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | DS-X9648-1536K9 | Cisco ordering description | MDS 9700 48-Port 32-Gbps Fibre Channel Switching Module |
| Port count | 48 Fibre Channel ports | Port speeds | 4/8-Gbps, 4/8/16-Gbps and 8/16/32-Gbps autosensing Fibre Channel |
| Unsupported speed | 2-Gbps Fibre Channel is not supported on the 32-Gbps module | Default buffer credits | 500 per port |
| Enterprise license buffer credits | 8300 shared among a single port group of 16 ports, with 8270 maximum credits per port | Port channel | Up to 16 ports |
| 32-Gbps shortwave optics | LC SFP+ over 50/125-micron multimode, 70 m on OM3 and 100 m on OM4 | 32-Gbps longwave optics | LC SFP+ over 9/125-micron single mode, 10 km |
| 16-Gbps shortwave optics | LC SFP+ over 50/125-micron multimode, 100 m on OM3 and 125 m on OM4 | 16-Gbps longwave optics | LC SFP+ over 9/125-micron single mode, 10 km |
| Serviceability | Nondisruptive software upgrades for Fibre Channel interfaces, Cisco Call Home, power-management LEDs, port beaconing, system LED, SNMP traps for alerts and network boot | Hot swap | Switching modules and SFP+ optics are hot-swappable on the MDS 9700 platform |
| Physical dimensions (H x W x D) | 1.75 x 15.9 x 21.8 in. (4.4 x 40.39 x 55.37 cm) | Weight | 17.5 lb (7.94 kg) |
| Fabric module requirement | A fully populated chassis with four of these cards requires a minimum of six Fabric-1 or three Fabric-3 modules | Comparison with the 16-Gbps card | The 48-Port 16-Gbps line card shares the same footprint at 17 lb (7.71 kg) and needs three fabric modules for four cards, with four for N+1 redundancy |
| 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 | Relative humidity | 10 to 95 percent nonoperating and storage |
| Operating altitude | -197 to 6500 ft (-60 to 2000m) | Regulatory compliance | CE Markings per directives 2004/108/EC and 2006/95/EC |
| Safety compliance | UL 60950-1 Second Edition, CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1 Second Edition, EN 60950-1 Second Edition, IEC 60950-1 Second Edition, AS/NZS 60950-1 and GB4943 2001 | EMC compliance | 47CFR Part 15 Class A, AS/NZS CISPR22 Class A, CISPR22 Class A, EN55022 Class A, ICES003 Class A, VCCI Class A, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3, KN22 Class A, CNS13438 Class A, EN55024, CISPR24, EN300386 and KN24 |
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