N3K-C3636C-R – 36×40/100G QSFP28 Ports – 16GB Buffer – Nexus 3600 R-Series
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N3K-C3636C-R Description
The N3K-C3636C-R is a Cisco Nexus 3636C-R data center switch from the Nexus 3600 Series, built as a 1RU fixed switch for spine, IP storage, DMZ and edge routing. The switch has 36 QSFP28 ports at 40 or 100 Gbps, with 7.2 Tbps of switching capacity, up to 3.34 bpps of forwarding and a 16 GB buffer. MACsec is available on 8 of the QSFP28 ports, and the chassis has no SFP access ports.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
N3K-C3636C-R |
|
Cisco model |
Nexus 3636C-R |
|
Product type |
1RU fixed-form-factor data center switch |
|
Data ports |
36 QSFP28 ports |
|
Native port speeds |
40 or 100 Gigabit Ethernet |
|
Breakout modes |
4 x 10G or 4 x 25G per QSFP28 port |
|
MACSec ports |
8 QSFP28 ports |
|
Switching capacity |
7.2 Tbps |
|
Forwarding rate |
Up to 3.34 bpps |
|
Dynamic buffer |
16 GB |
|
Airflow options |
Port-side exhaust or port-side intake |
Product Performance
Key Features
Every port runs at 40 or 100 Gbps natively, and none of the ports are SFP. The layout favors fabrics built on 100G links.
Each QSFP28 port can run as 4 x 10G or 4 x 25G. A single port can then feed several lower-speed links.
Eight QSFP28 ports can encrypt with MACsec. Links that need encryption have to be placed on those ports.
The 16 GB buffer sits alongside 128,000 LPM routes, 750,000 IP host entries and 64,000 Layer 3 multicast entries.
The chassis has three redundant fan modules and two power supplies from the 2000W AC and DC families. A failed fan module must be replaced within 31 minutes.
Full OSPF, EIGRP and BGP are enabled by the N3K-LAN1K9 license, which is part of the Nexus 9000 licensing scheme used by the Nexus 3600 Series.
Application Scenarios
In a leaf-spine fabric, the switch terminates leaf uplinks on its 36 QSFP28 ports at 40G or 100G, at 7.2 Tbps of switching capacity.
An IP storage network uses the 16 GB buffer to absorb traffic bursts between hosts and storage arrays over 100G links.
At a data center edge or DMZ, up to eight QSFP28 ports can run MACsec, while the other ports break out to 4 x 10G or 4 x 25G for lower-speed devices.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
N3K-C3636C-R | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Downlink ports |
Not applicable |
48 SFP ports (1, 10 or 25 Gbps) |
24 enabled SFP+ ports (1 or 10 Gbps), 48 with N3548-24P-UPG= |
|
Uplink ports |
36 QSFP28 ports (40 or 100 Gbps) |
6 QSFP28 ports (40 or 100 Gbps) |
Not applicable |
|
QSFP28 breakout |
4 x 10G or 4 x 25G |
4 x 25G or 4 x 10G |
Not applicable |
|
Switching capacity |
7.2 Tbps |
1.8 Tbps |
480 Gbps |
|
Forwarding rate |
Up to 3.34 bpps |
Up to 1.67 bpps |
360 mpps |
|
Buffer size |
16 GB |
8 GB |
18 MB total (6 MB shared among 16 ports) |
|
MACsec |
8 QSFP28 ports |
6 QSFP28 ports |
Not published |
|
Enhanced Layer 3 license |
N3K-LAN1K9 (ordering table lists N3K-LAN1K9XL) |
N3K-LAN1K9 |
N3524-LAN1K9 |
|
Airflow |
Port-side exhaust or port-side intake |
Port-side exhaust or port-side intake |
Port-side exhaust or port-side intake |
N3K-C3636C-R has 36 QSFP28 ports for native 40G or 100G at 7.2 Tbps, 3.34 bpps and 16 GB of buffer, while N3K-C36180YC-R has 48 SFP ports plus 6 QSFP28 ports at 1.8 Tbps and 8 GB of buffer. Designs with 1G, 10G or 25G access links on SFP ports need N3K-C36180YC-R, because N3K-C3636C-R lists no SFP access ports on the chassis. MACsec covers 8 QSFP28 ports on N3K-C3636C-R and 6 on N3K-C36180YC-R, so encrypted 100G links favor N3K-C3636C-R. A 1G or 10G SFP+ project at 480 Gbps is better served by N3K-C3524P-XL, which enables 24 ports and can be expanded to 48.
Ordering Checklist
- Airflow direction: Order NXA-FAN-65CFM-PE with NXA-PAC-2KW-PE or NXA-PDC-2KW-PE for port-side exhaust, or NXA-FAN-65CFM-PI with NXA-PAC-2KW-PI or NXA-PDC-2KW-PI for port-side intake. Exhaust and intake parts are separate PIDs, and mixed directions break the rack airflow plan.
- Power supply type: Choose AC (NXA-PAC-2KW-PI or -PE) or DC (NXA-PDC-2KW-PI or -PE). AC and DC 2KW supplies are separate PIDs, and the site feed decides which one applies.
- Layer 3 license: Order N3K-LAN1K9 as the Enhanced Layer 3 license, or N3K-LAN1K9XL as written in the datasheet ordering table. The datasheet uses two PIDs for the same Layer 3 license, so settle the PID on the order with Cisco.
- Chassis PID: Order N3K-C3636C-R, not the spare N3K-C3636C-R=. The datasheet describes the spare PID with the Nexus 36180YC-R text, which can put the wrong chassis line on the order.
Optional Add-ons
|
Model |
Description |
|---|---|
|
N3K-LAN1K9 |
Cisco Nexus 3636C-R Enhanced Layer 3 license reference |
|
N3K-LAN1K9XL |
Nexus 3000 Layer 3 LAN Enterprise License |
|
NXA-FAN-65CFM-PI |
Nexus fan, 65CFM, port-side intake airflow |
|
NXA-FAN-65CFM-PE |
Nexus fan, 65CFM, port-side exhaust airflow |
|
NXA-PAC-2KW-PI |
Nexus 9000 2KW AC power supply, port-side intake |
|
NXA-PAC-2KW-PE |
Nexus 9000 2KW AC power supply, port-side exhaust |
|
NXA-PDC-2KW-PI |
Nexus 9000 2KW DC power supply, port-side intake |
|
NXA-PDC-2KW-PE |
Nexus 9000 2KW DC power supply, port-side exhaust |
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | N3K-C3636C-R | Cisco model | Nexus 3636C-R |
| Product type | 1RU fixed-form-factor switch | Order description | Nexus 3636C-R switch, 36p QSFP28 MACSEC |
| Primary role | Data center spine switching | Rack units | 1RU |
| Data ports | 36 QSFP28 ports | Native port speeds | 40 or 100 Gigabit Ethernet |
| QSFP28 breakout | 4 x 10G or 4 x 25G modes | MACSec ports | 8 ports |
| Switching capacity | 7.2 Tbps | Forwarding rate | Up to 3.34 bpps |
| Line-rate support | Layer 2 and Layer 3 on all ports for packets larger than 115 bytes | Maximum MTU | Up to 9216 bytes |
| Dynamic buffer | 16 GB | DRAM | 32 GB |
| Bootflash memory | 128 GB | MAC address scale | 750,000 |
| VLAN scale | 4096 VLANs | Ingress ACL entries | 7000 |
| Maximum LPM routes | 128,000 | IP host entries | 750,000 |
| Layer 3 multicast entries | 64,000 | EtherChannels | 256 with vPC |
| Ports per EtherChannel | 32 | Management port | RJ-45 or SFP management port |
| Console port | 1 RS-232 serial console port | USB port | 1 USB port |
| Power supply selection | NXA-PAC-2KW-PI 2000W AC, NXA-PAC-2KW-PE 2000W AC, NXA-PDC-2KW-PI 2000W DC, or NXA-PDC-2KW-PE 2000W DC selected by airflow and input type | Power supply types | AC and DC power inputs with airflow-specific PSU line items |
| Typical operating power | 921 W | Maximum power consumption | 1341 W |
| AC input voltage | 100 to 240 VAC | AC input frequency | 50 to 60 Hz |
| Power supply efficiency | 89 to 91% at 220V | Heat dissipation | 2631 MBTU |
| Cooling airflow | Forward port-side exhaust or reverse port-side intake | Fan modules | 3 redundant fans |
| Fan replacement note | Hot-swappable, must swap within 31 minutes | Dimensions | 1.65 x 17.3 x 31.22 in. (4.2 x 44 x 79.3 cm) |
| Operating temperature | 32 to 104 F (0 to 40 C) | Storage temperature | -40 to 158 F (-40 to 70 C) |
| Operating humidity | 10 to 85% noncondensing | Storage humidity | 5 to 95% noncondensing |
| Operating altitude | Up to 13,123 ft | Layer 3 license PID | N3K-LAN1K9 or N3K-LAN1K9XL reference |
| Enhanced Layer 3 features | Full OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP | NX-OS support reference | Cisco NX-OS Release 9.2(2) lists N3K-C3636C-R as supported hardware |
| Transceiver support reference | Cisco 100-Gigabit Ethernet compatibility matrix |
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Quality Certifications
Customer Reviews
Questions & Answers
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What fan noise should be expected from N3K-C3636C-R?
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Can N3K-C3636C-R run with one AC and one DC power supply?
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How much power does N3K-C3636C-R draw in typical and maximum operation?
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How many ingress ACL entries and EtherChannels does N3K-C3636C-R support?
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