N9K-X9732C-EX – 32x100G QSFP28 – Breakout Capable – Nexus 9500 Line Card
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N9K-X9732C-EX Description
The N9K-X9732C-EX is a Cisco Nexus 9500 Series cloud-scale line card for 100G aggregation and spine roles in Nexus 9504, Nexus 9508 and Nexus 9516 chassis. The card has 32 100G QSFP28 ports, 6.4 Tbps of performance and a 160 MB packet buffer, and it runs in NX-OS mode or as an ACI spine. Full bandwidth needs four fabric modules, and the card supports neither MACSec nor N+1 fabric module redundancy.
Quick Specs
|
Parameter |
Specification |
|---|---|
|
Product ID |
N9K-X9732C-EX |
|
Product type |
100G line card |
|
Supported chassis |
Nexus 9504, Nexus 9508, Nexus 9516 |
|
Ports |
32 x 100G QSFP28 |
|
Port form factor |
QSFP28 |
|
Breakout support |
100G, 50G, 40G, 25G, 10G, 1G modes depending on optics and configuration |
|
Operating modes |
Cisco NX-OS and Cisco ACI spine |
|
Switching capacity |
6.4 Tbps |
|
Forwarding rate |
4.3 Bpps |
|
Packet buffer |
160 MB |
|
Fabric modules required |
4 for maximum bandwidth |
|
Typical power consumption |
430 W |
|
Maximum power consumption |
720 W |
Product Performance
Key Features
The card carries 32 100G QSFP28 ports, so a modular chassis gains 100G capacity without adding a fixed-configuration switch.
Each port runs 1x100G, 2x50G, 1x40G, 4x25G, 4x10G or 1×1/10G. Breakout modes need matching cables and software support.
The card works in NX-OS mode and as an ACI spine. In a Nexus 9516 the spine role runs only on N9K-C9516-FM-E2 fabric modules, because N9K-C9516-FM-E is limited to NX-OS.
The card reaches its full 6.4 Tbps with four fabric modules in the chassis. Cards in one chassis share the same fabric module type.
The card supports up to 1 million IPv4 LPM routes, 1 million host entries, 512,000 MAC entries and 32,000 multicast routes, behind a 160 MB packet buffer.
The card draws 430 W typical and 720 W maximum. The chassis power plan sums the maximum draw of every module and divides by 3000 W to find the number of power supplies.
Application Scenarios
A Nexus 9500 chassis acting as an ACI spine terminates 100G leaf uplinks on the 32 QSFP28 ports of the card. ACI spine mode depends on fabric modules that support it, which excludes N9K-C9516-FM-E in a Nexus 9516.
In an NX-OS data center, the card gives a Nexus 9500 core or aggregation chassis dense 100G toward leaf switches. With breakout cables, individual ports also drop to 4x25G or 4x10G for mixed-speed links.
Product Comparison
|
Parameter |
N9K-X9732C-EX |
N9K-X9736C-FX |
N9K-X9736C-EX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ports |
32 x 100G QSFP28 |
32 x 100G QSFP28 |
36 x 100G QSFP28 |
36 x 100G QSFP28 |
|
Cisco ACI spine support |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
|
MACSec support |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
N+1 fabric module redundancy |
No |
Yes (5 fabric modules) |
No |
No |
|
FM required for maximum bandwidth |
4 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
|
Performance |
6.4 Tbps |
6.4 Tbps |
7.2 Tbps |
6.4 Tbps |
N9K-X9732C-EX is the 32-port 100G line card that can serve as an ACI spine, while N9K-X9732C-FX has the same 32 QSFP28 ports and 6.4 Tbps but supports NX-OS only, so the two split on ACI spine against MACSec. A site that needs MACSec or N+1 fabric module redundancy on 32 ports orders N9K-X9732C-FX, with five fabric modules for N+1. N9K-X9736C-FX adds four ports and 7.2 Tbps with both ACI spine and MACSec, but needs five fabric modules for full bandwidth against four for N9K-X9732C-EX. N9K-X9736C-EX suits NX-OS fabrics that want 36 ports without ACI spine or MACSec. In a Nexus 9516, ACI spine on N9K-X9732C-EX needs N9K-C9516-FM-E2, because N9K-C9516-FM-E runs it in NX-OS only.
Ordering Checklist
- Host chassis: Install the card in a Nexus 9504, Nexus 9508 or Nexus 9516; the hardware guides for all three list N9K-X9732C-EX as a supported line card. It installs only in these Nexus 9500 chassis and is not a standalone switch.
- Fabric modules: Order four fabric modules for maximum bandwidth. For ACI spine use N9K-C9504-FM-E, N9K-C9508-FM-E, N9K-C9508-FM-E2 or N9K-C9516-FM-E2, or N9K-C9504-FM-G or N9K-C9508-FM-G; N9K-C9516-FM-E supports NX-OS only. A Nexus 9516 built on N9K-C9516-FM-E cannot run this line card as an ACI spine.
Specifications
| Parameter | Specification | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product ID | N9K-X9732C-EX | Product type | Cloud-scale 100G line card |
| Line card description | Cisco Nexus 9500 32p 100G QSFP cloud-scale line card | Supported chassis | Nexus 9504, Nexus 9508, Nexus 9516 |
| Ports | 32 x 100G QSFP28 | Port form factor | QSFP28 |
| Breakout capability | 1x100G, 2x50G, 1x40G, 4x25G, 4x10G, 1×1/10G | Cisco NX-OS support | Yes |
| Cisco ACI spine support | Yes | MACSec support | No |
| N+1 fabric module redundancy | No | FM required for maximum bandwidth | 4 |
| Performance | 6.4 Tbps | Forwarding rate | 4.3 bpps |
| Packet buffer | 160 MB | Weight | 5.5 kg (12.13 lb) |
| Typical power consumption | 430 W | Maximum power consumption | 720 W |
| MTBF | 481,470 hours | Hot swappable | Yes |
| Airflow | Port-side intake | FM-G compatibility | C9504-FM-G and C9508-FM-G support Cisco ACI spine and Cisco NX-OS |
| FM-E compatibility | C9504-FM-E and C9508-FM-E support Cisco ACI spine and Cisco NX-OS | C9516-FM-E compatibility | Cisco NX-OS |
| FM-E2 compatibility | C9508-FM-E2 and C9516-FM-E2 support Cisco ACI spine and Cisco NX-OS | Ordering part number | N9K-X9732C-EX (=) |
Quality Certifications
Customer Reviews
Questions & Answers
-
Which Nexus 9500 chassis accept N9K-X9732C-EX?
-
Which IOFPGA EPLD version does N9K-X9732C-EX carry on -E fabric modules in releases 10.3(6) to 10.4(5)?
-
How heavy is an N9K-X9732C-EX line card when it is lifted into a Nexus 9500 slot?
-
What MTBF and swap behaviour does N9K-X9732C-EX have?
-
Can N9K-X9732C-EX run as an ACI spine in a Nexus 9516?
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