Product Overview
The Cisco Nexus® 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option (Figure 1) is a highly scalable module designed for performance-driven, mission-critical Ethernet networks. The module uses the M1-XL forwarding engine, providing a throughput of up to 60 million packets per seconds (Mpps); 48 high-density Gigabit Ethernet ports; and a larger Forwarding Information Base (FIB), making it ideal for deployment at an Internet exchange point (IXP), a service provider, or a large enterprise.
The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches are a modular data center-class product line designed for highly scalable 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks, with a fabric architecture that scales beyond 15 terabits per second (Tbps), providing support for future 40 and 100 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. Designed to meet the requirements of the most mission-critical network environments, it delivers continuous system operation and virtualized pervasive services. The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series is powered by the proven Cisco NX-OS operating system, with enhanced features to deliver real-time system upgrades with exceptional manageability and serviceability. Its innovative unified fabric design is purpose-built to support consolidation of IP, storage, and interprocess communication networks on a single Ethernet fabric.
Figure 1. Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option
Features and Benefits
The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option has a number of key features that are designed to enable flexible deployment and support for the highest-performance environments, where high density and rich features are required. With an optional Scalable Feature License, the module can operate in enhanced XL mode, which enables utilization of the full forwarding table available on the forwarding engine, essential for large-scale deployments such as large enterprises or Internet peering environments. This larger FIB table can support multiple copies of the full Internet route table for use in Internet-facing deployments with virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) and virtual device context (VDC) support. The ability to operate in either non-XL or XL mode makes this module extremely flexible for many types of networking environments. The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet XL Module also supports a broad range of Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) optics, allowing deployment in various types of situations, from long-reach intersite over single-mode fiber to short and medium reaches over multimode fiber for data center and campus environments. The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option provides 48 Gbps of local switching and is ideal for the access layer where high density, high performance, and continuous system operation are crucial.
All Cisco Nexus 7000 M Series I/O modules contain integrated forwarding engines. The M1-XL forwarding engine on the 48-port module is part of the Cisco Nexus 7000 M1-Series of forwarding engines. The M1-XL forwarding engine is based on the M1 engine, incorporating larger FIB and access control list (ACL) tables. The module is fully compatible with, and offers feature consistency with, all existing M1 modules. The performance specifications for the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option operating in non-XL and XL modes are described in Table 1.
Table 1. Performance Specifications for non-XL and XL Mode Operation
|
Item |
Non-XL Mode |
XL Mode |
|
MAC entries |
128K |
128K |
|
IPv4 routes |
128K |
Up to 1M* |
|
IPv6 routes |
64K |
Up to 350K* |
|
NetFlow entries |
512K |
512K |
|
ACL |
64K |
128K |
* Actual limit depends on prefix distribution.
The M1-XL forwarding engine delivers up to 60 Mpps of Layer 2 and Layer 3 IPv4 unicast forwarding or 30 Mpps of IPv6 unicast forwarding across all ports. The distributed architecture, with forwarding engine integrated into each module, scales the forwarding performance of the chassis linearly by the number of I/O modules employed. The 18-slot chassis with sixteen 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Modules with XL Option delivers up to 960 Mpps of IPv4 unicast forwarding. Multicast forwarding is built into the I/O module performing egress replication.
The M1-XL forwarding engine also delivers ACL filtering, marking, rate limiting, and NetFlow with no effect on performance. Powerful ACL processing supports up to 64K entries per module in non-XL mode or 128K entries per module in XL mode, where entries can address Layer 2, 3, and 4 fields in addition to new Cisco® metadata fields that employ security group tags (SGTs).
The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option offers exceptional security with integrated hardware support for the Cisco TrustSec solution. This includes line rate data confidentiality, data integrity, and ACL processing for SGTs. Data confidentiality and integrity conform to the IEEE MAC security standard (IEEE 802.1AE [MACsec]). All 48 ports on the module support the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cipher, using a 128-bit key. New security ACLs are enhanced through hardware support for Cisco metadata headers capable of carrying SGTs. Security group ACLs (SGACLs) use SGT information to provide hardware-based enforcement of security policies. This removes dependencies on IP addresses, thus improving scalability and simplifying manageability.
The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option buffers data in virtual output queues before the data flows to the fabric. The data flow is controlled by a central arbiter on the supervisor module, using a credit-based buffer design. This architecture offers a lossless fabric that delivers quality of service (QoS) and fairness across all ports, even during congestion.
Table 2 summarizes the features and benefits of the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option.
Table 2. Features and Benefits
Note: Not all Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option features are enabled in the first software release. Refer to the release notes for up-to-date software version information to see what features are supported.
Product Specifications
Table 3 lists the product specifications for the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option (SFP optics).
Table 3. Product Specifications
Interface Distances
Table 4 summarizes the interfaces and distances supported by the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series 48-Port Gigabit Ethernet Module with XL Option.
Table 4. Interfaces and Distances of SFP Optics Supported by Gigabit Ethernet module in the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series
* A mode-conditioning patch is required. Using an ordinary patch cord with MMF, 1000BASE-LX/LH SFPs, and a short link distance (tens of meters) can cause transceiver saturation, resulting in an elevated bit error rate. In addition, when using the LX/LH SFP with 62.5-micron-diameter MMF, you must install a mode-conditioning patch cord between the SFP and the MMF cable on both the transmit and receive ends of the link. The mode-conditioning patch cord is required for link distances greater than 300 m.
** 1000BASE-ZX SFP can reach up to 100 km by using dispersion-shifted SMF or low attenuation SMF; the distance depends on fiber quality, number of splices, and connectors.
For more information, refer to Cisco SFP data sheets.
Ordering Information
To place an order, visit the Cisco Ordering homepage. To download software, visit the Cisco Software Center. Table 5 provides ordering information.
Table 5. Ordering Information
* See the SFP optics data sheet for additional information: http://cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps5455/ps6577/product_data_sheet0900aecd8033f885.html.
** Also offered in other wavelengths. See the CWDM SFP optics data sheet for additional product numbers and information: http://cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps5455/ps6575/product_data_sheet09186a00801a557c.html.
*** Also offered in other wavelengths. See the DWDM SFP optics data sheet for additional product numbers and information: http://cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/modules/ps5455/ps6576/product_data_sheet0900aecd80582763.html.
Service and Support
Cisco offers a wide range of services to help accelerate your success in deploying and optimizing Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches in your data center. Our innovative services are delivered through a unique combination of people, processes, tools, and partners, and are focused on helping you increase operational efficiency and improve your data center network. Cisco Advanced Services uses an architecture-led approach to help you align your data center infrastructure to your business goals and provide long-term value. Cisco SMARTnet® Service helps you resolve mission-critical problems with direct access anytime to Cisco network experts and award-winning resources. With this service, you can take advantage of the Smart Call Home service capability that offers proactive diagnostics and real-time alerts on your Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches. Spanning the entire network lifecycle, Cisco Services helps maximize investment protection, optimize network operations, provide migration support, and strengthen your IT expertise. For more information about Cisco Data Center Services, visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/dcservices.
For More Information
For more information about the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series, visit the product homepage at http://www.cisco.com/go/nexus7000 or contact your local account representative.