Cisco Nexus 5548P - User Manual

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Data Sheet
Cisco Nexus 5548P, 5548UP, 5596UP, and 5596T
Switches
Latest Additions to the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches Product Overview
Today’s data centers are increasingly filled with dense rack-mount and blade servers that host powerful multicore
processors. The rapid increase in in-rack computing density and the increasing use of virtualization software
combine to accelerate the demand for 10 Gigabit Ethernet and consolidated I/O: applications for which the Cisco
Nexus
®
5000 Series Switches are an excellent match. With low latency and choice of front-to-back or back-to-front
cooling, copper or fiber access ports, and rear-facing data ports, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is designed for a
broad range of physical, virtual, storage access, and high-performance computing environments, thus giving
customers the flexibility to meet and scale their data center requirements in a gradual manner and at a pace that
aligns with their business objectives.
The switch series, using cut-through architecture, supports line-rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet on all ports while
maintaining consistently low latency independent of packet size and services enabled. It supports a set of network
technologies known collectively as Data Center Bridging (DCB) that increases the reliability, efficiency, and
scalability of Ethernet networks. These features allow the switches to support multiple traffic classes over a
lossless Ethernet fabric, thus enabling consolidation of LAN, SAN, and cluster environments. Its ability to connect
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) to native Fibre Channel protects existing storage system investments while
dramatically simplifying in-rack cabling.
In addition to supporting standard 10 Gigabit Ethernet network interface cards (NICs) on servers, the Cisco Nexus
5000 Series integrates with multifunction adapters called converged network adapters (CNAs) that combine the
functions of Ethernet NICs and Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs), making the transition to a single, unified
network fabric transparent and consistent with existing practices, management software, and OS drivers. The
switch series is compatible with integrated transceivers and Twinax cabling solutions that deliver cost-effective
connectivity for 10 Gigabit Ethernet to servers at the rack level, eliminating the need for expensive optical
transceivers. The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series portfolio also provides the flexibility to connect directly to servers using
10GBASE-T connections or fiber with Enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) transceivers.
The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is designed for data center environments with cut-through technology that enables
consistent low-latency Ethernet solutions, with front-to-back or back-to-front cooling, and with data ports in the
rear, bringing switching into close proximity with servers and making cable runs short and simple. The switch
series is highly serviceable, with redundant, hot-pluggable power supplies and fan modules. It uses data center-
class Cisco
®
NX-OS Software for high reliability and ease of management.
Cisco Nexus 5500 Platform Overview
In a constantly changing business environment, companies are calling upon their IT departments to help them
reduce costs, improve productivity, and introduce new ways to interact with their customer base.

Summary

Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Product Overview

Nexus 5000 Series Introduction

Provides a high-level overview of the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches and their data center suitability.

Cisco Nexus 5500 Platform

Cisco Nexus 5548 P Switch

Details the Cisco Nexus 5548P Switch, a 1RU 10GbE and FCoE switch with specific port configurations.

Cisco Nexus 5548 UP Switch

Details the Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switch, a 1RU 10GbE, Fibre Channel, and FCoE switch.

Cisco Nexus 5596 UP Switch

Details the Cisco Nexus 5596UP Switch, a 2RU 10GbE, Fibre Channel, and FCoE switch with higher port density.

Cisco Nexus 5596 T Switch

Details the Cisco Nexus 5596T Switch, a 2RU 10GbE switch supporting copper and fiber connectivity.

Expansion Module Options

Describes expansion modules that enhance the port density and functionality of Nexus 5500 switches.

Layer 3 Daughter Card and Module Options

Explains Layer 3 daughter cards and modules for enhanced forwarding capabilities on Cisco Nexus 5500.

Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders

Fabric Extender Product Description

Overview of Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders as a universal server-access platform for data centers.

Supported Fabric Extender Models

Lists and details various Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extender models and their specifications.

Deployment Scenarios and Architecture

Nexus 2000 and 5000 Series Deployment Scenarios

Explains various deployment scenarios for Cisco Nexus 2000 and 5000 series switches in data centers.

Unified Access Architecture

Details unified access architecture scenarios using Cisco Nexus 2000 and 5000 series switches for server connectivity.

Cisco Nexus 5548P Specifications

General

Model	Nexus 5548P
Product Series	Nexus 5000
Product Type	Switch
Switching Capacity	960 Gbps
Forwarding Rate	720 Mpps
Packet Forwarding Rate	720 Mpps
Jumbo Frame Support	Yes
Jumbo Frame Size	9216 bytes
VLANs	4096
QoS	Yes
Operating System	Cisco NX-OS
Virtualization Support	Yes
Expansion Slots	2 x expansion slot
Management	CLI, SNMP
Layer Support	Layer 2