Cisco Nexus 9k Platform Architecture

● These are installed at the rear of the chassis

● These fabric modules uses Broadcom T2 as the(NFE) network forwarding engine

● Upto 3.84 Tbps duplex per line card slot

● All fabric cards are active and carry traffic

This video will help you to know about Cisco Nexus 9K Fabric Modules

These NFE T2Chipsets connect with Line cards, If line cards are Merchant then T2 connects with T2 NFE but if line cards are ACI ready then T2 NEF will connect to ALE.

The Cisco Nexus 9500 Series switches have a modular architecture that includes the following components:

● Switch chassis

● Supervisor engine

● System controllers

● Fabric modules

● Line cards

● Power supplies

● Fan trays

● Optics

Among these parts, line cards, power supplies, supervisors, and system controllers are common elements that can be shared among the entire Nexus 9500 product family.

Nexus 9500 Platform Architecture

ASIC chipset there are two kinds of flow. High Gig flow and Low Gig flow. For the fabric Module, only High Gig flow is used.

Ex 9504: 8Higig line per slot, so for 4 slots (4*8=32) Hi Gig

Ex 9508: *Hi gig Line per Slot so for 8 Slot Chassis (8 line card *8 Hi gig line per line card = 64 hi gig.

Data Plane Scaling with Fabric Modules (For Example Nexus 9500)

Moving on to the data plane of Nexus 9508 Fabric Module can offer up to 320 GBps to every I/O module slot

With 6 fabric modules, each I/O module slot can have 1.92 Tbps forwarding bandwidth in each direction

For 9508 Nexus, the minimum fabric Module is 3 but is recommended even numbers and if we use all 6 of them it can give up to 1.92 Tbps per line card.

Cisco Nexus 9k Fabric Module - Conclusion

The Cisco Nexus 9k Fabric Module is a critical component of the Nexus 9500 series, designed to provide high-performance, scalable networking solutions. These fabric modules facilitate efficient data handling and optimal bandwidth distribution across the chassis, ensuring reliability and redundancy in network operations.

In conclusion, the Cisco Nexus 9k Fabric Module enhances the capabilities of the Nexus 9500 platform through its advanced architecture and support for various line cards. With features like load balancing, high capacity (up to 1.6 Tbps per line card slot), and a modular design that allows for future upgrades, these fabric modules are essential for modern data center environments.

Their ability to maintain operations even during module failures underscores their robustness, making them a vital choice for organizations looking to optimize their network infrastructure.