The Cisco® Nexus 5000 Series Switches are a family of low-latency, line-rate, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Cisco Data Center Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) switches for data center applications.
The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series, part of the Cisco Nexus family of data center-class switches, delivers an innovative architecture to simplify data center transformation by enabling a high-performance, standards-based Ethernet unified fabric. The platform consolidates separate Local Area Network (LAN), Storage Area Network (SAN) and cluster network environments into a single unified fabric. Backed by a broad group of industry-leading complimentary technology vendors, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is designed to meet the challenges of next-generation data centers, including dense multisocket, multicore, virtual machine optimized deployments, where infrastructure sprawl and increasingly demanding workloads are commonplace.
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Hardware Features
• The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series supports line-rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet with a cut-through switching architecture that supports full-bandwidth, low-latency, and predictable performance on all ports.
• The product family supports Cisco Data Center Ethernet capabilities, which are extensions to classical Ethernet to address specific needs of the data center network. Cisco Data Center Ethernet increases the reliability, efficiency, and manageability of 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks. It also allows the switch to support multiple traffic classes over the same link, while retaining individual traffic treatments and enabling consolidation of LAN, SAN and cluster environments at the rack level.
• The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series supports unified fabric with FCoE for I/O consolidation, reducing power and cabling requirements and simplifying data center networks, especially for SAN consolidation over Fibre Channel. Its capability to connect to native Fibre Channel infrastructure using FCoE protects existing storage system investments and simplifies in-rack cabling.
• In addition to supporting standard 10 Gigabit network interface cards (NICs), the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series integrates consolidated I/O adapters that combine 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 operating system drivers.
• The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is compatible with third-party integrated transceivers and Twinax cabling solution that delivers very low latency at a low cost, making the product line an excellent match for cluster environments.
• The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is designed for data center environments, with front-to-back cooling and network ports in the rear, bringing switching into close proximity to servers and making cable runs short and simple.
• The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is highly serviceable, with N+1 redundant, hot-pluggable power and fan modules. Its software is based on data center-class Cisco NX-OS Software for high reliability and ease of management.
• Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches have built-in Cisco TrustSec in the hardware, enabling support for end-to-end security and role-based access control (RBAC).
The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is built around two custom components: a unified crossbar fabric and a unified port controller ASIC. Each Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switch contains a single unified crossbar fabric ASIC and multiple unified port controllers to support fixed ports and expansion modules within the switch.
The unified port controller provides an interface between the unified crossbar fabric ASIC and the network media adapter and makes forwarding decisions for Ethernet, Data Center Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and FCoE frames. The ASIC supports the overall cut-through design of the switch by transmitting packets to the unified crossbar fabric before the entire payload has been received. The unified crossbar fabric ASIC is a single-stage, non-blocking crossbar fabric capable of meshing all ports at wire speed. The unified crossbar fabric offers superior performance by implementing QoS-aware scheduling for unicast and multicast traffic. Moreover, the tight integration of the unified crossbar fabric with the unified port controllers helps ensure low-latency lossless fabric for ingress interfaces requesting access to egress interfaces.
Cisco Nexus 5020 56-Port Switch
The Cisco Nexus 5020 is a two rack-unit (2RU), 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Cisco Data Center Ethernet, FCoE access-layer switch built to provide 1.04 terabits per second (Tbps) throughput with very low latency (Figure 1). It has:
• Forty fixed 10 Gigabit Ethernet Small Form Factor Pluggable Plus (SFP+) ports
• Two expansion module slots that can be configured to support up to 12 additional 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, up to 16 Fibre Channel ports, or a combination of both
• One serial console port and one out-of-band 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet management port
Figure 1. Cisco Nexus 5020 with 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Cisco Data Center Ethernet, and FCoE interfaces
Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Expansion Modules
The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is equipped to support three expansion module options that can be used to increase the number of 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, connect to Fibre Channel SANs, or both. The Cisco Nexus 5020 supports any combination of two modules from the following offerings (Figure 2):
• An Ethernet module that provides six ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Cisco Data Center Ethernet and FCoE via SFP+ interface.
• A Fibre Channel plus Ethernet module that provides four ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Cisco DCE and FCoE via SFP+ interface and four ports of 1/2/4 Gbps native Fibre Channel connectivity via SFP interface.
• A Fibre Channel module that provides eight ports of 1/2/4 Gbps native Fibre Channel via SFP interface for transparent connectivity with existing Fibre Channel networks (future).
Figure 2. Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Expansion Modules
Cisco NX-OS Software Overview
The Cisco NX-OS Software is a data center-class operating system built with modularity, resiliency, and serviceability at its foundation. Based on the industry-proven Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software, Cisco NX-OS ensures continuous availability and sets the standard for mission-critical data center environments. The self-healing design of Cisco NX-OS makes transparent, zero-impact operations a reality and enables exceptional operational flexibility.
Focused on the requirements of the data center, Cisco NX-OS provides a robust and rich feature set that fulfills the Ethernet and storage networking requirements of current and future generation of data centers. Cisco NX-OS provides a completely modular, standards-based OS that provides advanced troubleshooting and diagnostics capabilities (Cisco Generic Online Diagnostics [GOLD], Smart Call Home) and management capabilities through a command-line interface (CLI) like that of the Cisco IOS® Software, an Extensible Markup Language (XML) interface, and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) MIBs. Ethernet and Cisco Data Center Ethernet features are included in he base software, however, Fibre Channel (FC) and FCoE require Storage Services License to enable the feature-set.
Availability
The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series will be available for ordering and first customer shipment (FCS) beginning in May 2008.
Ordering Information
Table 1. Ordering Information for Cisco Nexus 5000 Series
Part Number
Description
N5K-C5020P-BF
Cisco Nexus 5000 2RU Chassis no PS, 5 Fan Modules, 40 ports (req SFP+)
Fan Modules
N5K-C5020-FAN=
Cisco Nexus 5020 Fan Module, Spare
Power Supplies
N5K-PAC-1200W(=)
Cisco Nexus 5020 PSU module, A/C, 208v 1200W
N5K-P2-BLNK(=)
Cisco Nexus 5020 PSU module, Blank slot cover
Expansion Modules
N5K-M1600(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 1000 Series Module 6-port 10 GE (req SFP+)
N5K-M1-BLNK(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 1000 Series Expansion Module Blank
Software
N5KUK9-400N1.1(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 Base OS Software Release 4.0
Cables and Optics
SFP-10G-SR(=)
10GBASE-SR SFP+ Module
SFP-H10GB-CU1M(=)
10GBASE-CU SFP+ Cable 1 Meter
SFP-H10GB-CU3M(=)
10GBASE-CU SFP+ Cable 3 Meter
SFP-H10GB-CU5M(=)
10GBASE-CU SFP+ Cable 5 Meter
Power Cables
CAB-N5K10A-NA(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, North America, 2.5m
CAB-AC-250V/13A(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 13A, 250V, North America, 2.5m
CAB-C13-C14-JMPR(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 6A, 250V, Power Strip Type
SFS-250V-10A-AR(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, Argentina, 2.5m
CAB-9K10A-AU(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, Australia, 2.5m
SFS-250V-10A-CN(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, China, 2.5m
CAB-9K10A-EU(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, Europe, 2.5m
SFS-250V-10A-ID(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, India, 2.5m
SFS-250V-10A-IS(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, Israel, 2.5m
CAB-9K10A-IT(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, Italy, 2.5m
CAB-9K10A-SW(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, Switzerland, 2.5m
CAB-9K10A-UK(=)
Cisco Nexus 5000 AC Power Cable, 10A, 250V, United Kingdom, 2.5m
Accessory Kit
N5020-ACC-KIT=
Cisco Nexus 5020 Accessory Kit, Spare
Service and Support
Cisco offers a wide range of services to help accelerate your success in deploying and optimizing the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series in your data center. The innovative Cisco 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 with your business goals and achieve long-term value. Cisco SMARTnet® Service helps you resolve mission-critical problems with direct access any time to Cisco network experts and award-winning resources. With this service, you can take advantage of the Smart Call Home service capability, which offers proactive diagnostics and real-time alerts on your Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches. Spanning the entire network lifecycle, Cisco Services help maximize investment protection, optimize network operations, support migration, and strengthen your IT expertise. For more information about Cisco Nexus Services, visit http://www.cisco.com/go/nexusservices.
Warranty
The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches have a 1-year limited hardware warranty. It includes hardware replacement with a 10-day turnaround from receipt of a return materials authorization (RMA).
