Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches license

Cisco Nexus 5000 License

Dense rack-mount and blade servers with potent multicore processors are increasingly being used in data centers today. The demand for 10 Gigabit Ethernet and consolidated I/O—applications for which the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is a great match—is driven by the rapid rise in in-rack computing density and the rising use of virtualization software. The licensed Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is made for data centers ready to deploy a unified fabric that can handle their LAN, SAN, and server clusters, providing networking over a single link (or dual links for redundancy), low latency, front-to-back cooling, and rear-facing ports.

The switch family’s cut-through architecture enables line-rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet on all ports while maintaining consistently low latency regardless of packet size and services enabled. In order to improve the dependability, effectiveness, and scalability of Ethernet networks, it supports a group of networking techniques collectively referred to as IEEE Data Center Bridging (DCB). Consolidating LAN, SAN, and cluster environments is made possible by these features, which allow the switches to support multiple traffic classes over a lossless Ethernet fabric. The ability to link FCoE to native Fibre Channel safeguards the investments made in current storage systems while radically simplifying in-rack cabling.

Cost effective connectivity

The licensed Cisco Nexus 5000 Series integrates with multifunctional adapters called converged network adapters (CNAs), which combine the functions of Ethernet NICs and Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs), in addition to supporting standard 10 Gigabit Ethernet network interface cards (NICs) on servers. This makes the transition to a single, unified network fabric transparent and consistent with current practices, management software, and OS drivers. The switch family is compatible with integrated transceivers and Twinax cabling options that provide affordable connectivity for 10 Gigabit Ethernet to servers at the rack level, doing away with the need for pricey optical transceivers.

With cutting-edge technology that enables consistent low-latency Ethernet solutions, front to back cooling, and network ports in the back, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is made for data center environments. This close proximity of switching to servers and short, easy cable runs make it ideal for these environments. The switch family has redundant, hot-pluggable power supplies and fan modules, making it very serviceable. In order to provide high management efficiency and reliability, it uses Cisco NX-OS software designed for data centers.

Cisco Nexus 5000 Key Features

The extensive feature set of the licensed Cisco Nexus 5000 Series makes it perfect for access layer applications that are top-of-rack, middle-of-row, or end-of-row. With 10 Gigabit Ethernet, FCoE, and virtual machine awareness features that are based on standards, it protects investments in data center racks while enabling IT departments to consolidate networks in accordance with their own needs and schedules. The switch family is perfect for meeting the growing demand for 10 Gigabit Ethernet that can support unified fabric in enterprise and service provider data centers, protecting enterprises’ investments, thanks to its high port density, lossless Ethernet, wire-speed performance, and extremely low latency. The switch family has enough port density to support single and multiple racks filled to capacity with rack mount and blade servers.

• Smart Call Home and automated parameter exchange (through DCBX) are examples of software manageability and serviceability features. Role-based access control (RBAC), support for remote TACACS and RADIUS servers, authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA), and Secure Shell (SSH) access all contribute to increased security.
• The management models and tools used by Cisco’s NX-OS and MDS 9000 SAN-OS software programs are consistent, which enables consistent management of Cisco products. The Fibre Channel and FCoE features can be managed through the Cisco Fabric Manager suite, while the switch family network features can be managed using the Cisco command-line interface (CLI). Also supported by Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) are the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches. The ability to independently manage Ethernet and FCoE features with current Cisco tools protects existing management models, best practices, and staff training investments. Customers can also manage switches using third-party and custom-made tools, such as XML, the Cisco CLI, and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) MIBs. Cisco NX-OS is used by the switch family to provide superior operational efficiency, all-encompassing security, and on-going operation even through software upgrades.

• The Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) and its services are mapped onto Layer 2 Ethernet by the standards-based upper-layer protocol FCoE. The existing Fibre Channel network management models and tools are preserved, helping to safeguard investments in software and staff training. It is a straightforward encapsulation of Fibre Channel within Ethernet.
• In order to expand network scalability, support I/O consolidation, make it easier to manage multiple traffic flows, and enhance performance, IEEE DCB makes it possible for Ethernet fabrics to support lossless transmission. Although the Ethernet pause mechanism’s lossless fabric is all that is needed to implement SAN consolidation, the licensed Cisco Nexus 5000 Series offers extra features that make the high-performance, unified network fabric even easier to manage.

Cisco Nexus 5000 usages

There are numerous application scenarios that the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series supports, including middle-of-row deployments and use as an access-layer switch colocated with servers in data center racks.

• As a platform for rack-level I/O consolidation, the switch transports FCoE traffic to already-existing Fibre Channel SANs as well as Ethernet traffic from servers to the aggregation layer.
• It can be used solely as a 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch when acting as an access-layer switch, combining 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections into fewer server connections trunked to the aggregation layer.
• The switch is an essential component of data center I/O consolidation because it allows I/O consolidation at the access layer and offers compatibility with the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series and other standards-based products.
• A high-density Gigabit Ethernet switching system using the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series and the Cisco Nexus 2148T Gigabit Ethernet Fabric Extender can combine more than 576 Gigabit Ethernet connections into a single management plane.

Switch at the rack level for 10 Gigabit Ethernet

The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is built with the density, performance, front-to-back cooling, and rear port configuration that make it perfect for combining a large number of 10 Gigabit Ethernet links from servers into a smaller number of uplinks to aggregation-layer switches. With the SFP direct attach 10 Gigabit copper cabling option, the switch port density enables each switch to support a single rack or adjacent racks.

IT departments can deploy the licensed Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches in parallel with their current Fibre Channel SANs by purchasing them with only the Ethernet capabilities enabled.