Description
Product Overview of the Cisco N5K-C5548UP-FA Switch
The Cisco N5K-C5548UP-FA is a high-performance network switch designed for various networking needs. It comes equipped with 32 Ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, making it a powerful solution for businesses and data centers. In this article, we’ll explore the key features, benefits, and applications of this Cisco switch.
Key Features of Cisco N5K-C5548UP-FA
- 10 Gigabit Ethernet Ports: The Cisco N5K-C5548UP-FA offers 32 ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet. These high-speed ports enable fast data transfer and communication within the network, making it suitable for bandwidth-intensive tasks.
- Nexus 5000 Series: This switch belongs to the Nexus 5000 Series by Cisco, known for its reliability and performance. The Nexus series is designed to meet the requirements of modern data centers and networks.
- Expansion Slots: With 33 expansion slots, the N5K-C5548UP-FA provides flexibility for network expansion and future-proofing. These slots can accommodate various modules and options to enhance the switch’s functionality.
- Layer 3 Functionality: The switch supports Layer 3 routing, allowing it to make intelligent routing decisions based on IP addresses. This is essential for managing traffic and optimizing network performance.
- Rack-Mountable Design: The Cisco N5K-C5548UP-FA is rack-mountable, meaning it can be easily installed in standard server racks. This space-saving design is ideal for data centers where efficient use of space is crucial.
- Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus (SFP+): It utilizes Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus (SFP+) technology, which is commonly used for high-speed fiber optic connections. This enables versatile connectivity options.
- Managed Switch: Being a managed switch, the N5K-C5548UP-FA provides extensive control and monitoring capabilities. Network administrators can configure and optimize the switch to meet specific requirements.
Benefits of Using Cisco N5K-C5548UP-FA
- High-Speed Connectivity: The 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports deliver lightning-fast data transfer speeds, ensuring that your network can handle bandwidth-intensive applications and data traffic.
- Scalability: With 33 expansion slots, this switch is highly scalable. You can add new modules and cards as your network grows, without needing to replace the entire switch.
- Network Optimization: The Layer 3 routing capability allows for efficient traffic management and optimization. This is particularly beneficial for larger networks with complex traffic patterns.
- Space-Efficient: The rack-mountable design of the N5K-C5548UP-FA saves valuable floor space in data centers, making it a practical choice for organizations with limited space.
- Versatile Connectivity: The SFP+ technology enables a wide range of connectivity options, including fiber optic connections, making it suitable for diverse networking needs.
Ensuring the Reliability and Security of Nexus Switch
The N5K-C5548UP-FA Cisco 32 Ports Managed Switch is a high-performance switch that provides reliable and secure network connectivity. To ensure the reliability and security of this switch, the following steps can be taken:
- Firmware Update: Regular firmware updates are important to keep the switch updated with the latest security patches and bug fixes. This will ensure that the switch operates smoothly and securely.
- Secure Configuration: The switch should be configured with secure settings such as setting up a strong password, disabling unnecessary services, and configuring VLANs to separate traffic.
- Access Control: Access control lists (ACLs) can be used to restrict access to the switch and control network traffic. This helps to prevent unauthorized access and prevent malicious activity.
- Network Segmentation: Segmenting the network into different VLANs can help to improve security and prevent unauthorized access. This helps to isolate traffic and prevent malicious activity from spreading across the network.
- Monitoring and Logging: The switch should be configured to log events and alarms, which can be used to monitor network activity and identify potential security threats.
- Backups: Regular backups of the switch configuration should be performed to ensure that the switch can be restored in the event of a failure.
- Physical Security: The switch should be protected from physical damage and unauthorized access. This includes protecting the switch from tampering, theft, and other physical threats.
Reliability of 32 Ports Managed Switch
The N5K-C5548UP-FA Cisco Nexus 5000 Series 32 Ports Managed Switch Chassis is a highly reliable switch that is designed for use in data center environments. The switch offers several features that contribute to its reliability, including:
- Redundancy: The switch is designed with multiple layers of redundancy, including redundant power supplies and fans, to ensure that the switch continues to operate even in the event of a component failure.
- High Availability: The switch supports features such as Virtual Port Channel (vPC) and Non-Stop Forwarding (NSF) to ensure that the switch remains available even in the event of a network outage.
- Scalability: The switch is designed to be easily scalable, allowing businesses to add additional ports and modules as their network grows.
- Performance: The switch offers high performance, with line rate, low-latency forwarding, and support for up to 480 Gbps of throughput.
- Management: The switch offers a variety of management features, including Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) and Cisco Nexus Fabric Manager (NFM), to make it easy for users to manage and monitor their network.
Large-Scale Network Deployments
- The N5K-C5548UP-FA Cisco Nexus 5000 Series 32 Ports Managed Switch Chassis is a high-performance, scalable switch designed for large-scale network deployments. It provides 32 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports and two 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) uplink ports, making it ideal for large data centers and enterprise environments.
- One of the key features of the N5K-C5548UP-FA is its ability to support virtualization and cloud computing through the use of virtual machine network interface card (VM-NIC) technology. This enables administrators to provision and manage multiple virtual machines and their network connections from a single physical switch.
- Another important aspect of the N5K-C5548UP-FA is its ability to support virtual PortChannel (vPC) technology. This allows for a single logical connection between two switches, providing increased bandwidth and improved redundancy in the event of a failure.
- The N5K-C5548UP-FA also supports the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series NX-OS operating system, which provides a robust and secure network environment. The operating system is designed to provide scalable and flexible network management and offers features such as advanced security, virtualization, and network-wide visibility.
- In large-scale network deployments, the N5K-C5548UP-FA provides increased scalability and resilience through the use of multiple switch fabrics and redundant power supplies. This allows for continued network operation in the event of a single component failure, ensuring that network services remain available to users.
General Information about this Cisco N5K-C5548UP-FA
- Manufacturer: Cisco
- Model Number or SKU# N5K-C5548UP-FA
- Product Type: Switch 32 Ports
- Product Name: Networking Switch
Performance of 32 Ports Switch
- Total Number of Ports: 32
- Ethernet Technology 10 Gigabit Ethernet
- Number of Total Expansion Slots 33
- Expansion Slot Type SFP+
- Number of SFP+ Slots 32
- Layer Supported 3
- Cisco Nexus 5548P and 5548UP: Layer 2 hardware forwarding at 960 Gbps or 714.24 mpps; Layer 3 performance of up to 160 Gbps or 240 mpps
- Cisco Nexus 5596UP and 5596T: Layer 2 hardware forwarding at 1920 Gbps or 1428 mpps; Layer 3 performance of up to 160 Gbps or 240 mpps
- MAC address table entries: 32,000
- Low-latency cut-through design that provides predictable, consistent traffic latency regardless of packet size, traffic pattern, or enabled features on 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
- Line-rate traffic throughput on all ports
Interfaces/Ports Ethernet Switch
- Modular Yes
- Management Port Yes
- USB Yes
- Port/Expansion Slot Details 32 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet Expansion Slot
- Cisco Nexus 5548P: 32 fixed 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE ports; additional interfaces through one expansion module
- Cisco Nexus 5548UP: 32 fixed ports configurable as 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE or 8/4/2/1-Gbps native Fibre Channel; additional interfaces through one expansion module
- Cisco Nexus 5596UP: 48 fixed ports configurable as 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE or 8/4/2/1-Gbps native Fibre Channel; additional interfaces through up to three expansion modules
- Cisco Nexus 5596T: 32 fixed ports of 1 and 10G BASE-T and 16 SFP+ fixed ports configurable as 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE or 8/4/2/1-Gbps native Fibre Channel; additional interfaces through up to three expansion modules
- Expansion modules
- 16-port 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE module
- 8-port 8/4/2/1-Gbps Fibre Channel plus 8-port 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE module
- A unified port module consisting of 16 ports configurable as 8/4/2/1-Gbps Fibre Channel or 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE
- 4-port QSFP expansion module
- 12-port 10G BASE-T module (Cisco Nexus 5596T only)
- Layer 3 module (Cisco Nexus 5596UP and 5596T only; one per system)
- Layer 3 daughter card (Cisco Nexus 5548P and 5548UP only; one per system)
- Extension through the Cisco Nexus 2000 SeriesLayer 2 Features
Power of Managed Switch
- PoE (RJ-45) Port No
- Input Voltage 110 V AC
- Input Voltage 220 V AC
- Power Source Power Supply
- Redundant Power Supply Yes
Layer 2 Features
- Layer 2 switch ports and VLAN trunks
- IEEE 802.1Q VLAN encapsulation
- Support for up to 4096 VLANs
- Rapid Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVRST+) (IEEE 802.1w compatible)
- Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) (IEEE 802.1s): 64 instances
- Spanning Tree PortFast
- Spanning Tree root guard
- Spanning Tree Bridge Assurance
- Cisco EtherChannel technology (up to 16 ports per EtherChannel)
- Cisco vPC technology
- Enhanced vPC enables vPC between Cisco Nexus 5000 and 2000 Series as well as between Cisco Nexus 3000 Series and end host
- vPC configuration synchronization
- Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP): IEEE 802.3ad
- Advanced port channel hashing based on Layer 2, 3, and 4 information
- Jumbo frames on all ports (up to 9216 bytes)
- Pause frames (IEEE 802.3x)
- Storm control (unicast, multicast, and broadcast)
- Private VLANs
- Private VLAN over trunks (isolated and promiscuous)
- Private VLANs over vPC and EtherChannels
- VLAN Remapping
- Cisco FabricPath
- EvPC and vPC+ with FabricPath
- Cisco Adapter FEX
- Cisco Data Center VM FEX
- Support for up to 24 fabric extenders on each Cisco Nexus 5500 platform
Features
- Layer 2 switching, VLAN support, Syslog support, Weighted Round Robin (WRR) queuing,
- Broadcast Storm Control, Multicast Storm Control, Unicast Storm Control, Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) support,
- DHCP snooping, Access Control List (ACL) support, Quality of Service (QoS), Jumbo Frames support,
- Rapid Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVRST+)
Compliant Standards
- IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.1D, IEEE 802.1Q, IEEE 802.3x, IEEE 802.3ad (LACP),
- IEEE 802.1w, IEEE 802.3ae, IEEE 802.1s, IEEE 801.1p
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature: 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature: 104 °F
- Humidity Range Operating: 5 – 95% (non-condensing)
In Summary, the Cisco N5K-C5548UP-FA is a versatile network switch designed to meet the demands of modern networking environments. With its high-speed 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, scalability through expansion slots, Layer 3 routing capabilities, and manageable features, it can be applied in various industries and scenarios. Whether you need a reliable solution for data centers, enterprise networks, or other specialized settings, this Cisco switch offers the performance and flexibility required for efficient network operations.
