The Cisco Nexus series switches are modular and fixed port network switches designed for the data center. Cisco Systems introduced the Nexus Series of switches on January 28, 2008. The first chassis in the Nexus 7000 family is a 10-slot chassis with two supervisor engine slots and eight I/O module slots at the front, as well as five crossbar switch fabric modules at the rear. Beside the Nexus 7000 there are also other models in the Nexus range.
All switches in the Nexus range run the modular NX-OS firmware/operating system on the fabric. NX-OS has some high-availability features compared to the well-known Cisco IOS. This platform is optimized for high-density 10 Gigabit Ethernet.
The Nexus switching range Cisco Nexus OS Software Defined Networking (SDN) allows the same policies that govern Identity and Access Management (IAM) to dictate levels of access to applications and data through a totally converged infrastructure not possible with legacy network and system access methods.
The Nexus 9000 is the high-end model in the Nexus range of datacenter switches. Other models are:Cisco product overview Datacenter switches: Nexus, visited 28 May 2011 Nexus 1000v virtual switch Nexus 2000 fabric extender Nexus 3000 series Nexus 4001 IBM Blade Center switch Nexus 5000 series Nexus 6000 series Nexus 7000 series modular datacenter switches Nexus 9000 series
Nexus 1000v The 1000v is a virtual switch for use in virtual environments including both VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V It is as such not a physical box but a software application that interacts with the hypervisor so you can virtualize the networking environment and be able to configure your system as if all virtual servers have connections to a physical switch and include the capabilities that a switch offers such as multiple VLANs per virtual interface, layer-3 options, security features etc. Per infrastructure/cluster you have one VM running the Nexus 1000v as virtual appliance, this is the VSM or Virtual Supervisor Module and then on each node you would have a client or Virtual Ethernet Module (VEM) a vSwitch which replaces the standard vSwitch.
The VEM uses the vDS API, which was developed by VMware and Cisco togetherOverview of the Nexus 1000v virtual switch, visited 8 July 2012 VMware announced in May 2017, vDS API support will be removed from vSphere 6.5 Update 2 and later. Therefore, Nexus 1000v can no longer be used. VMware KB https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2149722 https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/31/vmware_to_end_support_for_thirdparty_virtual_switches/
Besides offering the NX-OS interface to configure, manage and monitor the virtual switch it also supports LACP link aggregation where the standard virtual switches only support static LAGsCisco brochure Cisco1000v Virtual Switch, PDF, retrieved 28 May 2011
The configuration of VEMs is done via the VSM NX-OS Command-line interface.
Nexus 1010 / 1010x / 1100x The Virtual Supervisor Module or VSM would normally run as a virtual appliance in an ESX/ESXi cluster but it is possible to run the VSM on dedicated hardware: the Nexus 1010, 1010x and 1100. For organisations where there is a very strict boundary between network management and server management, network administrators can avoid the dependency on the VSM running as virtual machine within the ESX cluster. The capabilities and limitations of a VSM running on a Nexus1010 are the same as a VSM running as virtual appliance under ESX. A Nexus 1100 can host up to 14 VSMs and it also allows additional services such as a Network Analysis Module to be run.
Nexus 2000 series The Nexus 2000 series are fabric extenders (FEX): top of rack 1U high system that can be used in combination with higher end Nexus switches like the 5000, 6000 or 7000 series: the 2000 series is not a stand-alone switch but needs to be connected to a parent and should be seen as a module or remote line card but then installed in a 19" rack instead of in a main switch-enclosure. The interconnection between this 'remote line card' and the 5000 or 7000 parent switch uses either proprietary interfaces (CX-1 for copper or the short or long range Cisco Fabric Extender Transceiver (FET) interfaces), or standard interfaces (Cisco SFP+ SR and LR fibre interface modules or SFP+ Twinax cables). In combination with the 5000/6000/7000 mother-switch you can create a so-called Distributed Modular System.
The 2000 series consists of 4 different models. Three models offer 24 or only or Gigabit or Fast Ethernet copper interfaces and up to four 10 Gigabit uplink interfaces on copper or fibre. The Nexus 2232PP offers thirty-two Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) interfaces.Cisco brochure Nexus 2000, PDF, retrieved 28 May 2011 The Nexus 2248PQ offers forty-eight Ethernet and FCoE interfaces.
For the HP BladeSystem C3000 and C7000 server blade chassis, the Cisco Nexus B22HP fabric extender exists. (October 2011)IT KnowledgeExchange website: Cisco FEX finally available for the HP blade-system, 18 October 2011. Visited: 27 August 2012
The Fujitsu PRIMERGY BX400 and BX900 blade server chassis uses the B22F fabric extender. (July 2012)Fujitsu Press Release For the Dell M1000e blade server chassis, the Cisco Nexus B22Dell fabric extender was released in January 2013, which is 2.5 years after the initially planned release. Due to a disagreement between Dell and Cisco, Cisco stopped development of the FEX for the M1000e in 2010TheRegister website: Cisco cuts Nexus 4001d blade switch, 16 February 2010. Visited: 10 March 2013
The Nexus B22FEX offer 16 x 10 Gbase-KR internal link to each blade-server interface and up to 8 SFP+ ports for uplink with a Nexus 5010, 5548 or 5596 switch. The maximum distance between the FEX and the mother-switch is 3 kilometer when it is only used for TCP/IP traffic and 300 meter when carrying also FCoE traffic.Cisco datasheet: Cisco Nexus B22 Blade Fabric Extender, July 2012. Visited: 27 August 2012]
Nexus 3000 series The model 3064 is currently the only Nexus switch in the 3000-series utilizing merchant silicon. The 1U rack-switch with 1, 10 and Ethernet interfaces is designed for use in colo center. Offers layer 2 and layer 3 capabilities at wire-speed for all 64 interfaces running in . Layer3 routing protocols supported include static routes, RIP v2, OSPF and BGP-4. The switch-fabric can switch and forward up to 950 million packets per second. The switch is capable of building a route-table with up to 16000 prefixes, 8000 host-entries and 4000 multicast routes and up to 4096 VLANs are supported. On top of that a high number of ingress or egress ACLs can be configured.
The 3064 has a single fan tray, two replaceable power supplies on board and two separate out-of-band management interfaces. To connect the 3064 to the rest of the network the use of proprietary EtherChannel or Link aggregation using industry-standard LACP or IEEE 802.3ad is supported with up to 32 port-channels with each up to 16 physical interfaces.
The switch holds of 48 SFP+Cisco documentation on Cisco 10 Gigabit modules, visited 28 May 2011 for or Ethernet interfaces and four QSFP+Cisco documentation on Cisco 40 Gigabit modules, visited 28 May 2011 each handling 4 x interfaces allowing for over a single fibre-pairCisco brochure ,Nexus 3000, PDF, retrieved 28 May 2011
Nexus 4000 series The Nexus 4000 series consists of only the model 4001: a blade-switch module for IBM BladeCenter that has all 10 Gbit FCoE interfaces. This blade switch had 14 server-facing downlinks running on or and six uplinks using SFP+ modules. For out-of-band management, three Ethernet interfaces are available: one external 10/100/1000 bit/s copper interface, one internal management interface for the AMM or Advanced Management Module and one in-band interface using the VLAN interface option. And this blade-switch also has a serial console cable for direct access to the CLICisco brochure Nexus 4001 At a Glance, PDF, retrieved 28 May 2011
At present only switches for the IBM blade systems are available. When the Nexus 4000 series were announced in 2009 it was expected that there would be Nexus 4001 series for IBM and Dell (and not HP)Bladesmadesimple.com: Cisco announces Nexus 4000 for blades, 29 September 2009. Visited: 26 Augustus, 2012 but in February 2010 it became clear that Cisco canceled the Nexus 4001d for the Dell M1000e
For the HP blade system Cisco released a Fabric Extender, which compares with the Nexus 2000 top-of-rack devices, but then in a blade-form factor. The FEX that was developed for the Dell blade system, which was due to be released in the summer of 2010 was dropped at the same time as the Nexus 4001d in February of that year
Nexus 5000 series The Nexus 5000 series, a.k.a. N5K, is a range of 5 models 1U or 2U rack-switches offering 20 to 96 interfaces running on 1 or Ethernet and FCoE interfaces. They can be used with the above-mentioned Nexus 2000 series fabric extender. The 5000-series offer carrier-grade layer2 and layer3 switching as well as FCoE capabilitiesCisco brochure ,Nexus 5000 series, PDF, retrieved 28 May 2011
The Nexus 5000 has 5 models:
Nexus 5010 A one rack-unit high switch with 20 fixed supporting Ethernet, FCoE and DCB interfaces and one expansion port offering one of the following modules: 8 ports with 1, 2 or Fibre Channel 6 ports with 1, 2, 4 or Fibre Channel 4 ports with FCoE or DCB and 4 ports offering 1, 2 or Fibre Channel 6 ports offering FCoE or DCB
Nexus 5010 is End Of Life - http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-5000-series-switches/eol_c51-709037.html
Nexus 5020 A two rack-unit high switch with 40 fixed supporting Ethernet, FCoE and DCB and two expansion ports each offering one of the modules 8 ports with 1, 2 or Fibre Channel 6 ports with 1, 2, 4 or Fibre Channel 4 ports with FCoE or DCB and 4 ports offering 1, 2 or Fibre Channel 6 ports offering FCoE or DCB Nexus 5020 is End of Life - http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-5000-series-switches/eol_c51-709037.html
Nexus 5548 The 5548 comes in two sub-models: the 5548P and 5548UP Nexus 5548P switch: 1U chassis with 32 fixed non-unified ports and up to 16 additional ports using the expansion slot. The 5548 chassis can be the main fabric for the Nexus 2000 series fabric extenders. The interfaces in the expansion slots are: 16 port unified offering 1-10 Gbit/s SFP+ slot for Ethernet and FCoE OR 1,2,4 or 8 native fibre channel 16 port SFP+ Ethernet and FCoE 8 ports SFP+ Ethernet and FCoE plus 8 ports 1,2,4 or 8 native fibre-channel.Cisco website on the Nexus 5500 chassis, visited 28 May 2011
Nexus 5548UP: also a 1U chassis with 32 fixed unified ports and up to 16 additional ports using the expansion slot. The difference between the 5548P and 5548UP is that the 5548Ps fixed (on board) SFP+ slots are non-unified there where the same SFP+ slots on the UP chassis are unified.
Nexus 5596 The 5596 comes in two sub-models the UP and the T:
Nexus 5596UP: a two-RU chassis with 48 fixed unified ports and up to 48 additional interfaces in three expansion slots. Capabilities of the 5596UP is same as the 5548UP but this switch is two RU high and supports three expansion slots Nexus 5596T: a two-RU chassis with 48 fixed ports (32 of 10G Base-T + 16 SFP+) and up to 48 additional interfaces in three expansion slots. 5596T supports the upcoming 10G Base-T ports on the fixed as well as expansion slots along with supporting any other generic expansion modules that are supported on 5596UP.
Next to the expansion modules all three Nexus 55xx switches offer the capability to insert a layer-3 routing engine
Nexus 5672UP The 5672UP comes in two variants, with 16 or 24 unified ports: Nexus 5672UP: 1RU switch with 48 SFP+ ports supporting 1/10 GbE with FCoE or 2/4/8 Gbit/s FC, and 6 QSFP ports supporting 40 GbE with FCoE