Table Of Contents

Overview

Overview

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This chapter provides an overview of the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switches, which support end-to-end data center connectivity, consolidating IP, storage, and interprocess communication (IPC) networks onto a single Ethernet fabric.

The Cisco Nexus 7000 Series includes these two switches:

•Cisco Nexus 7010 switch—Provides 10 slots that include two supervisor modules and up to eight I/O modules. The fabric modules for this switch manage the bandwidth for up to eight I/O modules. This switch uses front-to-back airflow to cool all of its modules.

•Cisco Nexus 7018 switch—Provides 18 slots that include two supervisor modules and up to 16 I/O modules. The fabric modules for this switch manage the bandwidth for up to 16 I/O modules. This switch uses side-to-side airflow to cool its modules and front-to-back airflow to cool its power supply units.

Both switches utilize the same supervisor modules, I/O modules, and power supply units. To compare the features of these two switches, see Table 1-1.

Table 1-1 Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switch Features  

Feature	Cisco Nexus 7010 1	Cisco Nexus 7018 1
Chassis	10-slot chassis for holding supervisor modules, I/O modules, fabric modules, power supplies, and fan trays.	18-slot chassis for holding supervisor modules, I/O modules, fabric modules, power supplies, and fan trays.
Supervisor Modules	1 to 2 modules shipped in the chassis.	1 to 2 modules shipped in the chassis.
I/O Modules	1 to 8 modules shipped in the chassis.	1 to 16 modules shipped in the chassis.
Fan Tray	—	2 fan trays shipped in the chassis.
System Fan Tray	2 fan trays shipped in the chassis.	—
Fabric Fan Tray	2 fan trays shipped in the chassis.	—
Fabric Modules	3 to 5 modules shipped in the chassis. These modules have bandwidth for up to 8 I/O modules.	3 to 5 modules shipped in the chassis. These modules have bandwidth for up to 16 I/O modules.
Power Supplies	2 to 3 power supply units shipped with the chassis but boxed separately.	2 to 4 modules shipped with the chassis but boxed separately.

1 The quantity of modules and fan trays shipped with the chassis will vary depending on your order.

For information about preparing your site for the Nexus 7000 Series switches, see Chapter 2, "Preparing the Site."

For information about installing the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switches, see the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Hardware Installation and Reference Guide. For translations of the warnings in that guide, see the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information document.