Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL Switches Data Sheet

 

Product overview

The Cisco Nexus^® 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL Switches are dense, high-performance, 40-Gbps Layer 2 and 3 switches. They are members of the Cisco Nexus 3100 platform. These second-generation Cisco Nexus 3000 Series Switches offer improved port density, scalability, and features compared to the first-generation switches. The Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL come in a compact one-Rack-Unit (1RU) form factor and run the industry-leading Cisco^® NX‑OS Software operating system, providing customers with comprehensive features and functions that are widely deployed. They support both forward and reverse airflow (port-side exhaust and port-side intake) schemes with AC and DC power inputs. The Cisco Nexus 3132 are well suited for data centers that require a cost-effective, power-efficient line-rate Layer 2 and 3 access or leaf switch.

Three Cisco Nexus 3132 switches are available:

●      The Cisco Nexus 3132Q (Figure 1) is a 40-Gbps Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP) switch with 32 Enhanced QSFP (QSFP+) ports. It also has 4 SFP+ ports that are internally multiplexed with the first QSFP port. Each QSFP+ port can operate in native 40-Gbps or 4 x 10-Gbps mode, with up to a maximum of 104 x 10-Gbps ports.

Cisco Nexus 3132Q Switch

●      The Cisco Nexus 3132Q-X (Figure 2) is a minor hardware revision of the Cisco Nexus 3132Q. Enhancements include the removal of retimers, a different port layout, and the addition of an LED lane selector. The Cisco Nexus 3132Q-X also consumes 40 watts (W) less power than the Cisco Nexus 3132Q and has increased CPU performance.

Cisco Nexus 3132Q-X Switch

●      The Cisco Nexus 3132Q-XL (Figure 3) is a minor hardware revision of the Cisco Nexus 3132Q-X. Enhancements include an additional 4 GB of memory (for a total of 8 GB). The Cisco Nexus 3132Q-XL also has a 16GB of Logflash and 2.5-GHz CPU.

Cisco Nexus 3132Q-XL Switch

Main benefits

The Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL provide the following main benefits:

●      Wire-rate Layer 2 and 3 switching on all ports^[1]

◦    Layer 2 and 3 switching of up to 2.5 Terabits per second (Tbps) and up to 1.4 billion packets per second (bpps) is provided in a compact 1RU form-factor switch.

●      High availability

◦    Virtual-Port-Channel (vPC) technology provides Layer 2 multipathing through the elimination of Spanning Tree Protocol and enables fully utilized bisectional bandwidth and simplified Layer 2 logical topologies without the need to change the existing management and deployment models.

◦    The 64-way Equal-Cost Multipath (ECMP) routing enables the use of Layer 3 fat-tree designs and allows organizations to prevent network bottlenecks, increase resiliency, and add capacity with little network disruption.

◦    The switches offer fast reboot capabilities.

◦    Power-Supply Units (PSUs) and fans are hot swappable.

●      Flexibility

◦    The QSFP port can be configured to work as four 10-Gbps ports, offering deployment flexibility with maximum of 104 x 10-Gbps ports.

●      High performance

◦    Both switches deliver low nominal latency, which enables customers to implement high-performance infrastructure for High-Frequency Trading (HFT) workloads. Customers can also achieve faster application performance because of the serialization savings from switching at 40 Gigabit Ethernet speeds.

●      Purpose-built NX-OS operating system with comprehensive, proven innovations

◦    Power-On Auto Provisioning (POAP) enables touchless bootup and configuration of the switch, drastically reducing provisioning time.

◦    Cisco Embedded Event Manager (EEM) and Python scripting enable automation and remote operations in the data center.

◦    Advanced buffer monitoring reports real-time buffer utilization per port and per queue, which allows organizations to monitor traffic bursts and application traffic patterns.

◦    Ethanalyzer is a built-in packet analyzer for monitoring and troubleshooting control-plane traffic and is based on the popular Wireshark open-source network protocol analyzer.

◦    Precision Time Protocol (PTP; IEEE 1588) provides accurate clock synchronization and improved data correlation with network packet capture and system events.

◦    Complete Layer 3 unicast and multicast routing protocol suites are supported, including Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Routing Information Protocol Version 2 (RIPv2), Protocol-Independent Multicast sparse mode (PIM-SM), Source-Specific Multicast (SSM), and Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP).

Configuration

All three switches have the following configuration:

●      32 fixed 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ ports

●      4 SFP+ ports, which are multiplexed internally with the first QSFP+ port

●      Locator LED

●      Dual redundant power supplies

●      Redundant (3+1) fans

●      Support for forward (port-side exhaust) and reversed (port-side intake) airflow schemes

The Cisco Nexus 3132Q has the following configuration:

●      One 10/100/1000-Mbps management port located on the front of the chassis

●      One RS-232 serial console port located on the front of the chassis

●      One USB port located on the front of the chassis

The Cisco Nexus 3132Q-X has the following configuration:

●      Lane selector button and LED

●      One 10/100/1000-Mbps management port located on the rear of the chassis

●      One RS-232 serial console port on located on the rear of the chassis

●      One USB port located on the rear of the chassis

The Cisco Nexus 3132Q-XL has the following configuration:

●      8 GB of memory and 2.5-GHz CPU

●      Lane selector button and LED

●      One 10/100/1000-Mbps management port located on the rear of the chassis

●      One RS-232 serial console port located on the rear of the chassis

●      One USB port located on the rear of the chassis

Transceiver and cabling options

The Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL have 32 QSFP+ ports. QSFP+ technology allows a smooth transition from 10 to 40 Gigabit Ethernet infrastructure in data centers. Each of the switches’ QSFP+ ports can operate in either native 40 Gigabit Ethernet mode or 4 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet mode. All switches support both fiber and copper cabling solutions for these two modes.

For low-cost cabling, copper-based 40-Gbps Twinax cables can be used, and for longer cable reaches, short-reach optical transceivers are excellent. Connectivity can be established from the QSFP+ ports to 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches or hosts using a splitter cable that has a QSFP+ transceiver on one end and four SFP+ transceivers on the other end. Similar capability can be achieved on the fiber solution by using QSFP+ SR4/CSR4, or 4X10G-LR transceivers and procuring third-party fiber splitter MPO-to-LC cables in order to connect to SFP+ SR or SFP+ LR interfaces respectively.

In addition 1G and 10G interfaces are supported on native SFP ports, as well as on QSFP ports with the Cisco CVR-QSFP-SFP10G adapter.

For details about the optics modules available and the minimum software release required for each supported optics module, visit https://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/modules/ps5455/products_device_support_tables_list.html.

For more information about the transceiver types, see https://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/modules/ps5455/prod_module_series_home.html.

Cisco NX-OS Software Overview

NX-OS is a data center–class operating system built with modularity, resiliency, and serviceability at its foundation. NX-OS helps ensure continuous availability and sets the standard for mission-critical data center environments. The self-healing and highly modular design of NX-OS makes zero-impact operations a reality and enables exceptional operation flexibility.

Focused on the requirements of the data center, NX-OS provides a robust and comprehensive feature set that meets the networking requirements of present and future data centers. With an XML interface and a Command-Line Interface (CLI) like that of Cisco IOS^® Software, NX-OS provides state-of-the-art implementations of relevant networking standards as well as a variety of true data center–class Cisco innovations.

Cisco NX-OS Software Benefits

Table 1 summarizes that benefits that NX-OS offers.

Table 1.        Benefits of Cisco NX-OS Software

Cisco NX-OS Software Packages for the Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL

The software packages available for the Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL offer flexibility and a comprehensive feature set as well as consistency with Cisco Nexus access switches. The default system software has a comprehensive Layer 2 feature set with robust security and management features. To enable Layer 3 IP unicast and multicast routing functions, additional licenses need to be installed. Table 2 summarizes the software packages. See Table 4 later in this document for a complete list of software features.

Table 2.        Cisco NX-OS Software Packages Available for the Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL

Cisco Data Center Network Manager

The Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL are supported in DCNM. DCNM is designed for hardware platforms enabled for NX-OS, which consist of the Cisco Nexus Family products. DCNM is a Cisco management solution that increases overall data center infrastructure uptime and reliability, hence improving business continuity. Focused on the management requirements of the data center network, DCNM provides a robust framework and comprehensive feature set that meets the routing, switching, and storage administration needs of present and future data centers. In particular, DCNM automates the provisioning process, proactively monitors the LAN by detecting performance degradation, secures the network, and simplifies the diagnosis of dysfunctional network elements.

Product specifications

Table 3 lists the specifications for the Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL; Table 4 lists software features; and Table 5 lists management standards and support.

Table 3.        Specifications

Table 4.        Software Features

Table 5.        Management and Standards Support

Software requirements

Cisco Nexus 3100 platform switches are supported by Cisco NX-OS Software Release 6.0(2)U2(1) and later. Cisco Nexus 3100-XL series switches are supported by Cisco NX-OS software Release NXOS-703I2.2 and later. Cisco NX-OS interoperates with any networking OS, including Cisco IOS Software, that conforms to the networking standards mentioned in this data sheet.

Regulatory standards compliance

Table 6 summarizes regulatory standards compliance for the Cisco Nexus 3100 platform.

Table 6.        Regulatory standards compliance: Safety and EMC

Ordering information

Table 7 provides ordering information for the Cisco Nexus 3132Q, 3132Q-X, and 3132Q-XL.

Table 7.        Ordering information

Service and Support

Cisco offers a wide range of services to help accelerate your success in deploying and optimizing the Cisco Nexus 3100 platform in your data center. The innovative Cisco Services offerings are delivered through a unique combination of people, processes, tools, and partners and are focused on helping you increase operation 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 at any time to Cisco network experts and award-winning resources.

With this service, you can take advantage of the Cisco Smart Call Home service capability, which offers proactive diagnostics and real-time alerts on your Cisco Nexus 3100 platform switches. Spanning the entire network lifecycle, Cisco Services help increase investment protection, optimize network operations, support migration operations, and strengthen your IT expertise.

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Flexible payment solutions to help you achieve your objectives

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For more information

For more information, please visit https://www.cisco.com/go/nexus3000.