Setting Up the IP Fabric for Media

This chapter describes how to set up an IP fabric for media network.

Determining the Number and Types of Leaf Switches Required in the IP Fabric

The number and types of leaf switches required in your IP fabric depend on the number and types of endpoints in your broadcasting center.

Follow these steps to help determine how many leaf switches you need:

  1. Count the number of endpoints (cameras, microphones, and so on) in your broadcasting center (for example, 360 10-Gbps endpoints and 50 40-Gbps endpoints).

  2. Determine the type of leaf switches required based on the type of endpoints in your broadcasting center.

    • For 10-Gbps endpoints, use the Cisco Nexus 93108TC-FX, 93216TC-FX2, 93180YC-FX leaf switches.

    • For 25-Gbps endpoints, use the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX, 93240YC-FX2, or 93360YC-FX2 leaf switches.

    • For 40-Gbps endpoints, use the Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2 leaf switches.

    • For 100-Gbps endpoints, use the Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2 leaf switches.

  3. Determine the number of leaf switches required based on the number of endpoints and uplinks that each leaf switch supports.


    Note


    The uplink and downlink numbers in the following table are a recommendation. There are no technical limitations to use certain ports as uplinks or host-facing links.


    Table 1. Endpoints and Uplinks Supported Per Leaf Switch

    Leaf Switch

    Endpoint Capacity

    Uplink Capacity

    Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2 switch

    25 x 40-Gbps endpoints

    10 x 100-Gbps (1000-Gbps) uplinks

    Cisco Nexus 9348GC-FXP switch

    48 x 1-Gbps/100-Mbps endpoints

    2 x 100-Gbps (200-Gbps) uplinks

    Cisco Nexus 93108TC-FX switch

    48 x 1/10-Gbps endpoints

    6 x 100-Gbps (600-Gbps) uplinks

    Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX switch

    48 x 10/25-Gbps endpoints

    6 x 100-Gbps (600-Gbps) uplinks

    Cisco Nexus 93216TC-FX2 switch

    96 x 1/10-Gbps endpoints

    12 x 40/100-Gbps (1200-Gbps) uplinks

    Cisco Nexus 93240YC-FX2 switch

    48 x 10/25-Gbps endpoints

    12 x 100-Gbps (1200-Gbps) uplinks

    Cisco Nexus 93360YC-FX2 switch

    96 x 10/25-Gbps endpoints

    12 x 40/100-Gbps (1200-Gbps) uplinks

  4. Make sure that the uplink bandwidth (toward the spine switch) is greater than or equal to the downstream bandwidth (toward the endpoints).

    1. Use this equation to determine the uplink bandwidth:

      Uplink Capacity per Leaf Switch x Number of Leaf Switches = Uplink Bandwidth

    2. Use this equation to determine the downstream bandwidth:

      Endpoint Capacity per Leaf Switch x Number of Leaf Switches = Downstream Bandwidth

  5. If the total uplink bandwidth is greater than or equal to the total downstream bandwidth, your topology is valid. You can now determine the number of achievable flows. If the uplink bandwidth is less than the downstream bandwidth, rework your topology until the upstream bandwidth is equal to or greater than the downstream bandwidth.

    The IPFM flows can't utilize all the expected bandwidth as the PIM bidir RP configuration utilizes the IPFM bandwidth available. To increase the IPFM bandwidth, remove the PIM bidir RP configuration.

The following diagram shows an example topology with a Cisco Nexus 9508 spine switch and an N9K-X9636C-R line card:

Determining the Number of Achievable Flows in the IP Fabric

Use this equation to determine the number of possible flows in your IP fabric:

Total Bandwidth ÷ Flow Size = Number of Achievable Flows

The flow size is configurable and is typically based on the type of video technology that is used in your broadcasting center.

Table 2. Flow Sizes Per Video Technology

Technology

Flow Size

HD video

1.5 Gbps (1500 Mbps)

3G HD video

3 Gbps (3000 Mbps)

4K ultra HD video

12 Gbps (12,000 Mbps)

8K ultra HD video

48 Gbps (48,000 Mbps)

For example:

7200-Gbps total bandwidth ÷ 1.5-Gbps flow size (for HD video) = 4800 possible flows