Chapter 1. Introduction

This document describes the Cisco NX-OS configuration limits for the Cisco Nexus 3600 platform switch with N3K-C3636C-R and N3K-C36180YC-R line cards.

Note

All the limits are for the N3K-C36180YC-R TOR. The values specific to N3K-C3636C-R are indicated against the specific limit and the table.

The values that are provided in this guide should not be interpreted as theoretical system limits for Cisco Nexus 3600 platform hardware or the Cisco NX-OS software. These limits refer to values that have been validated by Cisco. They can increase over time as more testing and validation is done.

- Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

- Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

The tables in this section list the verified scalability limits for Cisco NX-OS Release 7.0(3)I7(9). These limits are validated with a unidimensional configuration. The values provided in these tables focus on the scalability of one particular feature at a time.

Each number is the absolute maximum currently supported by this Cisco NX-OS release for the corresponding feature. If the hardware is capable of a higher scale, future software releases might increase this verified maximum limit. Results might differ from the values listed here when trying to achieve maximum scalability with multiple features enabled.

Interfaces Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

DHCP servers/relay IPs per switch

5 (IPv4) + 5 (IPv6)[1]

Port channel member links

32

SVIs

4,000

vPCs

48

[1] This limit has not been tested

Label Switching Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Forwarding Equivalence Classes (FECs)

1,000

Equal-cost multipaths (ECMPs)

8

FECs ECMPs

4,000

IAS option B labels

450,000

Layer 3 VPN routes

450,000

ECMPs

2,000

Layer 2 Switching Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

MAC addresses

192,000

MST instances

64

MST virtual ports

218,185

RPVST virtual ports

13,750

VLANs

3,967

VLANs in RPVST mode

250

Layer 3 Multicast Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

IPv4 multicast routes

32,000 (Layer 3)

Outgoing interfaces (OIFs)

16 OIFs for 32K mroutes or 287 OIFs for 1000 mroutes

PIM neighbors

500

SVI

50-60

Security Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

IPv4 ingress access control entries (ACEs)

RACL-2000, PACL-1024 (without TCAM Carving) IPv4 52640 ACEs per system

IPv6 ingress access control entries (ACEs)

RACL-1000, PACL-1024 (without TCAM Carving) IPv6 25200 ACEs per system

System Management Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

SPAN and ERSPAN

Configurable SPAN or ERSPAN sessions

32

Active SPAN or ERSPAN sessions

32

Active localized SPAN or ERSPAN session per line card

32 sessions across ports on single line card

Active localized SPAN or ERSPAN session (Rx and Tx, Rx, or Tx)

32 sessions, 128 sources and 1 destination

Destination interfaces per SPAN session

1

Source VLANs per SPAN or ERSPAN

6

Layer 3 Unicast Routing Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

BFD sessions (echo mode)

288

BGP neighbors

256

HSRP groups

498

IPv4 ARP

80,000

IPv4 host routes

750,000

IPv6 host routes

62,000

IPv6 ND

32,000

IPv4 unicast routes (LPM)

192,000

IPv6 unicast routes (LPM)

62,000

OSPFv2 neighbors

1,000

OSPFv3 neighbors

1,000

OSPF/OSPFv3 LSA/LSDB size

250,000

OSPF/OSPFv3 areas

15

VRFs

3,967

VRRP

VRRP groups per interface or I/O module

15

HSRP Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Groups with default timers (3s/10s) and multiple group optimization. [There are 2 primary, one for IPv4 and the other for IPv6, and 7926 secondary]

7,928

Groups with aggressive timers (1s/3s) and multiple groups optimization. [There are 2 primary, one for IPv4 and the other for IPv6, and 7926 secondary][2]

7,928

Groups per interface or I/0 module

Maximum 16 (Because 16 is the unique virtual MAC address limit)

HSRP groups

8000

[2] If the user has Multi-protocol configuration, user should configure appropriate CoPP policies so as to avoid any control plane traffic drops.

Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

The tables in this section list the verified scalability limits for Cisco NX-OS Release 7.0(3)I7(9). These limits are validated with a multidimensional configuration. The values provided in these tables focus on the scalability of one particular feature at a time.

Each number is the absolute maximum currently supported by this Cisco NX-OS release for the corresponding feature. If the hardware is capable of a higher scale, future software releases might increase this verified maximum limit. Results might differ from the values listed here when trying to achieve maximum scalability with multiple features enabled.

Attention

These numbers are not the maximum verified values if each feature is viewed in isolation. For these numbers, see the "Verified Scalability Limits" section.

MSDC Profile Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Number of 100G ports

6

VPC port channels

10

ISIS IPv4 /32 unicast routes

1,291

ISIS IPv6 /128 unicast routes

1,291

Multicast IPv4 SSM

10,000

VRF IPv4/IPv6

100

PIM neighbors

100

IGMP snooping database entries

240

VRRP IPv4 and IPv6

1,000 vlans

Multicast SSM

10,000

HSRP IPv4 and IPv6

1,000 vlans

SVI

100 (N3K-C3636C-R)

Sub-interfaces

100 (N3K-C3636C-R)

MAC

1000 (N3K-C3636C-R)

BGP IPv4/IPv6 VLSM routes

1000 (N3K-C3636C-R)

BGP IPv4/IPv6 Unicast routes

10,000 (N3K-C3636C-R)

ECMP

16-way Upstream (N3K-C3636C-R)

SPAN sessions

1 local SPAN session (N3K-C3636C-R)

MPLS Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

MPLS L3VPN

3,715

VPE

3,715

PE nodes

Nil

PE routes

Nil

ACL (IPv4)

1,100

ACL (IPv6)

440

HSRP and IPv6 VIP

3.715 each for v4 and v6

vPC uRPF

Nil

Strict uRPF

Yes

VRF

3,715

SVI

3,715

Layer 3 VPN routes IP ECMP

<500

MPLS LSR ECMP

<500

VPN IPv4 routes

65,000

VPN IPv6 routes

25,000

EBGP neighbors

Nil

L2/L3 TOR Boundary Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

ECMP

16-way (Upstream)

vPC port channels

44

OSPFv2 neighbors

16

OSPFv3 neighbors

16

OSPF IPv4 /32 unicast routes

45,000

OSPF IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

OSPF IPv6 /128 unicast routes

25,000

OSPF IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

BFD sessions

230

VLAN

1,250

SVI

1,000

1250 (N3K-C3636C-R)

Sub-interfaces

250 per interface and 500 across the system (N3K-C3636C-R)

VRRP v4 groups

1,000 VRRS / 8 VRRPv3

VRRP v6 groups

1,000 VRRS / 8 VRRPv3

PIM neighbors

230

IPv4 (*,G) multicast routes

300

IPv6 (S,G) multicast routes

2,320

IGMP snooping database entries

6,300

sFlow enabled interfaces

63

UDLD enabled interfaces

65

SPAN sessions

1 local SPAN session

MVR VLANs

250

MVR receiver ports

10

MVR multicast groups

1,000

MAC

20,000 (N3K-C3636C-R)

Q-in-Q tunnel ports

26

RSTP VLANS (tunneled over L2PT)

3,960

Layer 2/Layer 3 Spine Boundary (for N3K-C3636C-R) Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Number of 100G ports

36

Number of 10G/25 ports

36 x 4 (Breakout)

ECMP

16-way (Upstream)

vPC port channels

40

OSPFv2 neighbors

100

OSPFv3 neighbors

100

OSPF IPv4 /32 unicast routes

45,000

OSPF IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

OSPF IPv6 /128 unicast routes

25,000

OSPF IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

BFD sessions

280

VLAN

3.967

SVI

3,967

Sub-interfaces

250 per interface and 511 across system

VRRP IPv4 groups

1,996 VRRS / 4 VRRPv3

VRRP IPv6 groups

1,996 VRRS / 4 VRRPv3

HSRP IPv4

1,743 Secondary Groups / 7 Primary Groups

HSRP IPv6

1,743 Secondary Groups / 7 Primary Groups

PIM neighbors

230

IPv4 (*,G) multicast routes

2,000

IPv6 (S,G) multicast routes

30,000

IGMP snooping database entries

6,300

Sflow enabled interfaces

45

UDLD enabled interfaces

48

SPAN sessions

1 local SPAN session

MAC

50,000

Segment Routing Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

LACP

26

LACP members

1 or 4

eBGP IPv6 neighbors

25

eBGP IPv4 LU neighbors

24

IPv4 (LU) routes

1,537

IPv4 (LU) paths

6,987

IPv6 routes

1,486

IPv6 paths

6,915

SR ECMP (maximum)

18

MPLS HW entries

6,868

Segment Routing (for N3K-C3636C-R) Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

VLAN

100

SVI

100

MAC entries

10,000

ARP entries

70

HSRPv4, HSRPv6 VIPs

100, 100

LACP

3

LACP members

4

eBGP IPv6 neighbors

2

eBGP IPv4 neihbors

2

IPv4 (LU) routes

6,848

IPv4 (LU) paths

8,187

IPv6 routes

6,640

IPv6 paths

7,975

SR ECMP

2

MPLS HW entries

2,682

VXLAN Profile Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Number of ports

16

ECMP

8-way (Upstream)

BGP neighbors

2

BGP EVPN L2VPN host routes

60,000

BGP IPv4 VLSM unicast routes or ospf

10,000

BGP IPv6 VLSM unicast routes or ospf

2,000

BFD sessions

10

PIM neighbors

10

IPv4 (*,G) multicast routes (co-existing)

4,000

IPv4 (S,G) multicast routes (co-existing)

2,000

Layer 3 VNI

100

Layer 2 VNI

400

Local VTEP

1

Remote VTEPs

205

VLAN

400

SVI

100

MAC

80,000

vPC hosts

1

THE SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION REGARDING THE PRODUCTS IN THIS MANUAL ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL STATEMENTS, INFORMATION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS MANUAL ARE BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE BUT ARE PRESENTED WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. USERS MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR APPLICATION OF ANY PRODUCTS.

THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND LIMITED WARRANTY FOR THE ACCOMPANYING PRODUCT ARE SET FORTH IN THE INFORMATION PACKET THAT SHIPPED WITH THE PRODUCT AND ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY THIS REFERENCE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE SOFTWARE LICENSE OR LIMITED WARRANTY, CONTACT YOUR CISCO REPRESENTATIVE FOR A COPY.

The Cisco implementation of TCP header compression is an adaptation of a program developed by the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) as part of UCB's public domain version of the UNIX operating system. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1981, Regents of the University of California.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER WARRANTY HEREIN, ALL DOCUMENT FILES AND SOFTWARE OF THESE SUPPLIERS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS" WITH ALL FAULTS. CISCO AND THE ABOVE-NAMED SUPPLIERS DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOST PROFITS OR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO DATA ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS MANUAL, EVEN IF CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young (eay@cryptsoft.com).

This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit. (https://www.openssl.org/)

This product includes software written by Tim Hudson (tjh@cryptsoft.com).

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: https://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)

Full Cisco Trademarks with Software License

THE SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION REGARDING THE PRODUCTS IN THIS MANUAL ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL STATEMENTS, INFORMATION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS MANUAL ARE BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE BUT ARE PRESENTED WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. USERS MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR APPLICATION OF ANY PRODUCTS.

THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND LIMITED WARRANTY FOR THE ACCOMPANYING PRODUCT ARE SET FORTH IN THE INFORMATION PACKET THAT SHIPPED WITH THE PRODUCT AND ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY THIS REFERENCE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE SOFTWARE LICENSE OR LIMITED WARRANTY, CONTACT YOUR CISCO REPRESENTATIVE FOR A COPY.

The Cisco implementation of TCP header compression is an adaptation of a program developed by the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) as part of UCB's public domain version of the UNIX operating system. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1981, Regents of the University of California.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER WARRANTY HEREIN, ALL DOCUMENT FILES AND SOFTWARE OF THESE SUPPLIERS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS" WITH ALL FAULTS. CISCO AND THE ABOVE-NAMED SUPPLIERS DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OR ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOST PROFITS OR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO DATA ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS MANUAL, EVEN IF CISCO OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

All printed copies and duplicate soft copies of this document are considered uncontrolled. See the current online version for the latest version.

Cisco has more than 200 offices worldwide. Addresses and phone numbers are listed on the Cisco website at www.cisco.com/go/offices.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/legal/trademarks.html. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1721R)