Verified Scalability Limits

This document describes the Cisco NX-OS configuration limits for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches and Cisco Nexus 9508 switch with an X9636C-R, X9636C-RX, or X9636Q-R line card or a C9508-FM-R fabric module and Cisco Nexus 9504 with -R line cards.

Introduction

The values provided in this guide should not be interpreted as theoretical system limits for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series hardware or 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 for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches

Verified Scalability Limits

The tables in this section list the verified scalability limits for Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches for Cisco NX-OS Release 9.2(2). 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.

Table 1. Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders (FEX) Straight Through Mode Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit1

9300 Platform Verified Limit2

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

Fabric Extenders3 and Fabric Extender server interfaces

32 and 1536

16 and 768

Not applicable

16 and 768

16 and 768

VLANs across all Fabric Extenders

2000

2000

Not applicable

562

562

VLANs per Fabric Extender server interface4

75

75

Not applicable

75

75

Port channels

426

256

Not applicable

232

232

Unique Fabric Extenders per Cisco Nexus 9500 Series supported line card

12

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable
1 The Cisco Nexus 2200 Series and B22 Series Fabric Extenders are supported with X9464PX and X9564PX line cards on Cisco Nexus 9500 Series switches. The Cisco Nexus 2300 Series Fabric Extenders are supported with X9432PQ, X9464PX, X9464TX, X9536PQ, X9564PX, X9564TX, and X9636PQ line cards on Cisco Nexus 9500 Series switches.
2 The Cisco Nexus 2200 Series and B22 Series Fabric Extenders are supported with the Cisco Nexus 9396PX, 9372PX, and 9372PX-E chassis. The Cisco Nexus 2300 Series Fabric Extenders are supported with the Cisco Nexus 9332PQ, 9396PX, 9372PX, and 9372PX-E chassis.
3 When FEX configured using "AA" mode, then the maximum number of 6 FEX on NFE base ToR and 16 FEX for LSE base ToR are supported.
4 For FEX HIF port channels, Cisco recommends that you enable STP port type edge using the spanning tree port type edge [trunk] command.
Table 2. FCoE Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature 5

Verified Limit 6

FLOGI per port

256

FLOGI per switch

1000

Port channels

87

Member ports in a port channel

16

VFCs

544

VSANs

32

5 Feature Verified Limit is 5.
6 All above numbers are verified against Platform — Nexus 93180YC-FX
7 The number of SAN port channels and virtual FC port channels, together, can be only 8 on the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switch.

Note
For a list of platforms on which FCoE is supported, see the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS FCoE Configuration Guide.
Table 3. FC Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature 8

Verified Limit 9

FLOGI per port

256

FLOGI per switch

1000

Port channels

810

Member ports in a port channel

16

FC ports supported

48

VSANs

32

8 Feature Verified Limit is 6.
9 All above numbers are verified against Platform — Nexus 93180YC-FX
10 The number of SAN port channels and virtual FC port channels, together, can be only 8 on the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switch.
Table 4. Intelligent Traffic Director Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

Nodes per device group

32

32

32

Nodes across all device groups

256

256

256

Device groups per switch

48

48

48

ITD services per switch

64

64

64

Ingress interfaces per ITD service

8

8

8

Virtual IP addresses per ITD service

255

255

255

Device groups per ITD service

48

48

48


Note
For a list of platforms on which ITD is supported, see the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Intelligent Traffic Director Configuration Guide
Table 5. Interfaces Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX Verified Limit

DHCP clients per switch

10 (IPv4) + 10 (IPv6)

10 (IPv4) + 10 (IPv6)

10 (IPv4) + 10 (IPv6)

10 (IPv4) + 10 (IPv6)

10 (IPv4) + 10 (IPv6)

10 (IPv4) + 10 (IPv6)

10 (IPv4) + 10 (IPv6)

IP DHCP relay addresses (helper addresses) per L3 interface

32 (IPv4) + 32 (IPv6)

32 (IPv4) + 32 (IPv6)

32 (IPv4) + 32 (IPv6)

32 (IPv4) + 32 (IPv6)

32 (IPv4) + 32 (IPv6)

32 (IPv4) + 32 (IPv6)

32 (IPv4) + 32 (IPv6)

Generic routing encapsulation (GRE) tunnels

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

Port channel links

32

32

32

32

32

32

32

SVIs

490 (with HSRP), 1500 (without HSRP)

450 (with HSRP)

490

450 (with HSRP)

450 (with HSRP)

450 (with HSRP)

490 (with HSRP), 1500 (without HSRP)

SVI Unnumbered

Primary (50)

Secondary (450)

1 primary SVI can have a maximum of 50 secondary SVIs

Primary (50)

Secondary (450)

1 primary SVI can have a maximum of 50 secondary SVIs

Primary (50)

Secondary (450)

1 primary SVI can have a maximum of 50 secondary SVIs

Primary (50)

Secondary (450)

1 primary SVI can have a maximum of 50 secondary SVIs

Primary (50)

Secondary (450)

1 primary SVI can have a maximum of 50 secondary SVIs

Primary (50)

Secondary (450)

1 primary SVI can have a maximum of 50 secondary SVIs

Primary (50)

Secondary (450)

1 primary SVI can have a maximum of 50 secondary SVIs

vPCs

300

80

80

48

80

80

300

Static network address translation (NAT)

Not applicable

1023

1023

1023

1023

1023

Not applicable

Dynamic network address translation (NAT)

Not applicable

1023

1023

1023

1023

1023

Not applicable

Static twice network address translation (NAT)

Not applicable

768

768

768

768

768

Not applicable

Dynamic twice network address translation (NAT)

Not applicable

1023

1023

1023

1023

1023

Not applicable

Table 6. Label Switching Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX/FX Verified Limit

Forwarding Equivalence Classes (FECs) (Node /Prefix /Adj / Binding SID)

128

128

MPLS Heavy Template: 512

Default: 128

MPLS Heavy Template: 4096

Default: 1024

MPLS Heavy Template: 4096

Default: 1024

Not supported

MPLS Heavy Template: 4096

Default: 1024

Equal-cost multipaths (ECMPs)

16

16

16

32

32

Not supported

32

Equal-cost multipaths Groups (ECMPs)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

MPLS Heavy Template: 4096

Default: 1024

MPLS Heavy Template: 4096

Default: 1024

Not supported

MPLS Heavy Template: 4096

Default: 1024

FECs * ECMPs

1000

1000

1000

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not supported

Not applicable

Flex counters for segment-routing in ingress direction

4000 (includes ingress and egress)

4000 (includes ingress and egress)

4000 (includes ingress and egress)

(MPLS Heavy Template)

Total ingress label stats: 4000

VRF ingress label stats: 1000

(MPLS Heavy Template)

Total ingress label stats: 4000

VRF ingress label stats: 1000

(MPLS Heavy Template)

Not supported

Total ingress label stats: 4000

VRF ingress label stats: 1000

(MPLS Heavy Template)

Flex counters for segment-routing in Egress direction

4000 (includes ingress and egress)

4000 (includes ingress and egress)

4000 (includes ingress and egress)

(MPLS Heavy Template)

Total ingress label stats: 48K

(MPLS Heavy Template)

Total ingress label stats: 48K

(MPLS Heavy Template)

Not supported

Total ingress label stats: 48K

(MPLS Heavy Template)

Egress Peer Engineering

64

64

64

64

64

Not supported

64

Label-switched paths (LSPs) for label stack imposition11

128 (with 4-way ECMP and 3 label stack push)

128 (with 4-way ECMP and 3 label stack push)

256 (with 32-way ECMP and 5 label stack push)

256 (with 32-way ECMP and 5 label stack push)

256 (with 32-way ECMP and 5 label stack push)

Not supported

256 (with 32-way ECMP and 5 label stack push)

Layer 3 EVPN Labels

128

128

128 (With MPLS Heavy Template)

1000 (With MPLS Heavy Template)

1000 (With MPLS Heavy Template)

Not supported

1000 (With MPLS Heavy Template)

Node Sid/Prefix SID Scale

128

128

128

4000

4000

Not supported

4000

Adjacency SID Scale

128

128

128

600

600

Not supported

600

Binding SID Scale

50

50

50

1000

1000

Not supported

1000

Private VLANs (PVLANs)

Primary VLANs 12

16

16

Not applicable

400

400

16

16

Secondary VLANs 13

20

20

Not applicable

400

400

20

20

Ports in Community host mode

40

40

Not applicable

40

40

40

40

Ports in isolated host mode

20

40

Not applicable

40

40

40

40

Ports in isolated trunk host mode

22

40

Not applicable

40

40

40

40

Ports in promiscuous mode

48

5

Not applicable

10

10

5

5

Ports in promiscuous trunk mode

80

5

Not applicable

10

10

5

5

PVLANs allowed on a PVLAN port 14

16

16

Not applicable

400

400

16

16

11 For Cisco Nexus 9300 and 9500 Series switches, LSPs *ECMP* label stack push cannot exceed 1500.
12 The 400 PVLAN mapping scale per PVLAN port is only applicable when port is configured as promiscuous trunk port
13 The 400 PVLAN mapping scale per PVLAN port is only applicable when port is configured as promiscuous trunk port
14 The 400 PVLAN mapping scale per PVLAN port is only applicable when port is configured as promiscuous trunk port

Note
For network scalability, Cisco recommends using a hierarchical routing design with multi-hop BGP for advertising the attached prefixes from a top-of-rack (ToR) or border leaf switch.
Table 7. Layer 2 Switching Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX Verified Limit

MAC addresses

90,000

90,000

92,000

92,000

74,000

74,000

92,000

MST instances

64

64

64

64

64

64

64

MST PV count with single instances 0

Not applicable

Not applicable

190000

Not applicable

190000

190000

Not applicable

MST virtual ports with more than 1 MST instance

85,000

48,000

48,000

48,000

48,000

48,000

85,000

RPVST virtual ports

22,000

12,000

12,000

12,000

12,000

12,000

22,000

VLANs

3967 (the remaining 127 VLANs are reserved)

3967 (the remaining 127 VLANs are reserved)

3967 (the remaining 127 VLANs are reserved)

3967 (the remaining 127 VLANs are reserved)

3967 (the remaining 127 VLANs are reserved)

3967 (the remaining 127 VLANs are reserved)

3967 (the remaining 127 VLANs are reserved)

VLANs in RPVST mode

500

500

3967

3967

3967

3967

396715

Total number of VLANs × ports with switchport isolated (3967 VLANs x 48 ports)

190,000

190,000

190,000

190,000

190,000

190,000

190,000

Private VLANs (PVLANs)

Primary VLANs

16

16

Not applicable

16

16

16

16

Secondary VLANs

20

20

Not applicable

20

20

20

20

Ports in Community host mode

40

40

Not applicable

40

40

40

40

Ports in isolated host mode

20

40

Not applicable

40

40

40

40

Ports in isolated trunk host mode

22

40

Not applicable

40

40

40

40

Ports in promiscuous mode

48

5

Not applicable

5

5

5

5

Ports in promiscuous trunk mode

80

5

Not applicable

5

5

5

5

PVLANs allowed on a PVLAN port

16

16

Not applicable

16

16

16

16

15 On EOR, support is for 12000 PV count with 3967 vlans and RPVST with default timers. If 22000 PV count is needed with 3968 vlans and RPVST, recommended hello timer value is 4 or higher. It is also recommended to tune forward delay and max age accordingly

Note

  • The number of supported VLANs per vPC should be within the MST or RPVST virtual port count specified in this table, depending on the topology.

  • The number of supported STP VLAN port instances for Fabric Extender host interface ports should be less than 13,000.

Table 8. Multicast Routing Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-FX Verified Limit

IPv4 multicast routes

32,000 (Layer 2 + Layer 3)

8000 (Layer 2 + Layer 3)

8000 (Layer 2 + Layer 3)

Cisco Nexus 9200 switches do not support the system routing template -Ipm - heavy mode for IPv4 multicast routes. Make sure to reset the LPM maximum limit to 0.

8000

(Layer 2 + Layer 3); 32,000 (layer 2 + Layer 3 with system routing template -multicast -heavy mode)

8000

(Layer 2 + Layer 3); 32,000 (layer 2 + Layer 3 with system routing template -multicast -heavy mode)

128,000 (with system routing template -multicast - ext - heavy mode)

8000

(Layer 2 + Layer 3); 32,000 (layer 2 + Layer 3 with system routing template -multicast -heavy mode)

128,000 (with system routing template -multicast - ext - heavy mode)

8000

(Layer 2 + Layer 3); 32,000 (layer 2 + Layer 3 with system routing template -multicast -heavy mode); 8000 (with system routing template -lpm - heavy mode)

8000

(Layer 2 + Layer 3); 32,000 (layer 2 + Layer 3 with system routing template -multicast -heavy mode); 128,000 (with system routing template -multicast - ext - heavy mode) 16

IPv6 multicast routes

2000 (Layer 3)

2000 (Layer 3)

2000 (Layer 3)

2000 (Layer 3)

2000 (Layer 3)

2000 (Layer 3)

2000 (Layer 3)

2000 (Layer 3)

Outgoing interfaces (OIFs)

40 (SVI + physical Layer 3) or 256 (physical Layer 3)

40 (SVI + physical Layer 3) or 256 (physical Layer 3)

40 (SVI + physical Layer 3) or 256 (physical Layer 3)

40 (SVI + physical Layer 3) or 256 (physical Layer 3)

40 (SVI + physical Layer 3) or 256 (physical Layer 3)

40 (SVI + physical Layer 3) or 256 (physical Layer 3)

40 (SVI + physical Layer 3) or 256 (physical Layer 3)

40 (SVI + physical Layer 3) or 256 (physical Layer 3)

IGMP snooping groups

8000

8000

8000

8000

16,000

16,000

8000

16,000

PIM neighbors

500

250

250

250

250

250

500

500

16 All line cards must have the FX type.

Note

  • The IPv4 multicast routes and the IPv4/IPv6 host routes share the same hardware table. Limits are provided for both the default line card mode and the max host line card mode.

  • High availability (graceful restart and stateful switchover) is not supported when unicast or multicast aggressive timers are configured at any scale.

Table 9. IP Fabric for Media Solution Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Routes

32000

Host Policy

Sender

8000

Receiver

8000

PIM

512

FlowPolicy

2000

ASM group-range

20

Note

For a list of platforms on which IP Fabric for Media Solution is supported, see Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS IP Fabric for Media Solution Guide.

Table 10. Programmability Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX Verified Limit

OpenFlow

OpenFlow ports

Not applicable

96

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

OpenFlow Layer 2 flows

Not applicable

32,000

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

OpenFlow Layer 3 flows

Not applicable

3000

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

OpenFlow IPv6 Layer 3 flows

Not applicable

1500

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Table 11. Security Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX Verified Limit

DHCP snooping bindings

2048

2048

2048

2048

2048

2048

2048

IPv4 ingress TCAM entries

3072 (per network forwarding engine)

3072 (per network forwarding engine)

3582 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

3582 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

3582 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

3582

3582 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

IPv4 egress TCAM entries

768 (per network forwarding engine)

768 (per network forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

IPv6 ingress TCAM entries

1536 (per network forwarding engine)

1536 (per network forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

1792 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

IPv6 egress TCAM entries

256 (per network forwarding engine)

256 (per network forwarding engine)

896 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

896 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

896 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

896 (per slice of the forwarding engine)

896 (per slice of the forwarding engine)


Note
The TCAM entries scalability limits also apply to policy-based TCAM entries (PBACLs).
Table 12. System Management Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX Verified Limit

MPLS Stripping

Labels

12,000

12,000

No limit

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Ingress interfaces

400

48

48

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Egress interfaces

64

16

16

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

PTP

PTP ports 17

44

44

44

44

44

44

1305

sFlow

sFlow ports

256

64

64

64

64

64

256

SPAN and ERSPAN

Configurable SPAN or ERSPAN sessions

32

32

32

32

32

32

32

Active SPAN or ERSPAN sessions18

4 to 32, based on the number of line cards and the session configuration

4

4

4

4

4

4 to 32, based on the number of line cards and the session configuration

Active localized SPAN or ERSPAN sessions per line card19

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

Source interfaces per SPAN or ERSPAN session (Rx and Tx, Rx, or Tx)

48

48

48

48

48

48

48

Destination interfaces per SPAN session

1 (physical/PO interface)

1 (physical/PO interface)

1 (physical/PO interface)

1 (physical/PO interface)

1 (physical/PO interface)

1 (physical/PO interface)

1 (physical/PO interface)

Source VLANs per SPAN or ERSPAN session

32

32

32

32

32

32

32

Tap Aggregation

Redirect interfaces in the redirect port list

12

12

12

12

12

12

Not applicable

Redirect port lists (or fan outs) per system

100

100

50

50

50

50

Not applicable

NetFlow

Flow monitors

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

2 exporters and 2 flow monitors per type (2 IPv4 flow monitors and 2 IPv6 flow monitors)

2 exporters and 32 flow monitors per type (32 Layer 2 flow monitors, 32 IPv4 flow monitors, and 32 IPv6 flow monitors)

2 exporters and 32 flow monitors per type (32 Layer 2 flow monitors, 32 IPv4 flow monitors, and 32 IPv6 flow monitors)

2 exporters and 2 flow monitors per type (2 IPv4 flow monitors and 2 IPv6 flow monitors)

Note

 

Beginning with 9.2(2), Netflow is supported on Nexus 9500 switches with 9700-EX and FM-E fabric line cards.

Number of Layer 3 interfaces (Layer 3 ports, port channels, and SVIs) to which IPv4 flow monitors can be applied

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

1016 (with members on just one ASIC slice) or 508 (with members on both ASIC slices)

You can use the show interface hardware-mappings command to check if the interface belongs to ASIC slice 0 or slice 1.

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Number of Layer 3 interfaces (Layer 3 ports, port channels, and SVIs) to which IPv6 flow monitors can be applied

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

252 (with members on just one ASIC slice) or 126 (with members on both ASIC slices)

You can use the show interface hardware-mappings command to check if the interface belongs to ASIC slice 0 or slice 1.

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable
17 With PTP offload enabled.
18 A single forwarding engine instance supports four SPAN or ERSPAN sessions. For Cisco Nexus 9300 Series switches, if the first three sessions have bidirectional sources, the fourth session has hardware resources only for Rx sources. This limitation might also apply to Cisco Nexus 9500 Series switches, depending on the SPAN or ERSPAN source's forwarding engine instance mappings.
19 The number of SPAN or ERSPAN sessions per line card reduces to two if the same interface is configured as the bidirectional source in more than one session.

Note
PTP is supported for all Cisco Nexus 9000 Series hardware except for the 100G 9408PC line card and the 100G M4PC generic expansion module (GEM).
Table 13. Unicast Routing Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9364C Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX /FX Verified Limit

Unicast Routing

BFD sessions (echo mode)

512

128

128

128

128

128

128

51220

BGP neighbors

2000

512

512 (IPv4), 512 (IPv6), or 256 (IPv4 + IPv6)

512

512

512

512

2000

EIGRP routes

20,000

20,000

20,000

20,000

20,000

20,000

20,000

20,000

EIGRP neighbors

512

256

256

256

256

256

256

512

HSRP groups

490

490

490

490

490

490

490

490

IPv4 ARP

48,000

48,000

32,000

32,000

48,000 / 32,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (in default routing mode without URPF enabled, Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

48,000 / 32,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (in default routing mode without URPF enabled, Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

64,000 / 32,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (in default routing mode, Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

32,000/24,000 (with out / with urpf enabled) (with system routing template - lpm - heavy mode without urpf enabled, Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

48,000 (default), 32,000 (LPM heavy)

IPv4 host routes

21

Default System Routing Mode: 208,000 (hash table and there will be more collisions after 80%)

ALPM Routing Mode: 128,000 with host Routes Programmed in the LPM Table

Default System Routing Mode: 208,000 (hash table and there will be more collisions after 80%)

ALPM Routing Mode: 128,000 with host Routes Programmed in the LPM Table

96,000 (hash table and there will be more collisions after 80%)

96,000

458,000 (default); 786,000/720,000 (with
 system routing
 template -lpm - heavy
 mode)

471,000 / 419,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (default); 786,000/734,000 (with
 system routing
 template -lpm -heavy
 mode)

471,000 (default); 786,000/734,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (with
 system routing
 template -lpm -heavy
 mode)

589,000 (default);
786,000 (with
 system routing
 template -lpm -heavy
 mode)

IPv6 host routes

22

Default System Routing Mode: 104,000 (hash table and there will be more collisions after 80%)

ALPM Routing Mode: 16000 with host Routes Programmed in the LPM Table

Default System Routing Mode: 104,000 (hash table and there will be more collisions after 80%)

ALPM Routing Mode: 16000 with host Routes Programmed in the LPM Table

48,000 (hash table and there will be more collisions after 80%)

48,000

24000 / 16,000 (with out/with urpf enabled)

265,000 / 235,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (default) 442,000 / 412,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (with system routing template -lpm - heavy mode)

265,000 (default) 442,000 / 412,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (with system routing template -lpm - heavy mode)

32,000 (FM-E), 235000 (FM-E2)

IPv6 ND

48,000

48,000

32,000 (default), 16,000 (lpm heavy)

32,000 (default), 16,000 (lpm heavy)

32,000 (default), 16,000 (lpm heavy)

32,000 (in default routing mode, Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

16,000 (with system routing template - lpm - heavy mode, Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP

32,000 (default), 16,000 (lpm heavy)

32,000

IPv4 unicast routes (LPM)*

128,000 (default system routing mode)

16,000 (max-host routing mode)

128,000 with no IPv6 routes (64-bit ALPM routing mode)

12,000 (default system routing mode)

128,000 (ALPM routing mode)

Default values: 6000 (IPv4), 1900 (IPv6), and 2000 (multicast)

With hardware profile multicast max-limit lpm-entries 0 configured: 8000 (IPv4), 1900 (IPv6), and 0 (multicast)

With hardware profile ipv6 lpm-entries maximum 0 configured: 14,000 (IPv4), 0 (IPv6), and 2000 (multicast)

With hardware profile ipv6 lpm-entries maximum 4096 and hardware profile multicast max - limit lpm - entries 0 configured: 0 (IPv4), 4096 (IPv6), and 0 (multicast)

When you allocate the entire table for IPv4 or IPv6 LPM unicast routes, the other address family cannot be used

Default values: 8000 (IPv4), 1900 (IPv6), and 2000 (multicast)

With hardware profile multicast max-limit lpm-entries 0 configured: 10000 (IPv4), 1900 (IPv6), and 0 (multicast)

With hardware profile ipv6 lpm-entries maximum 0 configured: 14,000 (IPv4), 0 (IPv6), and 2000 (multicast)

With hardware profile ipv6 lpm-entries maximum 4096 and hardware profile multicast max - limit lpm - entries 0 configured: 4000 (IPv4), 4096 (IPv6), and 0 (multicast)

When you allocate the entire table for IPv4 or IPv6 LPM unicast routes, the other address family cannot be used

458,000 (default)

471,000 / 419,000 (with out / with urpf enabled) (default)

471,000 (default)

589,000 (default)

IPv6 unicast routes (LPM)*

20,000 (default system routing mode)

4000 (max-host routing mode)

80,000 with no IPv4 routes (64-bit ALPM routing mode)

7000 (6000 routes < /64, 1000 routes > /64) (default system routing mode)

20,000 (ALPM routing mode)

206,000 (/64 prefix length); 1900 (non /64 prefix length)

265,000 / 235,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (default)

265,000 (default)

176,000 (/64 prefix length); 3900 (non /64 prefix length) ( FM-E )

235,000 ( any prefix len) ( FM-E2)

IPv4 and IPv6 unicast routes (LPM) in 64-bit ALPM routing mode

128,000 (IPv4)

80,000 (IPv6)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

IPv4 host routes (LPM heavy mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Cisco Nexus 9236C, 9272Q, and 92304QC switches: 262,000

Cisco Nexus 92160YC-X switches: 650,000

262,000

786,000 / 720,000 (with out/with urpf enabled)

786000 / 734000 (with out/with urpf enabled

786,000 / 734,000 (with out/with urpf enabled)

786,000

IPv6 host routes (LPM heavy mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

16,000

131,000

24000 / 16,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (protocol learned host)

442,000 / 412,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (protocol learned host)

442,000 / 412,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (protocol learned host)

32,000 (shared between IPv6 ND and protocol learned host) ( FM-E )

235,000 ( FM-E2)

IPv4 LPM routes (LPM heavy mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Cisco Nexus 9236C, 9272Q, and 92304QC switches: 262,000

Cisco Nexus 92160YC-X switches: 650,000

262,000

786,000 / 720,000 (with out/with urpf enabled)

786000 / 734000 (with out/with urpf enabled)

786,000 / 734,000 (with out/with urpf enabled)

786,000

IPv6 LPM routes (LPM heavy mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Cisco Nexus 9236C, 9272Q, and 92304QC switches: 131,000 (/64 prefix length); 1900 (non /64 LPM scale)

Cisco Nexus 92160YC-X switches: 294,000 (/64 prefix length); 1900 (non /64 LPM scale)

131,000

353,000 / 324,000 (with out/with urpf enabled) (/64 prefix length); 1900 (non /64 prefix length)

442,000 / 412,000 (with out/with urpf enabled)

442,000 / 412,000 (with out/with urpf enabled)

235,000 (/64 prefix length); 3900 (non /64 prefix length) ( FM-E)

235,000 ( any prefix len) ( FM-E2

IPv4 host routes (dual-host mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

163,000

163,000

262,000

262,000

262,000

Not applicable

IPv6 host routes (dual-host mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

81,000

81,000

131,000

131,000

131,000

Not applicable

IPv4 LPM routes (dual-host mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

6000

8000

6000

7000

7000

Not applicable

IPv6 LPM routes (dual-host mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

1900

1900

1900

1900

1900

Not applicable

IPv4 ARP (dual-host mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

64,000

64,000

64,000

64,000

64,000

Not applicable

IPv6 ND (dual-host mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

64,000

64,000

64,000

64,000

64,000

Not applicable

IPv4 host routes (internet peering mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

1 Million (protocol learned host)

1 Million (protocol learned host)

1 Million (protocol learned host)

1 Million (protocol learned host)

IPv6 host routes (internet peering mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

16,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP, and protocol learned IPv6 host)

5000,000

5000,000

16,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP, and protocol learned IPv6 host)

IPv4 LPM routes (internet peering mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

1 Million

1 Million

1 Million

1 Million

IPv6 LPM routes (internet peering mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

500,000 (Prefix length 0-83) 1900 (Prefix length /84-127)

500,000

500,000

176,947 (Prefix 0-47) 500,000 (Prefix length 48-83) 1900 (Prefix length /84-127)

IPv4 ARP (internet peering mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

32,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP, and protocol learned IPv6 host)

32,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

32,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

32,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP, and protocol learned IPv6 host)

IPv6 ND (internet peering mode)

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

16,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP, and protocol learned IPv6 host)

16,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

16,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP)

16,000 (Hash Table: Shared between IPv6 ND, IPv4 ARP, and protocol learned IPv6 host)

IS-ISv4 adjacencies (either L1, L2, or sum of L1 and L2 with default timers)

255

255

255

255

255

255

255

255

IS-ISv4 BFD sessions (with default timers)

255

255

Not applicable

255

255

255

255

255

IS-ISv4 routes

10,000

10,000

10,000

10,000

10,000

10,000

10,000

10,000

IS-ISv4 network type

Point to point, broadcast

Point to point, broadcast

Point to point, broadcast

Point to point, broadcast

Point to point, broadcast

Point to point, broadcast

Point to point, broadcast

Point to point, broadcast

OSPFv2 neighbors

1000

256

256

256

256

256

256

1000

OSPFv3 neighbors

1000

256

256

256

256

256

256

1000

OSPF/OSPFv3 LSA/LSDB size

100,000

100,000

100,000

100,000

100,000

100,000

100,000

100,000

OSPF/OSPFv3 areas

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

VRFs

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

VRRP groups per interface or I/O module

250

250

250

250

250

250

250

250

Policy-based routing (PBR)

Configured sequences per policy

256

256

128

Not applicable

128

128

128

128

Next-hop addresses per policy

32

32

32

Not applicable

32

32

32

32

IPv4 ACEs (unidimensional)

3072 (per network forwarding engine)

3072 (per network forwarding engine)

3582 (per network forwarding engine)

Not applicable

3582 (per network forwarding engine)

3582 (per network forwarding engine)

3582 (per network forwarding engine)

3582 (per network forwarding engine)

IPv6 ACEs (unidimensional)

1536 (per network forwarding engine)

1536 (per network forwarding engine)

1792 (per network forwarding engine)

Not applicable

1792 (per network forwarding engine)

1792 (per network forwarding engine)

1792 (per network forwarding engine)

Not applicable

IPv4 and IPv6s ACEs

2048 IPv4 + 256 IPv6

2048 IPv4 + 256 IPv6

1024 IPv4 + 128 IPv6

Not applicable

1024 IPv4 + 128 IPv6

1024 IPv4 + 128 IPv6

1024 IPv4 + 128 IPv6

1024 IPv4, IPv6 not applicable

Interfaces with PBR policy

512

512

256

Not applicable

256

256

256

256

VRRPv3

VRRPv3 groups per interface

255

255

255

Not applicable

255

255

255

255

VRRPv3 groups with default timers (1 s)

490

490

490

Not applicable

490

490

490

490

VRRPv3 groups with relaxed timers (3 s)

490

490

490

Not applicable

490

490

490

490

Pathways with one VRRPv3 group with default timer (1 s)

489

489

489

Not applicable

489

489

489

489

VRRPv3 groups and pathways combined

490

490

490

Not applicable

490

490

490

490

20 The limit of supported BFD sessions for each EoR line card is 75.
21 The hash table is subject to collisions. Depending on the host route pattern, collisions might occur.
22 The hash table is subject to collisions. Depending on the host route pattern, collisions might occur.

For the Cisco Nexus 9200 Platform switches, the default value for LPM unicast routes is 6000 (IPv4) or 1900 (IPv6). You can use the hardware profile multicast max-limit lpm-entries 0 command to increase the number of IPv4 LPM unicast routes to 8000. The hardware profile ipv6 lpm-entries maximum 0 command reserves the entire LPM table for IPv4. With this configuration, the IPv4 LPM scale is 14,000 (with 2000 reserved for multicast by default). This value can be increased to 16,000 with the hardware profile multicast max-limit lpm-entries 0 command. The hardware profile ipv6 lpm-entries maximum 4096 command reserves the entire LPM table for IPv6. With this configuration, the IPv6 LPM scale is 3900. When you allocate the entire table for IPv4 or IPv6 LPM unicast routes, the other address family cannot be used.

The maximum number of PBR next-hops based on 4 FM-E supported is 192 per slice of the forwarding engine


Note

  • The IPv4/IPv6 host routes and the IPv4 multicast routes share the same hardware table. Limits are provided for both the default line card mode and the max host line card mode.

  • The IPv4 and IPv6 unicast routes share the same hardware table. Limits are provided for both the default line card mode and the max host line card mode.

  • High availability (graceful restart and stateful switchover) is not supported when unicast or multicast aggressive timers are configured at any scale.

Guidelines and Limitations for OSPF Verified Scalability Limits

  • To achieve the highest scale, we recommend that you use a single OSPF instance instead of multiple instances.

  • Each OSPFv2 and OSPFv3 scale value might vary when combined with other parameters.

  • The graceful restart timeout value might need to be increased in multi-dimensional scenarios.

Table 14. PVLAN VXLAN Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

Primary VLANs

16

16

16

Secondary VLANs

20

20

20

Ports in community host mode

40

40

40

Port in Isolated host mode

40

40

40

Ports in isolated trunk mode

40

40

40

Ports in promiscuous mode

5

5

5

PVLANs allowed on a PVLAN port

16

16

16
Table 15. VXLAN Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX2 Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X97xx-EX/FX Verified Limit

IGMP snooping over VXLAN

VXLAN VLANs

Not applicable

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

VTEP Peers23

Not applicable

256

256

256

256

256

256

Underlay multicast groups

Not applicable

128

128

128

128

128

128

VXLAN Flood and Learn

Virtual network identifiers (VNIs) or VXLAN-mapped VLANs

1000

2000

2000

2000

2000

2000

1000

Underlay multicast groups

128

128

128

128

128

128

128

Overlay MAC addresses

64,000

64,000

64,000

90,000

90,000

60,000

90,000

Remote VXLAN tunnel endpoints (VTEPs Multicast)

256

256

256

256

256

256

256

Ingress replication peers24

256

256

256

256

256

256

256

Ingress replication Layer 2 VNIs

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

MAC addresses for ingress replication

64,000

64,000

64,000

90,000

90,000

90,000

90,000

Port VLAN translations under an interface

100

100

Not applicable

4000

4000

500

100

Port VLAN translations in a switch

200

2000

Not applicable

24000

24000

6000

2000

Static MAC addresses pointing to a remote VTEP

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

VXLAN VLAN logical port VP count

7000

7000

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

VXLAN VLANs per FEX port (host interface)

75

75

Not applicable

7525

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Layer 2 routed VNIs for vPC-centralized gateway

450

450

450

450

450

450

450

IGMP groups

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

VXLAN BGP eVPN

Layer 2 VNIs

1000

2000

2000

2000, 4000 (with no Layer 3 VNIs)

2000, 4000 (with no Layer 3 VNIs)

2000, 4000 (with no Layer 3 VNIs)

1000

Xconnect VLANs

Not applicable

40

Not applicable

40

40

40

Not applicable

SVI with Distributed Anycast Gateway; Layer 2 VNI extended

1000

2000

200026

200027

2000

2000

1000

Layer 3 VNIs / VRFs28

750

900

900

900

900

900

750

Underlay multicast groups

128

128

128

128

128

128

128

VTEPs

256

256

256

256

256

256

256

MAC addresses

64,000

64,000

64,000

90,000

90,000

90,000

90,000

IPv4 host routes

60,000

60,000

60,000

458,000

471,000

471,000

656,000

IPv6 host routes

7000

7000

7000

24,000

265,000

265,000

34,000

Overlay IPv4 LPM routes

12,000

12,000

8000

458,000

471,000

471,000

656,000

Overlay IPv6 LPM routes

7000

7000

2000

206,00029

265,00030

265,00031

174,00032

VXLAN VLAN logical port VP count

7000

10000

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

VXLAN VLANs per FEX port (host interface)

75

75

Not applicable

Not applicable 33

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

IGMP groups

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

VXLAN BGP eVPN Ingress Replication

Layer 2 VNIs

1000

2000

2000

2000

2000

2000

1000

Xconnect VLANs

Not applicable

40

Not applicable

40

40

40

Not applicable

SVI with Distributed Anycast Gateway; Layer 2 VNI extended

1000

2000

200034

200035

2000

2000

1000

Layer 3 VNIs / VRFs36

750

900

900

900

900

900

750

VTEPs

256

256

256

256

256

256

256

MAC addresses

64,000

64,000

64,000

90,000

90,000

90,000

90,000

IPv4 host routes

32,000

32,000

32,000

458,000

471,000

471,000

656,000

IPv6 host routes

7000

7000

7000

24,000

265,000

265,000

34,000

Overlay IPv4 LPM routes

12,000

12,000

8000

458,000

471,500

471,000

656,000

Overlay IPv6 LPM routes

7000

7000

2000

206,00037

265,00038

265,00039

174,00040

VXLAN VLAN logical port VP count

7000

7000

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

VXLAN VLANs per FEX port (host interface)

75

75

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

IGMP groups

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

8192

23 In case of IR, each VNI can have a max of 64 peers.
24 In case of IR, each VNI can have a max number of 64 peers
25 This is the limit for the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-EX and other fiber based switches. All copper based 9300-EX switches are not applicable.
26 Only 1900 SVI are supported if dual stack is used/IPv6 is used.
27 Only 1900 SVI are supported if dual stack is used/IPv6 is used.
28 ECMP objects are not shared across multiple VRFs.
29 All /64 routes + 4000 for non /64 routes.
30 All /64 routes + 4000 for non /64 routes.
31 All /64 routes + 4000 for non /64 routes.
32 All /64 routes + 4000 for non /64 routes.
33 This particular combination has not been validated but the feature is supported.
34 Only 1900 SVI are supported if dual stack is used/IPv6 is used.
35 Only 1900 SVI are supported if dual stack is used/IPv6 is used.
36 ECMP objects are not shared across multiple VRFs.
37 All /64 routes + 4000 for non /64 routes.
38 All /64 routes + 4000 for non /64 routes.
39 All /64 routes + 4000 for non /64 routes.
40 All /64 routes + 4000 for non /64 routes.
Table 16. Tetration Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

92160YC-X Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

TCAM size

1024 entries

1024 entries

1024 entries

IPv4 – 4 entries per rule (TCP, UDP, ICMP, and IP)

IPv4 – 2 entries per rule (ICMP and IP)

IPv4 – 2 entries per rule (ICMP and IP)

IPv6 – 16 entries per rule (4 entries per TCP, UDP, ICMPv6, and IPv6 for a total of 16 entries)

IPv6 – 8 entries per rule (4 entries per ICMP and IPv6 for a total of 8 entries)

IPv6 – 8 entries per rule (4 entries per ICMP and IPv6 for a total of 8 entries)

(24 entries out of 1000 is consumed for default)

(24 entries out of 1000 is consumed for default)

(24 entries out of 1000 is consumed for default)

TCAM scale

250 (IPv4) or 62 (IPv6)

500 (IPv4) or 125 (IPv6)

500 (IPv4) or 125 (IPv6)

VRF match

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

The entire Cisco Tetration Analytics documentation set is available at the following URL: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/data-center-analytics/tetration-analytics/tsd-products-support-series-home.html

Deployment Case Studies

This section provides sample topologies for some common deployments. For each topology, the scalability numbers are the limits with all of the listed features enabled at the same time.


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.

Layer 2/Layer 3 Aggregation Topology (Max-Host Routing Mode)

This Layer 2/Layer 3 aggregation topology consists of Cisco Nexus 9508 switches as virtual port channel (vPC) aggregation pairs. These aggregation nodes are fully loaded with N9K-X9564TX, N9K-X9564PX, and N9K-X9636PQ line cards. The N9K-X9636PQ line cards are used in normal mode and breakout mode. Cisco Nexus 9396PX and 93128TX switches are used as top-of-rack units with Cisco Nexus 3000 Series switches to achieve the desired vPC scale.

The Cisco Nexus 9508 switch is also used as a core Layer 3 node that connects to a pair of vPC aggregation nodes. The focus of the topology is to test IPv4 ARP, IPv6 neighbor discovery (ND), and Layer 2 scalability and other routing, switching, and Layer 4 through Layer 7 features for management and operations. All Layer 3 interfaces are configured for dual stack, and the traffic is dual stack for all VLANs.

In the following table, the Verified Limit column lists the verified scaling capabilities with all listed features enabled at the same time. The scale numbers listed here exceed those used by most customers in their topologies. These numbers are not the maximum verified values if each feature is viewed in isolation.

Table 17. Layer 2/Layer 3 Aggregation Topology (Max-Host Routing Mode)

Feature

9508 Verified Limit (Max-Host Routing Mode)

Fully loaded chassis

1 N9K-X9636PQ, 1 N9K-X9564TX, 2 N9K-X9564PX, 1 N9K-X9432PQ, 1 N9K-X9536PQ

Physical interfaces enabled

276

Multicast S,G routes

653

Multicast *,G routes

500

IPv4 unicast routes (LPM)

5000

IPv6 unicast routes (LPM)

850

IPv4 ARP

65,000

IPv6 ND

40,000

MAC addresses

90,000

VLANs

490

vPCs*

200

OSPFv2 neighbors

20

OSPFv3 neighbors

4

BGP (IPv4) neighbors

65

BGP (IPv6) neighbors

65

SVIs

490

STP logical ports

2800 (RPVST)

HSRP VLANs (IPv4/IPv6)

490

Virtual ports

700

Port channel links

8

* The number of VLANs per vPC supported should be within the MST or RPVST virtual port count specified in this table, depending on the topology.

Layer 2/Layer 3 Aggregation Topology (Default Routing Mode)

This Layer 2/Layer 3 aggregation topology consists of Cisco Nexus 9516 switches as virtual port channel (vPC) aggregation pairs. These aggregation nodes are fully loaded with N9K-X9564TX, N9K-X9564PX, and N9K-X9536PQ line cards. The chassis is fully loaded with five line cards configured for breakout mode. The Cisco Nexus 9396PX and 93128TX switches are used as top-of-rack units with Cisco Nexus 3000 Series switches to achieve the desired vPC scale. The Cisco Nexus 9516 nodes are running in default routing mode. The Cisco Nexus 3164Q switch is also used as a core Layer 3 node that connects to a pair of vPC aggregation nodes.

The focus of the topology is to test IPv4 ARP, IPv6 neighbor discovery (ND), Layer 2 scalability, IPv4 and IPv6 LPM routing, Layer 2 and Layer 3 multicast routing for IPv4, and Layer 4 through Layer 7 features for management and operations. All Layer 3 interfaces are configured for dual stack, and the traffic is dual stack for all VLANs.

In the following table, the Verified Limit column lists the verified scaling capabilities with all listed features enabled at the same time. These numbers are not the maximum verified values if each feature is viewed in isolation.

Table 18. Layer 2/Layer 3 Aggregation Topology (Default Routing Mode)

Feature

9516 Switch Verified Limit (Default Routing Mode)

9300 Platform Verified Limit (Default Routing Mode)

Chassis configuration

5 N9K-X9432PQ line cards

4 N9K-X9464PX line cards

3 N9K-X9536PQ line cards

3 N9K-X9464TX line cards

1 N9K-X9564TX line card

9372

Physical ports

1335

50

vPCs

303

24

SVIs

450

450

VRFs

100

100

IPv4 ARP

40,000

40,000

IPv6 ND

10,000

10,000

STP logical ports

10,000

6000

BGP neighbors (IPv4 + IPv6)

502 + 502

502 + 502

IPv4 LPM routes

50,000

6000

IPv6 LPM routes

10,000

1000

BFD (IPv4 + IPv6)

300

102

IGP OSPFv2 neighbors

502

502

IGP OSPFv3 neighbors

502

502

HSRP (IPv4 + IPv6)

450 + 450

450 + 450

IGMP groups

2000

2000

Multicast *,G routes

2000

2000

Multicast S,G routes

8000

6000

Tracking objects

450

450

VLANs

500

500

PIM neighbors

502

502

MAC addresses

60,000

60,000

Network address translation (NAT)

Not applicable

756

sFlow

256

32

FEX System Topology

The FEX 9500 multi-dimensional scale topology consists of Cisco Nexus 9508 switches as virtual port channel (vPC) pairs. Each switch has multiple X9564PX line cards. Each switch has 32 FEX uplinks connected to them. The FEX 9300 multi-dimensional scale topology consists of two Cisco Nexus 9396PX switches used in vPC mode along with 16 FEX uplinks connected to each switch. Multiple FEXs of type Nexus 2248TP-E, 2232PP, 2248PQ, and 2348UPQ are used.

The switches are used at the Layer 2 and Layer 3 boundary and are also configured as VXLAN VTEPs. The FEX host ports are operating as Layer 2 ports. The switches are configured as gateways with the use of SVI interfaces.

In the following table, the Verified Limit column lists the verified scaling capabilities with all listed features enabled at the same time. The scale numbers listed here exceed those used by most customers in their topologies. These numbers are not the maximum verified values if each feature is viewed in isolation.

Table 19. FEX System Topology

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

Fabric Extenders

32

16

Up interfaces

1100

560

Port channels

426

256

vPC members

390

360

VLANs

744

416

PVLAN VLANs

56

56

Secondary VLANs per primary VLAN

25

25

MAC addresses

45,000

25,000

HSRP

365

365

ARP

12,000

10,000

Neighbor discovery (ND)

5000

5000

Multicast (*,G)

4000

4000

Multicast (S,G)

4000

4000

Multicast System Topology

Two Cisco Nexus 9508 switches are configured as vPC peers in one domain, and two Cisco Nexus 9372PX switches are configured as vPC peers in the other domain. The chassis are fully loaded with N9K-X9432PQ, N9K-X9464PX, N9K-X9536PQ, N9K-X9564PX, N9K-X9564TX, and N9K-X9636PQ line cards. eBGP routing is used to connect these two PIM domains. OSPF is used as IGP in one domain, and EIGRP is configured in the other domain. This setup is configured with multiple rendezvous points (RPs) to serve different multicast group ranges. BSR is used to advertise RP information in both of these PIM domains. PIM anycast is used in one domain, and MSDP anycast is used in the other domain for redundancy and load balancing. Static RP configuration is also used for a range of multicast groups.

The Cisco Nexus 9516 and Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switches are used as Layer 3 core routers in one domain. The Cisco Nexus 3164Q switches are used as Layer 3 core routers in the other domain. This topology also includes the Cisco Nexus 9396PX, Cisco Nexus 9372PX, and Cisco Nexus 3016/3064T switches in the access layer.

In addition to including Layer 2/Layer 3 IPv4 multicast routing, this topology also covers IPv4 and IPv6 host and LPM routing and Layer 2 unicast forwarding. All interfaces are configured for dual stack.

In the following table, the Verified Limit column lists the verified scaling capabilities with all listed features enabled at the same time. These numbers are not the maximum verified values if each feature is viewed in isolation.

Table 20. Multicast System Topology

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

Chassis configuration

N9K-X9636PQ, N9K-X9536PQ, N9K-X9564PX, N9K-X9564TX, N9K-X9432PQ, N9K-X9464PX, N9K-X9432PQ, C3164PQ

C9372PX, C9396PX, C3164PQ

Multicast S,G routes

17,500

5000

Multicast *,G routes

2500 (IGMP)

12500 (snooping)

500 (IGMP)

2500 (snooping)

Sources

2000, 200, 100, 40, 10, 3, 2, 1

2000, 200, 100, 40, 10, 3, 2, 1

Replications

40

20

ECMPs

16

8

SVIs

200

200

HSRP/VRRP

200 HSRP

100 VRRP

MAC addresses

40,000

10,000

ARP

20,000

4000

Unicast LPM IPv4 routes

20,000

4000

Unicast LPM IPv6 routes

10,000

1000

IPv4 ARP

18,000

4000

IPv6 ND

4000

2000

MSDP peers (fully mesh)

4

4

Anycast RPs (MSDP and PIM anycast) 41

2 MSDP

2 PIM anycast

IPv4 multicast routes with PIM bidirectional groups

8000

8000

41 This multicast system topology consists of two multicast PIM domains. The Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) is used to exchange multicast source information between these two domains.

VXLAN BGP/eVPN iBGP Centric Topology

This VXLAN BGP/eVPN iBGP centric topology consists of Cisco Nexus 9300 and 9500 Platform switches acting as VXLAN vPC tunnel endpoints (VTEPs) and VXLAN non-vPC VTEPs. VXLAN VTEPs establish iBGP sessions to a Cisco Nexus 9508 switch (route reflector) acting as a spine node. VXLAN-distributed anycast gateway SVIs are configured for dual stack, and the traffic is dual stack.

The focus of this topology is to test VXLAN overlay network scale and underlay Layer 2 switching and other routing, multicast, and Layer 4 through Layer 7 features for management and operations. Underlay PIM neighbors and IS-IS adjacency were tested with the default timer and Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) enabled on all links.

In the following table, the Verified Limit column lists the verified scaling capabilities with all listed features enabled at the same time. These numbers are not the maximum verified values if each feature is viewed in isolation.

Table 21. VXLAN BGP/eVPN iBGP Centric Topology

Feature

9500 Platform Verified Limit

9300 Platform Verified Limit

9200 Platform Verified Limit

9300-EX Platform Verified Limit

9300-FX Platform Verified Limit

9364C Platform Verified Limit

9500 with X9700-EX Verified Limit

System Routing Template

default

default

default

default42

default43

Not applicable

default44

VXLAN VTEPs

128

128

128

128

128

128

128

VXLAN Layer 2 VNIs

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

VXLAN Layer 3 VNIs/VRFs

500

500

500

500

500

500

500

VXLAN multicast groups

128

128

128

128

128

128

128

VXLAN overlay MAC addresses

60,000

60,000

60,000

60,000

60,000

60,000

60,000

VXLAN overlay IPv4 host routes

60,000

60,000

60,000

60,000

60,000

60,000

60,000

VXLAN overlay IPv6 host routes

4000

4000

4000

4000

4000

Not applicable

4000

VXLAN overlay IGMP Snooping groups

200045

2000

2000

2000

2000

2000

2000

VXLAN IPv4 LPM routes

10000

10000

5120

5120

5120

5120

5120

VXLAN IPv6 LPM routes

2000

2000

1500

1500

1500

Not applicable

1500

VXLAN VLAN logical port VP count

5200

5200

5200

5200

5200

Not applicable

5200

VLANs on VTEP node

1700 (total VLANs)

1500 (VXLAN VLANs)

200 (non-VXLAN VLANs)

1700 (total VLANs)

1500 (VXLAN VLANs)

200 (non-VXLAN VLANs)

1700 (total VLANs)

1500 (VXLAN VLANs)

200 (non-VXLAN VLANs)

1700 (total VLANs)

1500 (VXLAN VLANs)

200 (non-VXLAN VLANs)

1700 (total VLANs)

1500 (VXLAN VLANs)

200 (non-VXLAN VLANs)

1700 (total VLANs)

1500 (VXLAN VLANs)

200 (non-VXLAN VLANs)

MST instances

40

40

40

40

40

Not applicable

40

STP logical ports

3500

3500

3500

3500

3500

Not applicable

3500

vPC port channels

50

20

20

20

20

Not applicable

20

Underlay IS-IS neighbors

64

32

32

32

32

Not applicable

32

Underlay PIM neighbors

200

200

200

200

200

Not applicable

200

Underlay HSRP groups for regular VLANs

200

200

200

200

200

Not applicable

200

Underlay vPC SVIs

200

200

200

200

200

Not applicable

200

42 The vxlan-routing-template needs to be configured on 7.0(3)I5(1).
43 The vxlan-routing-template needs to be configured on 7.0(3)I5(1).
44 The vxlan-routing-template needs to be configured on 7.0(3)I5(1).
45 IGMP Snooping on vxlan vlan on 9500 series switch supported from 7.0(3)I5(2) release onwards.

Verified Scalability Limits for Cisco Nexus 9508 and Cisco Nexus 9504 Switches

Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

The tables in this section list the verified scalability limits for the Cisco Nexus 9508 switch with an X9636C-R, X9636C-RX, or X9636Q-R line card or a C9508-FM-R fabric module and Cisco Nexus 9504 with -R line cards for Cisco NX-OS Release 9.2(2). 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.

Table 22. Interfaces Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Port channel member links

32

SVIs

3,967

vPCs

255

Table 23. Label Switching Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Forwarding Equivalence Classes (FECs)

1,000

Equal-cost multipaths (ECMPs)

8-way

FECs ECMPs

8,000

IAS option B labels

450,000

Layer 3 VPN routes

450,000

ECMP Groups

24K ECMP Groups 2 paths per ECMP (only with N9K-X9636C-RX line cards)

LDP session

64+ sessions (only with the N9K-X9636C-RX line card)
Table 24. Layer 2 Switching Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

MAC addresses

192,000

MST instances

64

MST virtual ports

236,000

RPVST virtual ports

13,750

VLANs

3,967

VLANs in RPVST mode

250

Table 25. 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

Table 26. Security Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

IPv4 ingress access control entries (ACEs)

RACL on LC N9K-X9636C-RX: 100,000

PACL on LC N9K-X9636C-RX: 12,000

RACL-2048, PACL-1024 (without TCAM Carving) IPv4 52640 ACEs per system

PACL IPv4: 1024 TCAM entries in internal TCAM

PACL MAC: 2048 TCAM entries in internal TCAM

RACL IPv4: 2048 TCAM entries in internal TCAM

IPv6 ingress access control entries (ACEs)

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

PACL IPv6: 1024 TCAM entries in internal TCAM

RACL IPv6: 1024 TCAM entries in internal TCAM

System ACL

4000 TCAM entries in internal TCAM

64000 TCAM entries in external TCAM

Egress ACLs

20,000
Table 27. 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

32

PTP secondary ports

64 for 9508-R line cards

Note

 
PTP Offload is supported on 9508-R line cards.
Table 28. Layer 3 Unicast Routing Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

BFD sessions (echo mode)

288

BGP neighbors

272

HSRP groups

490

IPv4 ARP

48,000

IPv4 host routes

750,000 (X9636C-R)

1,000,000 (X9636C-RX)

IPv6 host routes

62,000

256,000 (X9636C-RX)

IPv6 ND

32,000

IPv4 unicast routes (LPM)

192,000 (X9636C-R)

1,000,000 (X9636C-RX)

IPv6 unicast routes (LPM)

62,000

256,000 (X9636C-RX)

OSPFv2 neighbors

1,000

OSPFv3 neighbors

1,000

OSPF/OSPFv3 LSA/LSDB size

250,000

OSPF/OSPFv3 areas

15

VRFs

3,967

VRRP groups per interface or I/O module

16

Table 29. Tunnels Verified Scalability Limits (Unidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

VXLAN BGP eVPN

Layer 2 VNIs / VRFs

2000

Layer 3 VNIs / VRFs

900

VTEPs

256

IPv4 host routes

128,000

IPv6 host routes

32,000

Table 30. 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]46

7,928

Groups per interface or I/) module

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

46 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 the Cisco Nexus 9508 switch with an X9636C-R, X9636C-RX, or X9636Q-R line card or a C9508-FM-R fabric module and Cisco Nexus 9504 with -R line cards for Cisco NX-OS Release 9.2(2). These limits are validated with a multidimensional configuration. The values provided in these tables focus on the scalability of all listed features at the same 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.

Table 31. eBGP/IS-IS Profile Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Number of 100G ports

288

ECMP

16-way (Upstream)

BGP neighbors

960

BGP IPv4 /32 unicast routes

30,000

BGP IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

18,000

BGP IPv6 /128 unicast routes

16,000

BGP IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

IS-IS v2 neighbors

255

IS-IS v3 neighbors

255

IS-IS L2 adjacency

16

IS-IS IPv4 /32 unicast routes

20,000

IS-IS IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

IS-IS IPv6 /128 unicast routes

20,000

IS-IS IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

BFD sessions

272

PIM neighbors

256

ACL ACEs

15,000

500

Sub-interfaces

712

SPAN sessions

1 local SPAN session

Multicast SSM

20,000

Table 32. iBGP/OSPF Profile Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Number of 100G ports

180

Number of 40G ports

108

ECMP

8-way (Upstream)

BGP neighbors

8

BGP IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

40,000

BGP IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

10,000

OSPFv2 neighbors

108

OSPFv3 neighbors

30

OSPF IPv4 /32 unicast routes

100,000

OSPF IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

155,000

OSPFv3 IPv6 /128 unicast routes

1,000

OSPFv3 IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

9,000

BFD sessions

108

VRF

250

PIM neighbors

108

IPv4 (*,G) multicast routes

2,000

IPv4 (S,G) multicast routes

10,000

ACL ACEs

500 (IPv4)

500 (IPv6)

SPAN sessions

1 local SPAN session

Table 33. iBGP/EIGRP Profile Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Number of 100G ports

180

Number of 40G ports

108

ECMP

16-way (Upstream)

BGP neighbors

8

BGP IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

40,000

BGP IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

10,000

EIGRP v4 neighbors

276

EIGRP v6 neighbors

276

EIGRP IPv4 /32 unicast routes

30,000

EIGRP IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

EIGRP IPv6 /128 unicast routes

30,000

EIGRP IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

BFD sessions

276

VRF

250

PIM neighbors

276

IPv4 (*,G) multicast routes

6,000

IPv4 (S,G) multicast routes

16,000

ACL ACEs

500 (IPv4)

500 (IPv6)

SPAN sessions

1 local SPAN session

Table 34. MPLS Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

MPLS Layer 3 VPN

3967

VPE

3967

PE nodes

3

PE routes

20,000

X9636C-RX line card: ACL scale-IPv4

95,000

X9636C-RX line card: ACL scale-IPv6

20,000

HSRP, HSRP VIP

3967 each for v4 and v6

vPC uRPF

3967

Strict uRPF

Yes

VRF

3967

SVI

3967

Layer 3 VPN routes IP ECMP

2,000

MPLS LSR ECMP

2,000

VPN IPv4 routes

400,000

VPN IPv6 routes

90,000

EBGP neighbors

750

Table 35. L2/L3 Boundary Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

MAC addresses

19,000

Sub-interfaces

500

vPC Port channels

46

ECMP

16-way (Upstream)

OSPFv2 neighbors

47

OSPFv3 neighbors

47

OSPF IPv4 /32 unicast routes

45,000

OSPF IPv4 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

OSPF IPv6 /128 unicast routes

20,000

OSPF IPv6 VLSM unicast routes

1,000

BFD sessions

49

VRF

250

VLAN

3,750

SVI

3,750

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

396

IPv4 (*,G) multicast routes

3,080

IPv4 (S,G) multicast routes

26,600

IGMP snooping database entries

6,400

sFlow enabled interfaces

83

UDLD enabled interfaces

93

SPAN sessions

1 local SPAN session

Table 36. Segment Routing Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

VLAN

100

SVI

100

MAC entries

10,000

ARP entries

70

HSRPv4 VIPs

100

HSRpv6 VIPs

100

LACP

11

LACP members

4

eBGP IPv6 neighbors

9

eBGP IPv4 LU neighbors

9

IPv4 (LU) routes

6888

IPv4 (LU) paths

17580

IPv6 routes

6,663

IPv4 (LU) routes

17,338

SR ECMP

18 (dual-homed)

MPLS HW entries

11,957

Table 37. VXLAN Profile Verified Scalability Limits (Multidimensional)

Feature

Verified Limit

Ports

16

ECMP

8-way (Upstream)

BGP neighbors

200

BGP EVPN L2VPN host routes

64,000

BGP IPv4 VLSM unicast routes or ospf

10,000

BGP IPv6 VLSM unicast routes or ospf

6,000

BFD sessions

20

PIM neighbors

20

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

4,000

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

2,000

Layer 3 VNI

900

Layer 2 VNI

2000

Local VTEP

1

Remote VTEPs

256

VLAN

3600

SVI

900

MAC

90,000