Cisco Nexus 5010, Nexus 5020 Datasheet

Data Sheet

Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches

Product Overview

The Cisco Nexus™ 5000 Series Switches comprise a family of line-rate, low-latency, lossless 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) switches for data center applications (Figure 1).

Figure 1. The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Includes the Cisco Nexus 5010 Switch and Cisco Nexus 5020 Switch Supporting 10

Today’s data centers are increasingly filled with dense rack-mount and blade servers that host powerful multicore processors. The rapid increase of in-rack computing density, along with the increasing use of virtualization software, combine to push the demand for 10 Gigabit Ethernet and consolidated I/O: applications for which the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is an excellent match. With low latency, front-to-back cooling, and rear-facing ports, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is designed for data centers transitioning to 10 Gigabit Ethernet as well as those ready to deploy a unified fabric that can handle their LAN, SAN, and server clusters, providing networking over a single link (or dual links for redundancy).

The switch family, using cut-through architecture, supports line-rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet on all ports while maintaining consistently low latency independent of packet size and services enabled. It supports a set of network technologies known collectively as IEEE Data Center Bridging (DCB) that increases the reliability, efficiency, and scalability of Ethernet networks. These features allow the switches to support multiple traffic classes over a lossless Ethernet fabric, thus enabling consolidation of LAN, SAN, and cluster environments. Its ability to connect FCoE to native Fibre Channel protects existing storage system investments while dramatically simplifying in-rack cabling.

Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE

In addition to supporting standard 10 Gigabit Ethernet network interface cards (NICs) on servers, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series integrates with multifunction adapters called converged network adapters (CNAs) that combine the functions of Ethernet NICs and Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs), making the transition to a single, unified network fabric transparent and consistent with existing practices, management software, and OS drivers. The switch family is compatible with integrated transceivers and Twinax cabling solutions that deliver cost-effective connectivity for 10 Gigabit Ethernet to servers at the rack level, eliminating the need for expensive optical transceivers.

The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is designed for data center environments with cut-through technology that enables consistent low-latency Ethernet solutions, with front-to-back cooling, and with network ports in the rear, bringing switching into close proximity with servers and making cable runs short and simple. The switch family is highly serviceable, with redundant, hot-pluggable power supplies and fan modules. It uses data center-class Cisco® NX-OS Software for high reliability and ease of management.

Data Sheet

Cisco Nexus 5020 56-Port Switch

The Cisco Nexus 5020 is a two-rack-unit (2RU), 10 Gigabit Ethernet, FCoE, and Fibre Channel switch built to provide 1.04 terabits per second (Tbps) throughput with very low latency (Figure 2). It has 40 fixed 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus (SFP+) ports. The first 16 fixed ports support both 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet in hardware, providing a smooth migration path to 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Two expansion module slots can be configured to support up to 12 additional 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE SFP+ ports, up to 16 Fibre Channel switch ports, or a combination of both. The switch has a serial console port and an out-of-band 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet management port. The switch is powered by 1+1 redundant, hot-pluggable power supplies and 4+1 redundant, hot-pluggable fan modules to provide highly reliable front-to-back cooling.

Figure 2. The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Includes the Cisco Nexus 5020, Supporting 40 Fixed Ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (Ports

1 to 16 Can Run Gigabit Ethernet) and FCoE and Two Expansion Module Slots

Cisco Nexus 5010 28-Port Switch

The Cisco Nexus 5010 is a 1RU, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, FCoE, and Fibre Channel switch providing more than 520Gbps throughput with very low latency (Figure 3). It has 20 fixed 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE SFP+ ports. The first 8 fixed ports are dual speed, supporting both 10 Gigabit Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet in hardware and providing a smooth migration path to 10 Gigabit Ethernet. One expansion module slot can be configured to support up to 6 additional 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE SFP+ ports, up to 8 Fibre Channel switch ports, or a combination of 4 additional 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE SFP+ ports with 4 additional 4/2/1-Gbps Fibre Channel switch ports. The switch has a serial console port and an out-of-band 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet management port. The switch is powered by 1+1 redundant, hot-pluggable power supplies and 1+1 redundant, hot-pluggable fan modules to provide highly reliable front-to-back cooling.

Figure 3. The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Includes the Cisco Nexus 5010, Supporting 20 Fixed Ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (Ports

1 to 8 Can Run Gigabit Ethernet) and FCoE and One Expansion Module Slot

Expansion Module Options for the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series

The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is equipped to support expansion modules that can be used to increase the number of 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE ports or connect to Fibre Channel SANs with 4/2/1-Gbps Fibre Channel switch ports, or both. The Cisco Nexus 5010 supports one expansion module, and the Cisco Nexus 5020 supports any combination of two modules from the following offerings (Figure 4):

●

Ethernet module that provides six 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE ports using the SFP+ interface

●

Fibre Channel plus Ethernet module that provides four 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE ports using the SFP+ interface, and 4 ports of 4/2/1-Gbps native Fibre Channel connectivity using the SFP interface

●

Fibre Channel module that provides 8 ports of 4/2/1-Gbps native Fibre Channel using the SFP interface for transparent connectivity with existing Fibre Channel networks

Data Sheet

Figure 4. From Left to Right: 6-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE Module; 4-Port Fibre Channel plus 4-Port 10 Gigabit Ethernet

and FCoE Module; and 8-Port Native Fibre Channel Expansion Module

Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders

The Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders comprise a category of data center products that provide a universal server-access platform that scales across a multitude of Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, unified fabric, rack, and blade server environments. The Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders are designed to simplify data center architecture and operations by meeting the business and application needs of a data center. Working in conjunction with Cisco Nexus switches, the Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders offer a cost-effective and efficient way to support today’s Gigabit Ethernet environments while allowing easy migration to 10 Gigabit Ethernet, virtual machineaware Cisco unified fabric technologies.

The first product in the Cisco Nexus 2000 Series is the Cisco Nexus 2148T Fabric Extender. The Cisco Nexus 2148T provides 48 Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) server ports and four 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports in a compact 1RU form factor. Designed with architecture to provide the benefits of both top-of-rack and end-of-row configurations, the Cisco Nexus 2148T offers front-to-back cooling compatible with data center hot-aisle and cold-aisle designs, all switch ports at the rear of the unit in close proximity to server ports, and all user-serviceable components accessible from the front panel (Figure 5).

Figure 5. The Cisco Nexus 2148T Gigabit Ethernet Fabric Extender Supports 48 Fixed Ports of Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T)

Interfaces for Server Connectivity and Up to Four 10 Gigabit Ethernet Uplink Interfaces

Efficient Transceiver and Cabling Options

The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series supports a wide variety of 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options using Cisco 10GBASE SFP+ modules.

In addition, a subset of the ports on the Cisco Nexus 5020 and 5010 support Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options using 1GBASE SFP modules, and 4/2/1-Gbps Fibre Channel SFP interfaces are supported with expansion module options.

Data Sheet

Table 1 lists the supported transceiver options.

Table 1. Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Transceiver Support Matrix

Cisco SFP Description

Cisco SFP-10G-SR 10GBASE-SR SFP+ module (MMF) Cisco SFP-10G-LR 10GBASE-LR SFP+ module (SMF) Cisco SFP-H10GB-CU1M 10GBASE-CU SFP+ cable 1m (Twinax cable) Cisco SFP-H10GB-CU3M 10GBASE-CU SFP+ cable 3m (Twinax cable) Cisco SFP-H10GB-CU5M 10GBASE-CU SFP+ cable 5m (Twinax cable) Cisco GLC-T 1000BASE-T SFP Cisco GLC-SX-MM GE SFP, LC connector SX transceiver (MMF) Cisco GLC-LH-SM GE SFP, LC connector LX/LH transceiver (SMF) Cisco SFP-GE-T 1000BASE-T SFP, extended temperature range Cisco SFP-GE-S GE SFP, LC connector SX transceiver (MMF), extended temperature range and digital optical monitoring (DOM) Cisco-SFP-GE-L GE SFP, LC connector LX/LH transceiver (SMF), extended temperature range and DOM Cisco DS-SFP-FC4G-SW 4-Gbps Fibre Channel SW SFP, LC (for Fibre Channel expansion module ports) Cisco DS-SFP-FC4G-LW 4-Gbps Fibre Channel LW SFP, LC (for Fibre Channel expansion module ports)

The high bandwidth of 10 Gigabit Ethernet poses challenges to transmissions that are met by the transceiver and cabling options supported by the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series.

The product family supports an innovative Twinax copper cabling solution that connects to standard SFP+ connectors for in-rack use, and optical cabling for longer cable runs (Table 2).

●

For in-rack or adjacent-rack cabling, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series supports SFP+ direct-attach 10 Gigabit Ethernet copper, an innovative solution that integrates transceivers with Twinax cables into an energyefficient, low-cost, and low-latency solution. SFP+ direct-attach 10 Gigabit Twinax copper cables use only 0.1 watt (W) of power per transceiver and introduce only approximately 0.25 microsecond of latency per link.

●

For longer cable runs, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series supports multimode, short-reach optical SFP+ transceivers. These optical transceivers use approximately 1W per transceiver and have a latency of less than 0.1 microsecond.

Both these options provide lower latency and higher energy efficiency than 10GBASE-T. This standard uses transceivers that consume 4 to 8W per transceiver and contribute a latency of up to 2.5 microseconds per link, making the 10GBASE-T standard a significant contributor to network-level power consumption.

Table 2. The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Supports SFP+ Direct-Attach 10 Gigabit Copper for In-Rack Cabling, and Optical

Connector (Media) Cable Distance Power (Each Side) Transceiver Latency (Link) Standard

SFP+ CU copper Twinax 5m ~0.1W ~0.1 microseconds SFF 8431 SFP+ USR MMF and USR

(provided as comparison point)

SFP+ SR MMF and SR MM OM2

RJ45 10GBASE-T copper (not supported; provided as comparison point)

Solutions for Longer Connections

MM OM3 100m 1W ~0 microseconds IEEE 802.3ae

MM OM3 Cat6a or 7 30m

82m 300m

100m

1W ~0 microseconds IEEE 802.3ae

~4W ~6W

~1.5 microseconds ~2.5 microseconds

IEEE 802.3an

Data Sheet

Features and Benefits

The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series’ rich feature set makes it ideal for top-of-rack, middle-of-row, or end-of-row accesslayer applications. It protects investments in data center racks with standards based 10 Gigabit Ethernet and FCoE features, and virtual machine awareness features that allow IT departments to consolidate networks based on their own requirements and timing. The combination of high port density, lossless Ethernet, wire-speed performance, and extremely low latency makes the switch family ideal for meeting the growing demand for 10 Gigabit Ethernet that can support unified fabric in enterprise and service provider data centers, protecting enterprises’ investments. The switch family has sufficient port density to support single and multiple racks fully populated with blade and rack-mount servers.

●

Built for today’s data centers, the switches are designed just like the servers they support. Ports and power connections are at the rear, closer to server ports, helping keep cable lengths as short and efficient as possible, delivering benefits traditionally offered on blade servers to rack servers as well. Hot-swappable power and fan modules can be accessed from the front panel, where status lights offer an at-a-glance view of switch operation. Front-to-back cooling is consistent with server designs, supporting efficient data center hotand cold-aisle designs. Serviceability is enhanced with all customer-replaceable units accessible from the front panel. The use of SFP+ ports offers increased flexibility, enabling use of a range of interconnect solutions, including copper Twinax cable for short runs and fiber for long runs.

●

IEEE DCB enables Ethernet fabrics to support lossless transmission to increase network scalability, support I/O consolidation, ease management of multiple traffic flows, and optimize performance. Although implementing SAN consolidation requires only the lossless fabric provided by the Ethernet pause mechanism, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series provides additional features that create an even more easily managed, high-performance, unified network fabric. The IEEE DCB and related standards summarized in Table 3 are supported by the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches.

Table 3. IEEE DCB Features and Benefits

Feature Business Benefit

●

Priority Flow Control (PFC): IEEE

802.1Qbb

Enhanced Transmission Selection: IEEE

802.1Qaz Data Center Bridging Exchange (DCBX)

Protocol: IEEE 802.1AB Congestion Notification: IEEE 802.1Qau Pushes congestion to network edges, providing better control over QoS; the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series

●

FCoE is a standards-based upper-layer protocol that maps the Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP) and services

Simplifies management of multiple traffic flows over a single network link

●

Creates lossless behavior for Ethernet by allowing class-of-service (CoS)-based flow control

Enables consistent management of quality of service (QoS) at the network level by providing consistent scheduling of different traffic types (IP, storage, etc.)

Simplifies network deployment and reduces configuration errors by providing autonegotiation of IEEE DCB features between the NIC and the switch and between switches

hardware supports a precursor to IEEE 802.1Qau called Backward Congestion Notification (BCN), which will be made available based on availability of other system components, such as adapters and core switches and routers

onto Layer 2 Ethernet. It is a straightforward encapsulation of Fibre Channel within Ethernet that preserves existing Fibre Channel network management models and tools, helping protect investments in software and staff training.

●

Cisco unified fabric consolidates all data center I/O onto Layer 2 Ethernet. Unified fabric reduces capital and operating costs by reducing the number of server adapters, cables, and upstream switches needed. All I/O (LAN, SAN, and cluster) typically is consolidated onto two Ethernet links. IEEE DCB and FCoE enable the incorporation of Fibre Channel frames into a unified fabric, facilitating wire-once strategies in which all servers become capable of SAN connection. A standard and uniform approach to I/O enhances server and storage consolidation strategies. The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series also connects to existing native Fibre Channel networks, protecting current investments in storage networks. Additionally, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series

attaches to directly connected FCoE and Fibre Channel storage devices and, as FCoE-enabled switching becomes available across the data center, will support multi-tiered unified network fabric directly over FCoE.

●

Energy efficiency achieved through the use of the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches helps data centers operate within their space, power, and cooling parameters while reducing their carbon footprints. Every network link at the rack level requires adapters, switches, and transceivers, all of which consume power. I/O consolidation reduces energy consumption by eliminating the need for separate Fibre Channel adapters, cables, and switches. In many cases, server cluster networks also can be consolidated onto 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks, especially given the low latency of the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series. The switch hardware is also designed for energy efficiency. Variable-speed fans consume only the amount of power necessary to cool the chassis at the given point in time. The switch power supplies are sized to support worst-case scenarios, in which inefficient SFP+ transceivers increase power draw; however, when low-power cabling solutions are deployed, the switch family’s power supplies maintain 90 percent efficiency at only 25 percent utilization, making efficient use of power in best-case scenarios.

●

Consistent management for Cisco products is provided through consistency of both Cisco NX-OS Software and Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS Software management models and tools. The switch family network features can be managed using the Cisco command-line interface (CLI), and the Fibre Channel and FCoE features can be managed through the Cisco Fabric Manager suite. In a future release, Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) will support the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches. The capability to manage Ethernet and FCoE features independently with existing Cisco tools preserves existing management models, best practices, and investments in staff training. In addition, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) MIBs, XML, and the Cisco CLI are made available to customers for switch management through third-party and custom-developed tools. The switch family uses Cisco NX-OS for superior operational efficiency, pervasive security, and continuous operation even through software upgrades.

●

Software manageability and serviceability features include Smart Call Home and automated parameter exchange (through DCBX). Security is enhanced through role-based access control (RBAC); support for authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA), remote TACACS+, and RADIUS servers; and Secure Shell (SSH) access.

Data Sheet

Applications

The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series supports a number of application scenarios that use it as an access-layer switch colocated with servers in data center racks or for middle-of-row deployments.

●

As an access-layer switch, it can be used purely as a 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch, consolidating 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections into a smaller number of server connections trunked to the aggregation layer.

●

In conjunction with the Cisco Nexus 2148T Gigabit Ethernet Fabric Extender, the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series can be a high-density Gigabit Ethernet switching system, consolidating more than 576 Gigabit Ethernet connections within a single management plane.

●

As a rack-level I/O consolidation platform, the switch carries Ethernet traffic from servers to the aggregation layer and carries FCoE traffic to existing Fibre Channel SANs.

●

As a crucial element in data center I/O consolidation, the switch enables I/O consolidation at the access layer and provides interoperability with the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series and other standards-based products.

The capability of the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series to function in all these capacities helps protect investment in the data center with a deployment model in which additional features can be enabled as they are needed.

Data Sheet

Rack-Level 10 Gigabit Ethernet Access-Layer Switch

The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series is designed with the density, performance, front-to-back cooling, and rear port configuration that make it ideal for aggregating a large number of 10 Gigabit Ethernet links from servers into a smaller number of uplinks to aggregation-layer switches. The switch port density allows each switch to support a single rack or neighboring racks using the SFP+ direct-attach 10 Gigabit copper cabling option. The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches can be purchased with only the Ethernet capabilities enabled, allowing IT departments to deploy them in parallel with existing Fibre Channel SANs. Figure 6 shows an active-active pair of Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches cross-connected to redundant Ethernet NICs in servers. Instead of using multiple Gigabit Ethernet connections to servers for LAN, virtual machine mobility applications, and Small Computer System Interface over IP (iSCSI) SAN support, customers can combine their traffic over a consolidated, lossless, low-latency 10 Gigabit Ethernet fabric.

Figure 6. The Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Can Be Deployed as a Top-of-Rack, Access-Layer Switch in Parallel with Existing Fibre

Channel SANs

Consolidated Gigabit Ethernet Top-of-Rack Access-Layer System

One deployment scenario involves equipping each data center rack with two Cisco Nexus 2148T Gigabit Ethernet Fabric Extenders connected to two upstream Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches (Figure 7). Up to 48 servers can connect to each fabric extender. Assuming that these servers are dual-homed, a pair of Cisco Nexus 5020 Switches can connect up to 576 servers (12 fabric extenders).

+ 15 hidden pages

Cisco Nexus 5010, Nexus 5020 Datasheet

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual