A Comparison of N9K-C93108TC-FX and N9K-C93180YC-EX Switches

 If you are looking for a fixed-port switch that supports cost-effective cloud-scale deployments, an increased number of endpoints, and cloud services with wire-rate security and telemetry, you may want to consider the Cisco Nexus 9300-EX and 9300-FX Series Switches1. These switches are based on Cisco Cloud Scale technology and are part of the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches. They can operate in either NX-OS mode or ACI mode, offering flexible deployment options. In this article, we will compare two models from this series: N9K-C93108TC-FX and N9K-C93180YC-EX.

Port Configuration

The first difference among these two models is the number and type of ports they offer. Here is a summary of their port configuration:

N9K-C93108TC-FX: 48 RJ-45 autosensing 100M/1/10GBASE-T ports + 6 QSFP28 40/100-Gbps ports23

N9K-C93180YC-EX: 48 SFP+ 1/10/25-Gbps ports + 6 QSFP28 40/100-Gbps ports1

As you can see, the main difference is the type of downlink ports: RJ-45 for N9K-C93108TC-FX and SFP+ for N9K-C93180YC-EX. RJ-45 ports use copper cables and support speeds up to 10 Gbps. SFP+ ports use fiber optic cables and support speeds up to 25 Gbps. Depending on your network cabling and speed requirements, you can choose the model that best suits your needs.

Both models have the same number and type of uplink ports: QSFP28. QSFP28 stands for Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable 28, which is a standard for transceivers that can support speeds up to 100 Gbps. You can use different types of transceivers depending on the distance and media type of your uplink connection. For example, you can use a QSFP-100G-SR4-S transceiver for a short-range connection over multimode fiber optic cable, or a QSFP-100G-LR4-S transceiver for a long-range connection over single-mode fiber optic cable.

Performance

The second difference among these two models is their performance metrics, such as throughput, switching capacity, latency, routing table size, and MAC address table size. Here is a summary of their performance metrics:

N9K-C93108TC-FX: Throughput: up to 2.16 Tbps; Switching capacity: up to 2.16 Tbps; Latency: <2.9 µs; Routing table size: 16000 entries (IPv4), 8000 entries (IPv6); MAC address table size: 288000 entries

N9K-C93180YC-EX: Th
roughput: up to 3.6 Tbps; Switching capacity: up to 3.6 Tbps; Latency: <1 µs; Routing table size: 16000 entries (IPv4), 8000 entries (IPv6); MAC address table size: 288000 entries

As you can see, the main difference is the throughput, switching capacity, and latency, which are higher for N9K-C93180YC-EX than for N9K-C93108TC-FX. Throughput is the rate at which the switch can process packets, measured in terabits per second (Tbps). Switching capacity is the total bandwidth of the switch, measured in terabits per second (Tbps). Latency is the time it takes for a packet to travel from one port to another, measured in microseconds (µs). Higher throughput and switching capacity mean that the switch can handle more traffic and avoid congestion. Lower latency means that the switch can deliver faster response times.

The routing table size and MAC address table size are the same for both models. Routing table size is the number of entries that the switch can store for routing decisions, based on IP addresses. MAC address table size is the number of entries that the switch can store for switching decisions, based on MAC addresses. These metrics affect the speed and efficiency of the switch’s operations.

Features

The third difference among these two models is their features, such as MACsec encryption, unified ports, and buffer size. Here is a summary of their features:

N9K-C93108TC-FX: Supports MACsec encryption on all ports; supports unified ports on uplink ports; has 40 MB of buffer size23

N9K-C93180YC-EX: Supports MACsec encryption on downlink ports; supports unified ports on downlink and uplink ports; has 40 MB of buffer size1

As you can see, the main difference is the support for MACsec encryption and unified ports. MACsec stands for Media Access Control Security, which is a standard for encrypting and authenticating data on Ethernet links. MACsec encryption can protect data from eavesdropping, tampering, and replay attacks. Unified ports are ports that can operate as either Ethernet or Fibre Channel ports, creating a point of convergence for primary storage, compute servers, and back-end storage resources. Unified ports can simplify the network design and reduce the number of switches and cables required.

Both models have the same buffer size, which is 40 MB. Buffer size is the amount of memory that the switch can use to store packets temporarily when there is congestion or mismatched speeds. Buffer size can help prevent packet loss and improve performance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, N9K-C93108TC-FX and N9K-C93180YC-EX are two models from the Cisco Nexus 9300-EX and 9300-FX Series Switches that differ in their port configuration, performance metrics, and features. Depending on your network cabling, speed, security, and convergence requirements, you can choose the model that best suits your needs. Both models share some common features, such as:

Fixed-port switches that support cost-effective cloud-scale deployments

Support for NX-OS mode or ACI mode, offering flexible deployment options

Support for RIP routing, Access OSPF, IPv6, ACLs, sFlow, QoS and SDN optimizations

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