ASR-9922-SFC-FILR Cisco ASR 9922 Switch Fabric Card

Product Overview of Cisco ASR-9922-SFC-FILR

The Cisco ASR-9922-SFC-FILR is a high-performance switch fabric card designed to enhance data handling and optimize network efficiency. It delivers reliable performance for enterprise and service provider infrastructures.

Manufacturer Information

Brand Details

• Brand: Cisco
• Part Number: ASR-9922-SFC-FILR
• Product Type: Fabric Card

Key Features and Advantages

High Efficiency and Performance

Designed for superior performance, this switch fabric card ensures:

• Efficient data management and faster throughput
• Reduced latency for real-time communication

Durable and Reliable Construction

With a robust architecture, the ASR-9922-SFC-FILR is built to endure demanding operational conditions:

• Reliable operation under high network traffic
• Long-lasting design for critical infrastructure

Seamless Integration

Ensures compatibility with Cisco networking systems to deliver:

• Optimized network performance
• Easy deployment with existing Cisco solutions

Applications and Use Cases

Ideal for high-capacity data and communication networks, including:

• Enterprise-grade networking
• Service provider data centers

Understanding the Role of the Switch Fabric Card

In a distributed architecture router like the Cisco ASR 9922, line cards process packets locally, but the movement of data between these cards happens across the switch fabric. The Switch Fabric Card (SFC) is the high-bandwidth, non-blocking backplane that interconnects all system components. The ASR-9922-SFC-FILR is the engine enabling the system's aggregate throughput of multiple terabits per second, ensuring that data flows seamlessly without contention, regardless of which line cards are communicating.

Key Fabric Card Functions

Non-Blocking Connectivity: Provides full bisectional bandwidth, allowing all line card slots to communicate at their maximum capacity simultaneously.
Centralized Arbitration: Manages data flow priorities and ensures fair access to fabric resources across all system components.
High Availability & Redundancy: Designed for N+N redundancy, allowing for multiple fabric card failures without impacting system operation.
Scalability: Works in concert with multiple fabric cards to scale the system's aggregate switching capacity.

Technical Specifications

The Cisco ASR-9922-SFC-FILR is a Field-Replaceable Unit (FRU) with specific technical attributes that network architects must understand for proper system planning and scaling.

Hardware Architecture and Integration

The SFC installs vertically into dedicated fabric card slots in the rear of the ASR 9922 chassis. The "FILR" suffix in the part number denotes a specific hardware revision and feature set. It is crucial to verify software compatibility and fabric mixing rules with other SFC models (like SFC-FIC or earlier revisions) within the same chassis.

Power and Thermal Profile

As a core system component, the fabric card has a defined power consumption range. While individual card consumption is part of the system total, understanding its contribution is essential for accurate power supply (PSU) sizing and thermal management within the data center rack.

Performance and Capacity Metrics

The performance of the ASR-9922-SFC-FILR is not measured in isolation but as part of a fabric group. Its key metric is its contribution to the system's total fabric capacity and bandwidth per slot.

Fabric Capacity Scaling

A single ASR 9922 chassis can be populated with multiple fabric cards. The aggregate switching capacity scales linearly with the number of active fabric cards. For instance, a system with five fabric cards active will have a significantly higher total fabric bandwidth than a system with the minimum required for redundancy. The ASR-9922-SFC-FILR is a component in this scalable matrix.

Impact on Line Card Capabilities

The available fabric bandwidth directly determines the maximum throughput a high-rate line card (such as a 400G or 1T capable card) can achieve. A fully populated fabric is required to realize the full potential of all line card slots operating at peak capacity.

Deployment Scenarios and Use Cases

The deployment of the Cisco ASR 9922 router, and by extension its switch fabric cards, is targeted at the most demanding network edges and cores.

Service Provider Core and Peering Points

At the core of a Tier-1 service provider network, the ASR 9922 with high-performance fabric cards handles massive BGP tables and terabits of transit traffic. The non-blocking architecture of the ASR-9922-SFC-FILR ensures low latency and zero packet loss during congestion, which is critical for maintaining service level agreements (SLAs).

Internet Exchange (IX) and Data Center Interconnect (DCI)

In IX and high-density DCI scenarios, the router acts as a massively scalable switch. The fabric cards manage the intense, any-to-any traffic patterns between hundreds of peers or data centers, where predictable performance and ultra-high availability are non-negotiable.

5G Mobile Core and Edge Networks

The transition to 5G introduces unprecedented bandwidth demands and ultra-low latency requirements. The ASR 9922 router, powered by robust switch fabric, serves as a Scalable User Plane Function (SUPF) or a massive aggregation router for 5G gNodeBs. The fabric's capacity is essential for handling the surge in mobile data and the dense interconnection of network slices.

Network Slicing and Service Assurance

Within a 5G architecture, the fabric card must support advanced QoS and scheduling mechanisms that are enforced across the fabric itself. This ensures that a guaranteed slice of bandwidth and priority is maintained end-to-end across the router, from ingress to egress line card.

High Availability and Redundancy Design

Network uptime is paramount. The design of the Cisco ASR 9922 Switch Fabric Card category is inherently built for fault tolerance.

N+N Fabric Redundancy Model

The ASR 9922 employs an N+N redundancy model for its fabric. This means the system can continue operating at full capacity even with the failure of multiple fabric cards. For example, in a system configured with six total fabric cards, it may operate in a 4+2 active/standby configuration, where two cards are hot standbys. The ASR-9922-SFC-FILR cards operate within this matrix, with the system software automatically managing failover.

Hitless Failover and In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU)

The redundancy extends beyond hardware. Coupled with Cisco IOS XR software, the system supports hitless failover of fabric functions and ISSU. This allows the fabric planes to be upgraded or maintained without dropping traffic, a requirement for networks that demand "five-nines" (99.999%) availability.

Fabric Card Online Insertion and Removal (OIR)

The SFCs support OIR, allowing a faulty card to be replaced or a new card to be added for capacity expansion without powering down the entire chassis. This feature is critical for maintaining continuous service during hardware maintenance.

Compatibility

Procuring and integrating the correct fabric card requires careful attention to compatibility and licensing details.

Chassis and Software Compatibility

The ASR-9922-SFC-FILR is compatible with the Cisco ASR 9922 Router chassis. It is imperative to check the minimum required Cisco IOS XR Software version. Using an SFC with an older, incompatible software version can result in the card being rejected by the system or operating in a degraded mode.

Mixing Fabric Card Types

Cisco provides specific guidelines on mixing different generations or types of fabric cards within the same chassis. Often, all fabric cards in a single fabric plane must be identical. Mixing without adherence to published guidelines can lead to system instability or reduced performance.