N7K-C7004-S2 Cisco Nexus 7004 Bundle (Chassis, 1xSUP2)

Cisco Nexus 7004 Chassis Overview

The Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 Nexus 7004 chassis is designed for scalable data center switching, offering a compact yet powerful platform within the Nexus 7000 family. This bundle includes one Supervisor Engine 2 (SUP2) and is engineered to support enterprise-grade network environments where reliability and performance are essential.

Core Product Identification

• Brand: Cisco Systems
• SKU / Part Number: N7K-C7004-S2
• Category: Network Switch
• Form Factor: Modular Chassis

Nexus 7000 Series Architecture

Belonging to the Cisco Nexus 7000 product line, the 7004 model delivers advanced switching capabilities while maintaining flexibility for future expansion. Its modular architecture allows network administrators to adapt the system to evolving infrastructure demands.

Model and Series Details

• Product Line: Cisco Nexus
• Series: 7000
• Model Number: 7004
• Bundle Configuration: Chassis with 1x Supervisor Engine 2

Bundle Components Clarification

This configuration is supplied without power supplies, enabling customization based on specific power and redundancy requirements.

Switch Chassis Capabilities

The Nexus 7004 switch chassis is optimized for Layer 2 networking, supporting high-throughput switching scenarios commonly required in data centers, aggregation layers, and enterprise backbones.

Supported Networking Layer

• Operational Layer: Layer 2
• Designed for stable and efficient packet forwarding

Expansion and Slot Configuration

Scalability is a key advantage of the Nexus 7004, with multiple expansion options to accommodate supervisor engines and future upgrades.

Slot Availability

• Total Expansion Slots: 4
• Slot Purpose: Supervisor Engine installation

Interface Availability

• Token Ring Interface: Not supported
• LRE Interface: Not included
• Bypass Functionality: Not available

Power and Electrical Requirements

The chassis requires external power supplies to operate, allowing organizations to select appropriate power modules based on regional standards and redundancy needs.

Input Power Specifications

• Supported Voltage: 110V AC and 220V AC
• Power Source: Modular power supply units required

Power over Ethernet Details

• PoE Support: Not present
• RJ-45 PoE Ports: Not available

Ideal Deployment Scenarios

• Enterprise data center switching environments
• Aggregation and access-layer network designs
• Scalable infrastructures requiring modular growth
• Organizations standardizing on Cisco Nexus platforms

Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Modular Switching Architecture

The Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 Nexus 7004 Chassis with 1x SUP2 bundle belongs to the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series, a family of modular data center switches designed to deliver scalable, resilient, and high-performance networking for enterprise, service provider, and cloud environments. This category focuses on modular chassis-based switching platforms that provide a flexible foundation for core, aggregation, and data center backbone deployments. The Nexus 7004 chassis stands out as a compact yet powerful option within the Nexus 7000 portfolio, offering advanced Layer 2 and Layer 3 capabilities, extensive virtualization support, and a robust hardware architecture optimized for continuous operation.

Designed for mission-critical networks, this category emphasizes reliability, scalability, and long-term investment protection. The Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 chassis integrates seamlessly into modern data center designs where uptime, predictable performance, and modular growth are essential. By supporting a wide range of line cards, fabric modules, and supervisor engines, the Nexus 7004 platform allows organizations to adapt network capacity and features as business requirements evolve.

Chassis-Based Design and Physical Architecture

The Cisco Nexus 7004 chassis category is defined by its compact four-slot modular design, making it ideal for environments that require high performance in a smaller footprint. Unlike fixed-configuration switches, the chassis-based architecture allows independent scaling of switching capacity, control plane intelligence, and connectivity options. The N7K-C7004-S2 model supports a combination of supervisor modules, I/O line cards, and fabric modules that work together to deliver predictable throughput and low latency.

The physical construction of the Nexus 7004 chassis emphasizes durability and efficient airflow management. Redundant power supplies and fan trays are integral to this category, ensuring continuous operation even during component maintenance or unexpected hardware failures. Hot-swappable components allow maintenance without disrupting network services, a critical requirement for data centers that operate around the clock.

Compact Form Factor for Space-Efficient Deployments

The Nexus 7004 chassis is engineered for space efficiency while maintaining enterprise-grade performance. Its smaller footprint compared to larger Nexus 7000 models makes it suitable for data centers with limited rack space, edge aggregation locations, or secondary data centers that still demand core-level functionality. This category addresses organizations seeking a balance between modular scalability and physical efficiency.

Redundant Power and Cooling Subsystems

High availability is a defining characteristic of the Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 category. Redundant power supplies support diverse power input configurations, enhancing resilience against power-related disruptions. Advanced cooling systems are designed to maintain optimal operating temperatures under heavy workloads, contributing to long hardware lifespan and consistent performance. These features make the Nexus 7004 chassis a dependable choice for environments with strict uptime requirements.

Supervisor Engine 2 (SUP2) Integration

The inclusion of one Supervisor Engine 2 in the Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 bundle is a key differentiator of this category. The supervisor engine serves as the control plane of the switch, managing forwarding tables, routing protocols, and overall system operations. SUP2 provides enhanced processing power, memory capacity, and feature support compared to earlier supervisor generations, enabling advanced networking functions and improved scalability.

With Supervisor Engine 2, the Nexus 7004 chassis supports high-performance routing, comprehensive security features, and advanced virtualization technologies. This category is particularly suited for organizations planning long-term deployments, as SUP2 ensures compatibility with a broad range of Cisco NX-OS features and future software enhancements.

Control Plane Performance and Stability

The SUP2 supervisor engine delivers robust control plane performance, ensuring fast convergence and reliable protocol operation. This is critical in large-scale networks where routing updates, policy changes, and topology adjustments occur frequently. The stability of the control plane directly impacts application availability, making this category suitable for enterprise core and data center aggregation roles.

Redundancy and High Availability Options

Although the N7K-C7004-S2 bundle includes one supervisor, the chassis supports redundant supervisor configurations for enhanced resilience. This capability allows organizations to deploy dual supervisors in active-standby mode, ensuring uninterrupted network operation during supervisor maintenance or failure. Such redundancy options align with the high-availability focus of the Nexus 7000 Series category.

High-Performance Switching and Throughput Capabilities

The Cisco Nexus 7004 chassis category is engineered to deliver high throughput and low latency across a wide range of workloads. The modular fabric architecture enables consistent performance as line cards are added or upgraded. This design ensures that bandwidth scales predictably without introducing bottlenecks, a critical requirement for modern data centers supporting virtualization, cloud computing, and high-performance applications.

Support for multiple interface speeds, including high-density 10 Gigabit and 40 Gigabit Ethernet line cards, allows the Nexus 7004 to serve as a versatile switching platform. This category addresses environments transitioning from traditional enterprise networks to high-speed data center fabrics.

Low-Latency Data Forwarding

Low latency is a defining attribute of the Nexus 7004 platform. Hardware-based forwarding and optimized fabric modules ensure that data packets are processed efficiently, minimizing delays that can impact application performance. This makes the category suitable for latency-sensitive applications such as financial trading platforms, real-time analytics, and unified communications.

Scalable Bandwidth for Growing Networks

As network demands increase, the Nexus 7004 chassis allows incremental bandwidth expansion through additional line cards and fabric modules. This scalability ensures that organizations can grow their network capacity without replacing the entire switching platform, protecting long-term investments and reducing total cost of ownership.

Advanced Layer 2 and Layer 3 Features

The Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 category supports a comprehensive set of Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking features that enable flexible and resilient network designs. Advanced switching protocols, robust routing capabilities, and policy-based forwarding options provide granular control over traffic flows. This makes the Nexus 7004 suitable for complex network topologies and multi-tier data center architectures.

Support for modern routing protocols and high-scale forwarding tables ensures that the platform can handle large numbers of endpoints and routes. This capability is particularly valuable in environments with extensive virtualization or cloud integration.

Enterprise-Class Routing Capabilities

With Supervisor Engine 2, the Nexus 7004 supports advanced routing protocols and features that enable efficient traffic engineering and redundancy. These capabilities are essential for core network roles where reliability and fast failover are critical.

Flexible Switching and Policy Control

Granular policy control allows administrators to define traffic handling behaviors based on application requirements, security policies, or quality of service parameters. This flexibility enhances network efficiency and ensures that critical workloads receive the necessary resources.

Virtualization and Data Center Integration

Virtualization support is a core aspect of the Cisco Nexus 7004 category. The platform is designed to integrate seamlessly with virtualized server environments, enabling consistent network policies across physical and virtual infrastructure. Technologies that support virtual machine mobility and dynamic workload placement are central to this category.

By providing a stable and scalable network foundation, the Nexus 7004 chassis supports private cloud, hybrid cloud, and multi-tenant data center deployments. This makes it a valuable component of modern IT strategies focused on agility and resource optimization.

Support for Virtualized Workloads

The Nexus 7004 platform enables efficient connectivity for virtual machines, ensuring that network performance scales alongside compute resources. This capability reduces operational complexity and enhances application performance in virtualized environments.

Multi-Tenant Network Segmentation

Advanced segmentation features allow multiple tenants or departments to share the same physical infrastructure while maintaining isolation and security. This is particularly important for service providers and large enterprises with diverse business units.

Security and Network Protection Features

Security is an integral part of the Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 category. The platform supports a range of security features designed to protect the network from threats while maintaining high performance. Hardware-based enforcement ensures that security policies do not compromise throughput or latency.

Integration with centralized management and security frameworks allows consistent policy enforcement across the network. This category addresses organizations that require strong security controls without sacrificing scalability or performance.

Hardware-Assisted Security Enforcement

By leveraging specialized hardware, the Nexus 7004 chassis can enforce access control policies and filtering rules efficiently. This approach minimizes the performance impact typically associated with software-based security solutions.

Secure Network Segmentation

Segmentation capabilities help limit the spread of threats by isolating network segments. This is particularly valuable in large data centers where multiple applications and services coexist on shared infrastructure.

Operational Efficiency and Manageability

The Cisco Nexus 7004 category emphasizes operational simplicity through consistent management interfaces and automation capabilities. Cisco NX-OS provides a robust and familiar operating system across the Nexus portfolio, reducing the learning curve for network administrators. This consistency enhances operational efficiency and reduces the risk of configuration errors.

Advanced monitoring and diagnostics tools enable proactive network management, allowing administrators to identify and resolve issues before they impact users or applications. This focus on manageability aligns with the needs of large-scale and mission-critical deployments.

Unified Management with Cisco NX-OS

Cisco NX-OS delivers a feature-rich operating environment that supports automation, programmability, and comprehensive monitoring. This unified approach simplifies day-to-day operations and supports modern DevOps practices.

Proactive Monitoring and Diagnostics

Built-in monitoring capabilities provide visibility into network performance and hardware health. These tools enable faster troubleshooting and contribute to overall network stability.

Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios

The Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 Nexus 7004 Chassis category is suitable for a wide range of deployment scenarios. Its modular design and high-performance capabilities make it ideal for enterprise core networks, data center aggregation layers, and service provider environments. The platform’s flexibility allows it to adapt to diverse workloads and traffic patterns.

Organizations seeking a reliable and scalable switching foundation can leverage this category to support current requirements while preparing for future growth. The Nexus 7004 chassis serves as a strategic investment in network infrastructure.

Enterprise Core and Aggregation

In enterprise environments, the Nexus 7004 provides a resilient core or aggregation layer that connects access switches, data centers, and WAN links. Its high availability and performance ensure consistent connectivity for critical business applications.

Data Center Backbone and Interconnect

As a data center backbone, the Nexus 7004 delivers the bandwidth and reliability needed to support east-west traffic flows and interconnect multiple data center segments. This makes it a key component of scalable data center architectures.

Long-Term Value and Investment Protection

The Cisco Nexus 7004 category is designed to provide long-term value through modular upgrades and software extensibility. Organizations can enhance performance, add features, or expand capacity without replacing the entire chassis. This approach reduces capital expenditures and extends the useful life of the network infrastructure.

Compatibility with a wide range of Cisco technologies and ongoing software support ensures that the Nexus 7004 chassis remains relevant as networking standards and business requirements evolve. This long-term perspective makes the Cisco N7K-C7004-S2 bundle an attractive option for organizations planning sustainable network architectures.

Modular Upgradability

The ability to upgrade supervisors, line cards, and fabric modules independently allows organizations to align network investments with evolving needs. This modularity is a defining feature of the Nexus 7000 Series category.

Future-Ready Networking Platform

With support for advanced features and integration with modern network architectures, the Nexus 7004 chassis provides a future-ready foundation. This ensures that organizations can adapt to emerging technologies and increasing performance demands without disruptive infrastructure changes.