N2K-C2248TP Cisco Nexus 2000 Fabric Extender

Overview of Cisco N2K-C2248TP Nexus 2000 Expansion Module

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP 48-Port Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extender Expansion Module is a high-performance data center networking solution designed to simplify server connectivity while extending the capabilities of Cisco Nexus switches. As a Cisco Fabric Extender (FEX), this enterprise-class expansion module delivers centralized management, high-density Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, outstanding forwarding performance, and reliable scalability for virtualization, cloud computing, and mission-critical business environments.

General Specifications

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Part Number: N2K-C2248TP
• Series: Cisco Nexus 2000 Series
• Product Type: Expansion Module
• Interface: Nexus 2000 48-Port Fabric Extender

Technical Information

• Port Type: Copper RJ-45 Ethernet
• Supported Speeds: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
• Deployment: High-density server and storage connectivity
• Host Ports (Downlinks): 48 × 100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet ports

Fabric Uplink Interfaces

• Fabric Ports (Uplinks): 4 × 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ ports
• Purpose: High-speed uplink connectivity to Cisco Nexus parent switches
• Media Support: SFP+ optical transceivers and Direct Attach Copper (DAC) cables

Network Performance

• Packet Buffer: 32 MB
• Switching Capacity: 176 Gbps Full Duplex
• MAC Address Table: Supports up to 8,000 MAC addresses
• Forwarding Rate: Up to 131 Million Packets Per Second (Mpps)
• Traffic Handling: Deep packet buffering for burst-intensive workloads

Power Features

• Typical Power Consumption: Approximately 95 Watts
• Maximum Power Consumption: Approximately 110 Watts
• Availability: Enterprise-grade redundant power architecture
• Power Supplies: Dual Redundant Hot-Swappable AC or DC Power Supplies

Cooling System

• Airflow Options: Port-Side Exhaust or Port-Side Intake
• Fan Modules: Hot-Swappable Field-Replaceable Fan Modules
• Cooling Design: Optimized for hot-aisle and cold-aisle data center deployments

Physical Specifications

Dimensions and Form Factor

• Form Factor: 1RU Rack-Mountable
• Dimensions: 1.72" (H) × 17.3" (W) × 17.7" (D)
• Metric Dimensions: 4.37 × 43.94 × 44.96 cm
• Weight: Approximately 18 lbs (8.16 kg)

Environmental Specifications

• Operating Temperature: 32°F to 104°F (0°C to 40°C)
• Rack Compatibility: Standard 19-inch Rack Cabinet
• Deployment: Enterprise and cloud data centers

Enterprise Networking Features

• Jumbo Frame Support: Up to 9,216 Bytes
• Quality of Service (QoS): 8 Hardware Queues Per Port
• VLAN Support: IEEE 802.1Q VLAN Encapsulation
• High Availability: Redundant power and cooling components

Highlights of Cisco N2K-C2248TP 48 Port Expansion Module

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP 48 Port Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extender Expansion Module is engineered to deliver enterprise-class networking performance with a design tailored for Cisco Nexus architectures. Built on Cisco’s advanced fabric extender technology, this module ensures scalable throughput, reliable integration, and seamless deployment in structured infrastructures. Its design supports modern workloads, delivering consistent bandwidth, optimized traffic management, and enhanced flexibility for mission-critical applications across diverse industries.

48x1GE Connectivity for Enterprise Networks

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP provides forty-eight 1GE ports, ensuring efficient communication across enterprise environments. With support for copper-based connections, it delivers stable coverage and improved throughput. Enterprises benefit from reduced latency, enhanced responsiveness, and reliable performance for servers, storage systems, and applications operating simultaneously in demanding conditions.

Integration with Cisco Nexus Series Switches

The expansion module integrates seamlessly with Cisco Nexus switches, offering flexible expansion options. This integration supports advanced traffic management, virtualization features, and high availability. Enterprises benefit from streamlined deployment, reduced complexity, and scalable solutions that adapt to evolving networking requirements across enterprise and data center environments with minimal disruption.

Advanced Architecture for Critical Data

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP incorporates advanced security mechanisms to safeguard enterprise networks. Features such as secure boot, hardware root of trust, and encryption support protect against unauthorized access and cyber threats. Enterprises achieve compliance with industry standards, ensuring reliable protection for sensitive data and mission-critical applications with minimal risk exposure and enhanced resilience.

Optimized Performance

With support for SR-IOV and virtualization offloads, the Cisco N2K-C2248TP enables versatile communication across enterprise networks. Its architecture ensures consistent bandwidth for diverse applications. Enterprises benefit from optimized traffic flow, reduced latency, and improved scalability in virtualization-centric environments where performance consistency is essential for mission-critical workloads and distributed infrastructures.

Traffic Management and QoS Capabilities

Quality of Service features allow administrators to prioritize critical applications such as storage traffic, voice, and video. The Cisco N2K-C2248TP ensures that latency-sensitive workloads receive dedicated bandwidth, reducing jitter and packet loss. Enterprises achieve improved user experiences, optimized performance, and reliable communication across diverse applications with enhanced control over traffic distribution and prioritization.

Energy Efficiency and Thermal Design

Energy-efficient design minimizes power consumption while maintaining high performance. The extender’s optimized thermal design ensures simplified deployment without overheating risks. Enterprises benefit from reduced cooling requirements, improved sustainability, and extended hardware lifespan in high-density environments where efficiency and reliability are critical for long-term operations.

Scalability for Enterprise Growth

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP provides scalability to meet growing enterprise demands. With forty-eight 1GE ports, businesses can expand their networks without significant infrastructure changes. Enterprises achieve cost-effective scaling, ensuring that networking capabilities evolve alongside organizational growth with minimal disruption and consistent performance across diverse workloads.

Mission-Critical Workloads

Reliability is a cornerstone of the Cisco N2K-C2248TP design. Redundant architecture and robust connectivity ensure continuous operation even during hardware failures. Enterprises benefit from minimized downtime, consistent service availability, and enhanced resilience for mission-critical workloads requiring uninterrupted connectivity across distributed environments and global deployments.

Deployment Flexibility Across Environments

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP offers deployment flexibility across diverse environments. Its compatibility with Cisco modular platforms allows seamless integration into enterprise, campus, and branch networks. Enterprises can tailor configurations for redundancy, scalability, or performance optimization, ensuring adaptability to evolving business needs with simplified management and streamlined workflows.

High-Density Applications

High-density applications such as virtualization clusters and storage backbones benefit from the Cisco N2K-C2248TP’s forty-eight port design and advanced networking capabilities. Enterprises achieve simplified cabling, reduced infrastructure costs, and improved manageability in environments requiring large-scale device connectivity with consistent performance delivery and reliable throughput across critical workloads.

Future-Proof Networking Solution

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP is designed as a future-proof solution, meeting evolving enterprise needs. Its compatibility, scalability, and advanced features ensure relevance as technology advances. Businesses can invest confidently, knowing the extender will support networking requirements for years to come across diverse industries with minimal upgrade requirements and enhanced adaptability.

Enhanced Performance

Storage networking platforms benefit from the Cisco N2K-C2248TP’s QoS and port support. Storage traffic receives prioritized bandwidth, ensuring clear communication and reduced latency. Enterprises achieve improved collaboration between storage systems, optimized performance, and reliable connectivity for mission-critical storage networks across global deployments with consistent quality and seamless integration.

Cloud and Edge Deployments

Cloud and edge deployments require reliable connectivity and scalability. The Cisco N2K-C2248TP provides secure integration for high-speed cloud adoption and edge device connectivity. Enterprises benefit from seamless cloud adoption, reduced latency, and improved efficiency in distributed environments with consistent throughput and reliable performance across diverse workloads.

Comprehensive Manageability Features

Manageability features such as centralized monitoring, configuration management, and diagnostics simplify administration. The Cisco N2K-C2248TP ensures that IT teams can efficiently manage large-scale deployments. Enterprises achieve reduced operational overhead, improved visibility, and enhanced control over network infrastructures with streamlined workflows and simplified management processes across complex environments.

Emerging Technologies

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP supports emerging technologies such as NVMe over Fabrics and advanced storage protocols. Its forty-eight port design ensures reliable connectivity, while advanced traffic management provides high-speed performance. Enterprises benefit from future-ready infrastructure, enabling seamless adoption of new technologies without significant upgrades or disruptions across diverse industries and global deployments.

Resilient Architecture

The resilient architecture of the Cisco N2K-C2248TP ensures consistent performance under demanding conditions. Redundant connectivity and advanced traffic management features safeguard enterprise networks. Enterprises achieve improved uptime, reduced risk, and enhanced reliability for mission-critical applications requiring continuous availability and consistent performance across distributed infrastructures.

Data-Intensive Workloads

Data-intensive workloads such as analytics and cloud applications benefit from the Cisco N2K-C2248TP’s connectivity and QoS features. Enterprises achieve optimized performance, reduced latency, and improved scalability for workloads requiring consistent bandwidth and reliable communication across distributed environments and mission-critical infrastructures.

Optimized for Enterprise Growth

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP provides scalability to meet growing enterprise demands. With its universal design, businesses can expand their networks without requiring significant infrastructure changes. Enterprises achieve cost-effective scaling, ensuring that extender solutions evolve alongside organizational growth with minimal disruption and consistent performance across diverse workloads.

Reliable Performance

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP ensures reliable performance even in demanding industrial conditions. Its robust construction and centralized management provide enterprises with confidence in their infrastructure, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity and consistent performance across mission-critical applications requiring continuous availability and resilience.

Enterprise-Class Reliability and Uptime

Reliability is a key advantage of the Cisco N2K-C2248TP. Its robust architecture ensures continuous operation even during hardware failures. Enterprises benefit from minimized downtime, consistent service availability, and enhanced resilience for mission-critical workloads requiring uninterrupted connectivity across diverse environments and global deployments with consistent performance.

Enhanced Monitoring Capabilities

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP enhances monitoring by providing real-time visibility into network performance. Administrators can track device health, traffic patterns, and application usage, ensuring proactive management. Enterprises achieve improved efficiency, reduced risk, and enhanced reliability across diverse deployment scenarios with simplified troubleshooting and proactive alerts.

Secure Role-Based Access Control

The extender’s role-based access control ensures that only authorized personnel can configure or manage devices. Enterprises achieve improved security, reduced risk of misconfiguration, and enhanced compliance with industry standards across diverse environments with consistent enforcement of access policies.

Universal Device

The Cisco N2K-C2248TP is compatible with a wide range of Cisco Nexus platforms, ensuring seamless integration into diverse infrastructures. Enterprises benefit from deployment flexibility, reduced complexity, and enhanced scalability across enterprise and campus networks with simplified device onboarding and configuration.