C1-C4503E-S7L+48V+ Cisco 4503-E Switch Chassis

Detailed Hardware Breakdown: Chassis & Integrated

The C1-C4503E-S7L+48V+ SKU is more than just an empty box; it's a synergistic system. Understanding each component is crucial to appreciating its total value proposition.

The 4503-E Chassis Physical Architecture

The 3-slot (4503-E) form factor strikes an optimal balance between port density, redundancy, and physical footprint. It is a 4-rack-unit (4RU) chassis constructed for durability in telecommunications closets and data centers.

Slot Configuration and Midplane Capacity

The chassis features three dedicated slots: Slot 1 is reserved for the Supervisor Engine, while Slots 2 and 3 are available for any combination of Catalyst 4500-E Series line cards. The passive midplane offers 48 Gbps of bandwidth per slot, ensuring non-blocking performance for a vast majority of deployment scenarios. This design prevents internal bottlenecks when multiple high-throughput line cards are installed.

Cooling and System Management

The chassis incorporates redundant, hot-swappable fan trays with variable speed control. These trays provide side-to-side airflow, efficiently cooling the modules and maintaining optimal operating temperatures. For management, it includes dual integrated USB ports and a console port on the chassis itself, providing out-of-band management capabilities independent of the supervisor engine state.

Supervisor Engine 7L: The Intelligence Hub

This bundle includes the Supervisor Engine 7L (VS-S7L-10G), a critical component that defines the switch's capabilities. The "7L" denotes a specific level of performance and feature set within the supervisor hierarchy.

Control-Plane Performance and Features

The Supervisor 7L is powered by a multi-core CPU complex dedicated to control-plane and management-plane functions. It supports advanced features like Flexible NetFlow, Enhanced Object Tracking (EOT), and comprehensive security ACLs. It is capable of handling complex routing protocols (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP) and sophisticated quality-of-service (QoS) policies essential for converged voice, video, and data networks.

Onboard Ports and Connectivity

The supervisor itself provides dedicated ports for management and uplinks. This typically includes two 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ uplink ports, two 1 Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 management ports, and a serial console port. These onboard ports provide immediate connectivity for network integration and out-of-band management without consuming a line card slot.

48V DC Power Supply System

The "+48V" designation specifies the inclusion of a 1400W DC power supply. This is a pivotal differentiator for certain deployment environments.

DC Power: Use Cases and Advantages

DC power is predominantly used in telecommunications central offices, service provider environments, and enterprises with dedicated DC plant rooms or battery backup systems. Its primary advantages include compatibility with existing DC infrastructure, inherent safety during maintenance (easier to break DC circuits), and often higher efficiency in large-scale, rectifier-based power systems. It also provides clean power isolation from AC grid fluctuations.

Redundancy and Power Budgeting

The 4503-E chassis supports up to two power supplies. This bundle includes one 1400W DC supply. For full power supply redundancy (N+1), a second, identical 1400W DC power supply (PWR-C45-1400DC-V) must be added. The 1400W rating provides ample headroom to power a fully loaded chassis with high-density PoE (Power over Ethernet) line cards, ensuring all connected devices, such as IP phones and wireless access points, receive uninterrupted power.

Target Applications and Deployment Scenarios

The specific configuration of the C1-C4503E-S7L+48V+ makes it ideally suited for several key network roles that demand reliability, modularity, and specific power feed requirements.

Enterprise Campus Core and Distribution Layer

In mid-to-large campus networks, the 4503-E serves as a powerful distribution or core switch. Its high switching capacity, support for extensive VLANs and routing instances, and robust QoS make it perfect for aggregating traffic from multiple access switches. The modularity allows a network architect to start with 1 Gigabit Ethernet line cards for access aggregation and later add 10 Gigabit Ethernet or even 40 Gigabit Ethernet cards for core uplinks as bandwidth needs grow.

High Availability Features in the Campus

For core deployments, high availability is paramount. The chassis supports in-service software upgrades (ISSU) when using redundant Supervisor Engines, allowing for patching and upgrades with zero network downtime. Combined with redundant power supplies and fan trays, it enables the "always-on" network that modern enterprises require.

Data Center Aggregation and Mid-Tier Applications

While not a top-of-rack switch, the 4503-E is well-positioned in the data center aggregation layer, connecting racks of servers to the core network. Its high port density for 1G and 10G connectivity, support for data center bridging (DCB), and integration with Cisco's FabricPath for scalable layer-2 fabrics make it a viable solution for mid-sized virtualization clusters and storage networks.

Service Provider and Telecom Edge

The inclusion of the 48V DC power supply directly targets telecommunications and service provider edge deployments. In these settings, the switch can act as a Broadband Remote Access Server (BRAS) aggregation point, a Metro Ethernet service delivery platform, or a managed services gateway. Compliance with NEBS (Network Equipment Building System) standards makes the chassis suitable for deployment in central office environments.

Carrier-Grade Reliability

In provider networks, mean time between failures (MTBF) and rapid recovery are critical. The hot-swappable nature of all critical components—supervisors, line cards, power supplies, and fans—ensures that any single hardware failure can be addressed without taking the entire node offline, supporting stringent service level agreements (SLAs).

Cisco IOS XE Feature Sets

The Supervisor Engine 7L typically comes with the IP Base or IP Services feature set. IP Base provides advanced Layer 2/3 routing (static, RIP, EIGRP stub, OSPF), basic QoS, and security ACLs. The IP Services feature set (often requiring a license upgrade) unlocks full dynamic routing protocols (EIGRP, OSPF, BGP), advanced multicast, and more comprehensive MPLS features.

Software-Defined Access (SD-Access) Readiness

As part of the Catalyst 4500-E Series, this chassis can be integrated into Cisco's Software-Defined Access (SD-Access) solution when running the appropriate IOS XE version and managed by Cisco DNA Center. This allows it to function as a fabric edge or border node, participating in automated policy enforcement, network segmentation, and streamlined management.

Role of Cisco ONE Software

The "ONE" in the product SKU also references the potential inclusion or offering of Cisco ONE Software licensing. This subscription-based model provides a simplified way to license software features, including advanced security, application visibility, and cloud management capabilities, across the entire Catalyst family, offering operational expenditure (OpEx) flexibility.

Power Supply Expansion

As mentioned, adding a second 1400W DC power supply is a straightforward upgrade to achieve full power redundancy. If power requirements change dramatically (e.g., moving to a fully PoE-loaded configuration), the power supplies can be replaced with higher-wattage models, provided they are supported by the chassis.