C1-N5K-C5548UP-FA Cisco Nexus 5000 Series C5548UP-FA 32 Ports Switch Chassis

Product Overview

The Cisco C1-N5K-C5548UP-FA Nexus 5000 Series switch is a high-performance networking solution designed for enterprise and data center environments. This 32-port switch chassis delivers reliable connectivity, scalable expansion, and advanced management features to support modern network infrastructures.

General Product Information

Manufacturer and Identification

• Brand: Cisco Systems
• SKU / Part Number: C1-N5K-C5548UP-FA
• Product Category: Network Switch
• Model Name: Cisco Nexus 5548UP Networking Switch

Interfaces and Port Configuration

Port and Slot Details

This Cisco Nexus switch is engineered to handle intensive network traffic with a flexible and scalable port layout.

• 32 high-speed 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports
• 1 dedicated expansion slot for future upgrades

Performance and Media

Media Types and Networking Technologies

Supported Transmission Media

• Optical fiber support for long-distance and high-bandwidth data transfer

Ethernet and Network Standards

• 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology for fast and stable connectivity
• 10GBase-X network standard to ensure efficient data handling

I/O Expansion Capabilities

Scalability and Slot Architecture

Expansion Features

• Total of 33 expansion slots for maximum flexibility
• SFP+ slot type for high-speed optical and copper modules
• 32 SFP+ ports supporting advanced networking modules

Networking and Management Features

Layer Support and Administration

Advanced Network Control

• Layer 3 network support for routing and traffic optimization
• Fully manageable switch with enterprise-grade management tools

Power and Reliability

Power Supply Specifications

Redundancy and Uptime

Power Configuration

• Standard internal power supply
• Redundant power supply support to enhance system reliability

Core Architectural Advantages of the FEX Model

The C5548UP-FA's design centralizes control and data planes, creating a streamlined network topology. This approach offers significant benefits over distributed standalone switches, including consistent policy application, reduced management overhead, and operational simplicity. The chassis serves as the unified fabric's brain, enabling a "wire-once" deployment strategy where server connectivity is handled by the cost-effective, low-power FEX units, and all complex functions reside in the 5548UP.

Unified Port Technology and Flexibility

A hallmark of the Cisco Nexus 5548UP is its Unified Port capability. Each of its 32 ports can be individually configured in the field to operate as either a 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet port (for server or FEX connectivity) or as an 8/4/2 Gbps Fibre Channel port. This inherent flexibility allows network architects to build a true Unified Fabric, converging storage (FCoE) and data networks onto a single physical infrastructure, reducing capital and operational expenses associated with separate SAN and LAN networks.

Simplifying Network Edge Design

By acting as the aggregation point for fabric extenders, the C1-N5K-C5548UP-FA collapses the traditional access and aggregation layers. This results in a flatter, more resilient network architecture with fewer devices to manage, less power consumption, and reduced cabling complexity. It is ideally suited for top-of-rack (ToR) and end-of-row (EoR) deployment models within server racks and blade chassis enclosures.

Detailed Technical Specifications and Performance

The Cisco Nexus 5548UP chassis is built for demanding data center environments, offering robust performance metrics and reliability features. Understanding its specifications is key to planning a successful deployment.

Chassis Form Factor and Hardware Details

The C1-N5K-C5548UP-FA is a 1-rack-unit (1RU) fixed-configuration switch chassis. It houses the essential system components, including dual, hot-swappable power supplies and fan trays for redundancy. The chassis provides the physical infrastructure for the switch's supervisor, fabric, and I/O modules, though in this integrated model, these are not field-upgradable cards but part of the fixed design.

Port Configuration and Expansion Modules

The base chassis comes equipped with 32 fixed Unified Ports (supporting 1/10GBE or Fibre Channel). Importantly, it also includes expansion slots for additional connectivity. Typically, it features two expansion module slots that can accept various uplink modules, such as 4-port 10GE, 2-port 40GE, or even 16-port additional 10GE cards, allowing for flexible upstream connectivity to core switches or storage networks.

Performance and Throughput Capabilities

With an aggregate switching capacity exceeding 1 Tbps, the Nexus 5548UP ensures non-blocking performance for all ports simultaneously. It delivers wire-speed throughput with extremely low latency, a critical requirement for high-frequency trading, clustered computing, and storage area networking. Its deep packet buffers help prevent congestion and packet loss during traffic bursts common in virtualized environments.

Software Features and Capabilities

The chassis runs Cisco NX-OS, a mature, dedicated data center operating system known for its stability, security, and feature richness. NX-OS provides a comprehensive suite of features including comprehensive virtualization support (VDC, vPC), advanced security, and robust management tools.

Key NX-OS Features Enabled

Virtual PortChannel (vPC): Eliminates Spanning Tree Protocol block ports, allowing active-active use of all uplinks from FEXs or servers to two redundant 5548UP switches, maximizing bandwidth and resilience.
Cisco FabricPath: Provides layer 2 multipathing, enabling scalable, loop-free Ethernet fabrics beyond the limitations of traditional STP.
Quality of Service (QoS): Advanced, lossless QoS mechanisms are crucial for supporting converged storage (FCoE) and voice/video traffic on the same wire.
Security: Features include ACLs, DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, and Cisco TrustSec technology for policy-based access control.

Primary Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios

The Cisco C5548UP-FA chassis excels in specific environments where its architectural benefits are fully realized. It is a strategic component in building next-generation data centers.

Unified Fabric and FCoE Convergence

This is the flagship use case. Organizations can connect servers via Converged Network Adapters (CNAs) to FEXs, which then trunk FCoE and data traffic upstream to the 5548UP. Here, the switch can bridge the FCoE traffic to a native Fibre Channel SAN via its own FC ports or dedicated FC uplinks. This consolidation reduces adapters, switches, cables, and power/cooling needs in the server access layer.

Data Center Access Layer Consolidation

Even without storage convergence, the switch is perfect for large-scale server farm connectivity. By deploying dozens of Nexus 2000 FEXs across server racks, managed by a pair of redundant Nexus 5548UP switches, IT teams can present hundreds of server ports as if they were locally attached to the parent switch, all managed from a single CLI or GUI instance.

High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Low-Latency Environments

The combination of high throughput, cut-through switching, and low latency makes this chassis suitable for HPC clusters, financial trading platforms, and real-time analytics workloads where microseconds count.

Virtualized Data Center and Cloud Infrastructure

The switch integrates seamlessly with VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and other hypervisors. Features like VMware vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) integration and Cisco VM-FEX (Adapter-FEX) provide granular visibility and policy control down to the individual virtual machine level, improving network agility and security in dynamic environments.

Key Considerations for Integration and Operation

Successfully deploying and maintaining the Nexus 5548UP chassis requires attention to several operational factors.

Licensing and SmartNet Implications

The C1-N5K-C5548UP-FA chassis requires specific Cisco software licenses to enable advanced features like FCoE, FabricPath, and certain security functions. Furthermore, maintaining an active Cisco SmartNet service contract is highly recommended. SmartNet provides access to critical software updates (NX-OS), next-business-day or 24/7 hardware replacement, and technical support from Cisco's TAC, ensuring maximum uptime and security vulnerability protection.

Power and Cooling Requirements

As a data center switch, it demands stable, redundant power sources. Typical configurations use dual, hot-swappable AC or DC power supplies. Proper airflow (front-to-back or back-to-front, depending on fan tray model) and adherence to specified temperature and humidity ranges are essential for long-term reliability.

Compatibility and Interoperability

When designing a solution, verify compatibility between the 5548UP chassis's NX-OS version, the connected Fabric Extender models (e.g., Nexus 2232PP, 2248TP), and the upstream core switches (Nexus 7000, etc.). Cisco's official Compatibility Matrix documents are the definitive resource for this information and should be consulted before procurement and installation.