N9K-C93180YC-FX-24 Cisco Gigabit Rack-mountable Switch.

Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX-24 Nexus 93180YC-FX L3 Switch

The Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX-24 is a high-performance, rack-mountable Layer 3 switch designed for modern data centers. Combining advanced networking capabilities with flexible port configurations, this switch is ideal for enterprise-grade connectivity and scalable network infrastructures.

Key Manufacturer Details

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Model Number: N9K-C93180YC-FX-24
• Product Type: Network Switch
• Port Count: 24

Port and Interface Specifications

• 24 x 1/10/25 Gigabit SFP+ ports for high-speed connectivity
• 6 x 40/100 Gigabit QSFP+ uplink ports for advanced network aggregation
• 1 x Management RJ-45 port for simplified switch administration
• 1 x USB port and 1 x Serial (RS-232) for flexible device management

Switching and Performance Features

• Layer 3 (L3) managed switch for full routing and switching capabilities
• Supports up to 4096 VLANs for extensive network segmentation
• Advanced routing protocols supported: OSPF, RIP, RIP-2, BGP, EIGRP, HSRP, PIM-SM, MSDP, ECMP, MPLS
• MAC Address Table Size: 512,000 entries for large-scale environments
• Stacking: Non-stackable

Memory and Storage

• 24 GB RAM for high-performance operations
• 64 GB Flash storage for system images and configurations
• No expansion slots

Power and Environmental Specifications

• Internal power supply
• No Power over Ethernet (PoE) support
• Maximum Operating Temperature: 40°C
• Minimum Operating Temperature: 0°C
• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): 238,470 hours

Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX Series High-Performance Data Center Switching

The Cisco N9K-C93180YC-FX-24 Nexus 93180YC-FX Layer 3 rack-mountable switch belongs to the advanced Cisco Nexus 9000 Series, a product family engineered to meet the evolving demands of modern enterprise, cloud, and service provider data centers. This category represents high-density, low-latency, and highly programmable switching platforms designed for leaf-layer deployment in spine-and-leaf architectures. Built on Cisco’s Cloud Scale ASIC technology, the Nexus 93180YC-FX series delivers exceptional forwarding performance, scalability, and operational flexibility while maintaining energy efficiency and compact form factors.

Within this category, the Nexus 93180YC-FX-24 model is optimized for environments that require a balance of 1, 10, and 25 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity combined with high-speed uplink options using QSFP+ ports. The switch is purpose-built to address workloads such as virtualization, containerized applications, high-performance computing, and enterprise-grade storage traffic. Its Layer 3 capabilities, combined with extensive automation and telemetry support, make it a foundational component in software-defined and intent-based networking designs.

Architectural Design and Rack-Mountable Form Factor

The Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX category emphasizes a compact, rack-mountable design that aligns with standard data center infrastructure requirements. Designed to fit seamlessly into 19-inch racks, these switches are well suited for top-of-rack deployments where space efficiency and airflow optimization are critical. The front-to-back or back-to-front airflow options allow alignment with hot-aisle and cold-aisle containment strategies, supporting efficient thermal management in dense server environments.

The hardware architecture is engineered for continuous operation in mission-critical environments. Redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fans provide high availability and resilience, ensuring minimal downtime during maintenance or component replacement. This category of switches supports non-blocking architectures that allow full line-rate performance across all ports, even under peak traffic conditions, making them ideal for data-intensive applications.

Cloud Scale ASIC and Forwarding Performance

At the core of the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX switch category is the Cisco Cloud Scale ASIC, a custom-designed chipset that delivers high throughput, low latency, and advanced buffering capabilities. This ASIC enables consistent performance across mixed traffic types, including unicast, multicast, and storage protocols. The architecture is optimized to reduce congestion and packet loss, which is essential for latency-sensitive workloads such as real-time analytics and financial trading platforms.

The Cloud Scale ASIC also supports deep telemetry and real-time visibility into network behavior. This allows network operators to monitor traffic patterns, detect anomalies, and proactively troubleshoot performance issues. The result is a switching platform that not only forwards packets efficiently but also provides actionable insights to improve overall network reliability and efficiency.

Flexible Port Configuration and High-Speed Connectivity

The Nexus 93180YC-FX category is defined by its flexible port configuration, enabling organizations to adapt their network connectivity as requirements evolve. The N9K-C93180YC-FX-24 model features 24 ports supporting 1, 10, and 25 Gigabit Ethernet via SFP+ and SFP28 interfaces, combined with high-speed QSFP+ uplink capabilities. This mix of port speeds allows seamless integration with legacy infrastructure while providing a clear upgrade path to higher bandwidths.

By supporting multiple Ethernet speeds on the same platform, this category reduces the need for separate switches dedicated to different bandwidth tiers. Data centers can consolidate their switching infrastructure, simplifying management and reducing total cost of ownership. The ability to scale uplinks to higher speeds ensures that the leaf layer can efficiently connect to spine switches without becoming a bottleneck.

Support for Modern Data Center Traffic Patterns

Modern data centers are characterized by east-west traffic patterns driven by distributed applications and microservices. The Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX switch category is engineered to handle these traffic flows efficiently, providing consistent latency and high throughput across all ports. The non-blocking design ensures that traffic between servers, storage systems, and virtualized workloads is not constrained by oversubscription.

This category also supports advanced features such as Equal-Cost Multi-Path routing and load balancing, which distribute traffic across multiple paths to optimize utilization and resilience. These capabilities are particularly important in large-scale environments where predictable performance and fault tolerance are essential.

QSFP+ Uplink Capabilities

QSFP+ uplinks play a critical role in the Nexus 93180YC-FX category by enabling high-bandwidth connections to aggregation or spine layers. These uplinks support flexible breakout options, allowing a single QSFP+ port to be divided into multiple lower-speed connections when needed. This flexibility enhances design options and allows network architects to tailor connectivity based on current and future requirements.

The high-speed uplinks also support data center interconnect use cases, enabling efficient communication between racks, rows, or even separate facilities. This makes the category suitable for both centralized and distributed data center architectures.

Advanced Layer 3 Features and Routing Capabilities

The Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX category is built as a fully featured Layer 3 switching platform, offering comprehensive routing capabilities that support complex network topologies. The switch supports industry-standard routing protocols, enabling seamless integration into existing enterprise and service provider networks. This makes it suitable for both core and edge deployments within a data center.

Layer 3 functionality in this category enables scalable segmentation and traffic isolation, which are essential for multi-tenant environments. By leveraging routing at the leaf layer, organizations can reduce reliance on centralized routing devices, improving performance and simplifying network design.

Support for Scalable Network Architectures

The Nexus 93180YC-FX category is commonly deployed in spine-and-leaf architectures, where each leaf switch connects to every spine switch. This design provides predictable latency and high availability, regardless of traffic patterns. The switch’s Layer 3 capabilities allow it to participate fully in such architectures, supporting fast convergence and efficient path selection.

This category also supports advanced features for network segmentation, enabling organizations to isolate workloads based on application, tenant, or security requirements. These capabilities are essential for cloud environments and large enterprises that require strict separation between different business units or customers.

Integration with Software-Defined Networking

Software-defined networking is a key focus of the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX category. The switch integrates with Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure, enabling policy-based automation and centralized management. This allows network operators to define intent at a high level and have the infrastructure automatically enforce those policies across the network.

The ability to integrate with SDN controllers reduces operational complexity and minimizes the risk of configuration errors. It also accelerates deployment of new services and applications by automating network provisioning tasks.

Automation, Telemetry, and Operational Efficiency

Automation is a defining characteristic of the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX switch category. Designed for modern DevOps and NetOps workflows, these switches support programmable interfaces and automation frameworks that streamline configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting. This reduces manual intervention and improves overall operational efficiency.

Real-time telemetry provides continuous visibility into network performance and health. By collecting detailed metrics at high frequency, network teams can detect issues before they impact applications, enabling proactive maintenance and faster resolution.

Programmability and Open Interfaces

The Nexus 93180YC-FX category supports a wide range of programmable interfaces, allowing integration with automation tools and orchestration platforms. This programmability enables organizations to implement consistent configurations across large-scale deployments, reducing variability and improving reliability.

Open interfaces also facilitate integration with third-party monitoring and management solutions, giving organizations flexibility in how they operate and optimize their networks.

Enhanced Visibility and Analytics

Enhanced visibility is achieved through advanced telemetry and analytics capabilities built into the switch hardware and software. These features provide granular insights into traffic flows, latency, and congestion, enabling informed decision-making and capacity planning.

By leveraging these analytics, organizations can optimize network performance, improve application responsiveness, and ensure that service-level objectives are consistently met.

Security, Reliability, and Enterprise-Grade Resilience

Security and reliability are integral to the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX category. Designed for enterprise and cloud environments, these switches incorporate features that protect the network from threats while ensuring continuous operation. Hardware-based security mechanisms help safeguard control plane integrity and prevent unauthorized access.

High availability features, including redundant components and fast failover mechanisms, ensure that the network remains operational even in the event of hardware or link failures. This resilience is essential for applications that require continuous uptime.

Support for Secure Multi-Tenant Environments

The Nexus 93180YC-FX category supports secure segmentation and isolation, enabling multiple tenants to share the same physical infrastructure without compromising security. This is particularly important for service providers and large enterprises that host diverse workloads on shared platforms.

Advanced access control and policy enforcement capabilities ensure that traffic flows adhere to defined security policies, reducing the risk of breaches and data leakage.

Designed for Long-Term Scalability

Long-term scalability is a key consideration in the design of the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX category. The switch supports high port densities, flexible speed options, and advanced software features that allow it to adapt to changing requirements over time.

This scalability protects investment by enabling organizations to expand capacity and introduce new technologies without replacing their existing infrastructure. As data center demands continue to grow, the Nexus 93180YC-FX category provides a future-ready foundation for high-performance networking.