COMSTOR NEXUS GUIDE

COMSTOR NEXUS GUIDE 

- 30/03/16 - 

Dear partner, 

Within Data Center switching, there is no simple ‘one size fits 

all’ positioning statement. Comstor has prepared for you this 

easy guide to navigate you through the Cisco Nexus portfolio 

according to your customers business needs. As a Comstor partner 

you have the unique advantage of quick positioning the complex 

Cisco Nexus portfolio. Follow the navigation and if you have any 

questions, please contact your dedicated Comstor Data Center 

team. 

TIP: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switching portfolio. 

The fixed Nexus 9300 switches are in general less expensive 

than other fixed platforms, especially with the attractive Cisco 

promotions. They are future proof with 10/25/40/50/100GbE 

ports and Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) ready. 

Some guidance: 

• As this is a Quick Reference Guide, only the Cisco Nexus fixed 

switches are included. Cisco Nexus 7000, 7700 and 9500 must 

be discussed case by case. 

• If you want to know more about a specific model, click the 

model name and you will be redirected to the Cisco Data Sheet. 

• The prices, specifications and guidance shown in this guide are 

indicative only and are subject to change without prior notice - 

we will keep this guide as updated as possible. 

• Looking for proper cabling? Ask your Comstor Data Center 

team for Panduit Nexus bundles. 

• Don’t have the expertise to deploy Cisco Nexus Series or don’t 

have the time? Let us help and take a look at our Comstor 

Services! 

CONTACT US! 

Martin Hegarty 

Architectural Lead DC&V 

Mobile: 01285 647014 

martin.hegarty@comstor.com 

Wouter De Prins 

Product Manager DC&V EMEA 

Mobile: +32 (0)473 33 58 26 

wouter.de.prins@comstor.com

START HERE! 

YES 

Do you need a 

Data Center switch? 

NO 

For the campus, 

position Cisco Catalyst 

Do you need a core 

switch? 

NO 

Do you need a Data 

Center Interconnect? 

NO 

Do you need an 

access switch? 

YES 

YES 

YES 

Need for VDC/LISP/ 

FP/MPLS/OTV/FCoE? 

NO 

YES 

Ulta Low latency 

required? 

YES 

NO 

Looking for Application 

Centric Infrastructure? 

NO 

Need for Unified Ports? 

(Native FC, FCoE 

and Ethernet) 

NO 

YES* 

YES* 

YES 

Position Nexus 

7000 / 7700 

Position Nexus 9500 

in ACI mode 

Position Nexus 9500 

in NX-OS Mode 

Position Nexus 

7000 / 7700 

Position Nexus 3000 Position Nexus 5000 Position Nexus 9300 

Need more ports? 

YES 

Need more ports? 

YES 

Add Nexus 2000 

Add Nexus 2000 

FP: FabricPath / VDC: Virtual Device Context / LISP: Locator - ID Separation / MPLS: Multiprotocol Label Switching / OTV: Overlay Transport Virtualization / FCoE: Fibre Channel over Ethernet / *9500 as ACI Spine - Nexus 9300 as ACI Leaf

CISCO NEXUS 9000 SERIES 1/3 

Cisco Nexus 9200/9300 Switches 

1/10Gbps SFP+ 

1/10Gbps Base-T 

Fixed Uplinks 

Uplink Modules 

Fixed Uplinks 

Uplink Modules 

N9K-C9372PX-E N9K-C9396PX N9K-C9372TX-E 

N9K-C93120TX N9K-C93108TC-EX N9K-C9396TX 

N9K-C93128TX 

List: $22,500.00 

List: $28,000.00 

List: $22,500.00 

List: $28,000.00 

List: $28,000.00 

List: $20,500.00 

List: $26,000.00 

48x 1/10-GbE SFP+ 

6x 40-GbE QSFP+ 

1RU form factor 

1.44 Tbps throughput 

37MB Buffer 

48x 1/10-GbE SFP+ 

6x or 12x 40-GbE QSFP+ 

QSFP+ ports through 

mandatory uplink module: 

N9K-M12PQ= (12 QSFP+ ports) or 

N9K-M6PQ= (6 QSFP+ ports) 



52MB Buffer 

48x 10-GbE BASE-T 




37MB Buffer 





52MB Buffer 


6x 40/100-GbE QSFP+ 


2.16Tbps throughput 

40MB Buffer 



or 4x 100-GbE CFP2 

(mandatory uplink) 



52MB Buffer 

96x 1/10-Gbps BASE-T 


QSFP+ ports through 

mandatory uplink module: 

N9K-M12PQ= (12 QSFP+ ports - 

maximum 8 active ports) or 

N9K-M6PQ= (6 QSFP+ ports) 



52MB Buffer 

Layer 3 - FEX support 

NX-OS / ACI (LEAF) 

Layer 3 - FEX support 


Layer 3 


Layer 3 


Layer 3 

NX-OS / ACI (LEAF 

Layer 3 


Layer 3 


INCLUDED IN SEEDIT PROMO 

INCLUDED IN SEEDIT PROMO INCLUDED IN SEEDIT PROMO 

INCLUDED IN SEEDIT PROMO INCLUDED IN SEEDIT PROMO 

The Nexus 9300 plaform does not support native FC. FCoE NPV is supported in some models, please refer to Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS FCoE Configuration Guide for more information.


Cisco Nexus 9200/9300 Switches 

10/25Gbps SFP+* 

40Gbps QSFP+ 

100 Gbps QSFP28 

N9K-C93180YC-EX 

N9K-C92160YC-X 

N9K-C9272Q N9K-C9336PQ 

N9K-C9332PQ N9K-92304QC 

N9K-C9236C 

List: $TBA 

List: $20,000.00 

List: $35,000.00 

List: $28,000.00 

List: $28,000.00 

List: $TBA 

List: $35,000.00 

48x 1/10/25GbE SFP+ 

6x 40/100GbE QSFP+ 

48x 1/10-GbE SFP+ 

6x 40-GbE or 

4x 100-GbE uplinks 





8x 100-GbE QSFP28 

32x 100GbE QSFP28 

Each port supports: 

4 x 10 Gbps, 4 x 25 Gbps, 1 x 40 

Gbps, or 2 x 50 Gbps 



40MB Buffer 



20MB Buffer 



30MB Buffer 



72MB Buffer 



37MB Buffer 



30MB Buffer 



30MB Buffer 

Layer 3 


Layer 3 

NX-OS ONLY 

Layer 3 

NX-OS ONLY 

Layer 3 

ACI SPINE ONLY 

Layer 3 - 2300 FEX support 


Layer 3 

NX-OS ONLY 

Layer 3 

NX-OS ONLY 

*WITH 25/50GbE PORTS YOU HAVE 2.5X BANDWITH AT THE SAME PRICE THAN 10GbE - INVESTMENT PROTECTION! 

The Nexus 9300 plaform does not support native FC. FCoE NPV is supported in some models. Refer to Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS FCoE Configuration Guide for more information.

CISCO NEXUS 9300 - SEEDIT/FIRST BUYER PROMOTION 3/3 

DID YOU KNOW: 

• SEEDIT/FIRST BUYER GIVES THE BEST RESALE DISCOUNT - 

only applicable if the customer never bought a Nexus 9000 switch before 

and only one bundle can be purchased. 

• Nexus 9300 price per port is overall less expensive than other Nexus 

platforms. 

• The Nexus 9300 switches are ready for the next-gen Application Centric 

Infrastructure (ACI) platform. 

• The Nexus 9300 switches are perfect for the 10 and 40GbE networks 

transition. 

• TIP: Tranceivers/cables can be included in the SeedIT deal -> gain extra 

discount/margin! 

• TIP: If your customer requires more Nexus models, you can use New Account 

Breakaway (NAB) in parallel! 

PROGRAM DETAILS: 

• Opportunity must be fully registered and approved, using SeedIT/First 

Time Buyer via CCW. 

• Customer has not previously purchased the same eligible family (for 

example, Nexus 9300 or Nexus 9500, etc.). 

• Deal is approved in CCW by the Cisco Account Manager and Cisco channel 

operations team. 

• Deal does not conflict with currently registered opportunities (including OIP, 

TIP, PSPP, SIP, NAB). 

• BoM only includes quantity 1 of any given eligible bundle. 

• Promotion is valid till July 30, 2016 / Bookings Period: 6 months after 

registration, or January 23, 2017 (whichever comes first). 

ASK YOUR DEDICATED COMSTOR DATA CENTER TEAM TO ASSIST YOU WITH DEAL REGISTRATIONS IN CCW. 

SKU: Description: List Price: 

N9K-C9372PX-E-B18Q 2x N9372PX-E and 8x QSFP 40G BiDi (Each switch has 48x 1/10-GbE SFP+ and 6x 40-GbE QSFP+) $45,000 

N9K-C9372TX-E-B18Q 2x N9372TX-E and 8x QSFP 40G BiDi (Each switch has 48x 1/10-GBase-T and 6x 40-GbE QSFP+) $45,000 

N9K-C9396TX-B18Q 2x N9396TX and 8x QSFP 40G BiDi (Each switch has 48x 1/10-Gbase-T and 6x 40-GbE QSFP+) $45,000 

N9K-C9396PX-B18Q 2x N9396PX and 8x QSFP BiDi (Each switch has 48x 1/10-GbE SFP and 12x 40-GbE QSFP+) $50,000 

N9K-C93120TX-B18Q 2x N93128TX and 8x QSFP BiDi (Each switch has 96x 1/10GBase-T and 6x 40-GbE QSFP+) $56,000

CISCO NEXUS 5000 SERIES 

Cisco Nexus 5000 Switches 

Fixed 

Modular 

1/10Gbps SFP+ 

1/10Gbps Base-T 

40 Gbps QSFP+ 

Layer 3 through 

expansion module 

Native Line Rate L3 

N5K-C5548UP-FA N5K-C5596UP-FA N5K-C5672UP N5K-C56128P 

N5K-C5596T-FA 

N5K-C5624Q N5K-C5648Q 

N5K-C5696Q 

List: $ 25,600.00 

List:$ 36,800.00 

List: $32,000.00 

List: $36,000.00 

List: $40,500.00 

List: $23,000.00 

List: 40,000.00 

List: $35,000.00 

32x Unified Ports ** 

1x Expansion Slot + 

1x L3 Daughter card slot 

Expansion Modules: 

N55-M16UP= (16x Unified Ports) 

N55-M4Q= (4x 40Gbps QSFP+) 

N55-D160L3-V2= (L3 card) 


960 Gbps throughput 


3x Expansion slots or 

2x Expansion slots + 1x 

L3 slot 

Expansion modules: 

N55-M16UP= (16x Unified Ports) 

N55-M4Q= (4x 40Gbps QSFP+) 

N55-D160L3-V2= (L3 card) 



32x 1/10-GbE SFP+ 


6x 40-Gbps QSFP+ 



48x 1/10-GbE SFP+ 

2x expansion slots 

Expansion modules: 

N56-M24UP2Q= (24x UP** and 

2x QSFP+ fixed ports) 



32x 1/10-GBASE-T 


3x Expansion slots 

Expansion module 

N55-M4Q (4 ports QSFP+) 

N55-M16UP= (16x UP** ports) 

N55-M12T= (12x10GBase-T) 

N55-M160L3-V2= (L3 card) 



12x 40-GbE QSFP+ ports 



N5600-M12Q= (12x 40Gbps 

QSFP+ ports) 

Future: Unified Ports ** 






N5600-M12Q= (12x 40Gbps 

QSFP+ ports) 

Future: Unified Ports ** 



8 available slots: 

N5696-M4C= 

(4 x 100GE Ethernet/FCoE) 

N5696-M12Q= 

(12x 40GE Ethernet/FCoE) 

N5696-M20UP= 

(20x UP** ports) 



FEX support 

FEX support 

FEX Support 

FEX support 

FEX support 

FEX support 

FEX support 

FEX support 

**UP - Unified Ports - support for 1/10 GbE and FCoE or 8/4/2/1-Gbps native Fibre Channel



1 Gbps RJ45 10 Gbps SFP+ 

100 Gbps QSFP28 

N3K-C3048TP-1GE N3K-C3172PQ-XL 

N3K-C3524P-10GX N3K-C3548P-10GX N3K-C31128PQ-10GE N3K-C31108PC-V 

N3K-C3232C 

List: $8,000.00 

List: $20,000.00 

List: $10,000.00 

List: $20,000.00 

List: $28,000.00 

List: $TBA 

List: $35,000.00 

48x 10/100/1000 and 

4x 10-GbE 

48x 10-GbE SFP+ 


4GB additional memory 

(8GB in total) 


Upgradable to 

48 x 10GbE ports: 

N3548-24P-UPG= 





6x QSFP28 ports 

(supports 4 x 10 GbE, 

40 GbE or 100 Gigabit 

Ethernet) 

32x 100-GbE QSFP28 

Each QSFP28 port can 

operate at 10, 25, 40, 50, 

and 100 Gbps 








480 Gpbs throughput 







Line Rate L2/L3 







Nexus 3000 models do NOT support Native Fibre Channel (FC), Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), FEX support and can’t be used in an ACI environment



40 Gbps QSFP+ 

10 GBase-T 

N3K-C3132Q-V N3K-C3264Q 

N3K-C3132Q-40GX N3K-C3164Q-40GE N3K-C3172TQ-32T N3K-C3172TQ-XL 

N3K-C31108TC-V 

List: $TBA 

List: $22,500.00 

List: $22,500.00 

List: $48,000.00 

List: $16,000.00 

List: $20,000.00 

List: $TBA 






32x 10GBase-T and 


48x 10GBase-T and 


48x 1/10GBase-T and 

6x 40GbE QSFP+ 

Upgradable to 48x 

10Gbase-T: 

N3K-16T-UPG= 

4GB additional memory 

(8GB in total) 

Each port support 4x 10 

GbE or 40 GbE, or 100 

GbE 










960Gbps throughput 












Nexus 3000 models do NOT support Native Fibre Channel (FC), Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), FEX support and can’t be used in an ACI environment


Cisco Nexus 2000 Fabric Extenders 

10 Gbps SFP+ 

10 GBase-T RJ14 

N2K-C2348UPQ 

N2K-C2248PQ 

N2K-C2232PP 

N2K-C2348TQ N2K-C2332TQ N2K-C2232TM-E N2K-C2232TM 

List: $9,500.00 

List: $12,000.00 

List: $9,000.00 

List: $12,000.00 

List: $10,000.00 

List: $9,000.00 

List: $11,500.00 

48x Unfied Ports** 

6x 40GbE QSFP 

48x 10-Gbps SFP+ 

4x QSFP+ ports 

32x 10-Gbps SFP+ 

8x 10-Gbps SFP+ (uplinks) 

48x 1/10GBase-T 

6x 40GbE QSFP 


4x 40GbE QSFP 


8x 10GbE SFP+ 


8x 10GbE SFP+ 

32 MB shared buffer 

32 MB network to host, 

8 MB host to network 

8 MB buffer 



8 MB buffer 

8 MB buffer 

Fabric Interfaces: 

2x to 6x 40 GbE QSFP 

(24x 10GBE) 


4x 40 GbE QSFP 

(16x 10GBE) 


8x10-Gbps SFP+ 


2x to 6x 40 GbE QSFP 

(24x 10GBE) 


4x 40-Gbps QSFP+ 





FCoE 

Parent Switch: 

5K/6K/7K/9K 

FCoE 


5K/6K/7K/9K 

FCoE 


5K/6K/7K/9K 

FCoE (up to 30 meters) 


5K/6K/7K/9K 



5K/6K/7K/9K 



5K/6K/7K/9K 

No FCoE 


5K/6K/7K/9K 

**UP - Unified Ports - support for 1/10 GbE and FCoE or 8/4/2/1-Gbps native Fibre Channel / Nexus 2000 can NOT be used as standalone switch - only in child/parent setup.

CISCO NEXUS 2000 SERIES (2/2) 

Cisco Nexus 2000 Fabric Extenders 

1 Gbps - RJ45 

N2K-C2224TP N2K-C2248TP N2K-C2248TP-E 

List: $7,000.00 

List:$9,000.00 

List: $9,000.00 

24x 1GbE and 

2x 10GbE ports 

8 MB Buffer 



48x 1GbE and 

4x 10GbE ports 

8 MB Buffer 



48x 1Gbps and 

4x 10Gbps ports 

32 MB Buffer 



No FCoE 

Parent Switch: 5K/6K/7K/9K 

No FCoE 


No FCoE 


Nexus 2000 can NOT be used as standalone switch - only in child/parent setup.

POSITIONING 

Position the right switch for your customer! 

In the Campus, lead with Cisco Catalyst Series Switch 

In the Data Center, lead with Cisco Nexus Series Switches 

Within the Data Center, there is no simple ‘one size fits all’ positioning 

statement. If we understand how and where customers will use the 

switches, we can establish some straightforward guidelines and 

recommendations. 

Nexus 9000: Leading transition to 10/25/40/100Gbps, Application 

Centric Infrastructure (ACI), integrated L3, attractive pricing. 

Nexus 7000: High port-density, richest feature set, highest availability 

Nexus 5000: 10/40Gbps-optimized, Unified Ports, integrated L3, 

FabricPath, mature technology 

Nexus 3000: Ultra-low latency, merchant and Cisco ASICs, integrated L3 

Nexus 2000: Not a switch, but a switch-extension (Fabric Extender). 

Great for lower price/port and easy management 

Positioning of the complex Nexus portfolio is in most cases based on 

required features: 

• MPLS, VDC, OTV, FabricPath or LISP: position Nexus 7000/7700 

• Native FC, FCoE or FabricPath: position Nexus 5000 

Nexus 9000 is the future platform for Cisco Application Centric 

Infrastructure (ACI). Partners receive better discounts on the Nexus 

9000 portfolio other Nexus platforms. 

PROGRAMS 

Program: Nexus 9000 

Nexus 1000, 2000, 3000, 

5000, 6000, 7000, 7700 

UCS New Account Breakaway Base discount + 13% Base discount + 8% 

Nexus New Account Breakaway Base discount + 23% Base discount + 18% 

UCS & Nexus New Account 

Breakaway 

Base discount + 23% Base discount + 18% 

OIP Base discount + 13% Base discount + 8% 

SeedIT/First Time Buyer Program Base discount + 28% (!) N/A 

VIP Eligibility YES YES 

Valid till Cisco FY16Q4 - Go to www.leapintodatacenter.com for 

updated information. 

NEXUS BUNDLES 

Take advantage of the Cisco Nexus bundles and save up to 53 percent 

on hardware and up to 61 percent on software. 

An overview of the current Nexus bundles, promotions and trade-in 

offers, can be found here.

COMSTOR SERVICES 

Borderless expertise, limitless potential 

Comstor Services help you to develop opportunities that deliver 

greater strategic insight, richer margin and longer-term customer 

engagements through our decades of experience and unique in-house 

skillsets of engineers, support desks, certifications and global delivery 

models. 

Comstor Services offering are represented by four pillars: 

• Support Services 

• Professional Services 

• Education Services 

• Supply Chain Services 

Professional Services 

Designed to complement your skills, capabilities and capacity, our 

services provide you with access to high-level specialist skills aimed 

to extend your geographic reach and capabilities across all Cisco 

architectures without the need for capital investment in resource or 

skilling up, meaning you only pay for the services you need, when you 

need them. 

We offer a complete set of services to fulfil cross-architecture Cisco 

deployments, including analytical, advanced technical and 

engineering support. 

Our Key Differentiators 

• +100 offices worldwide in +60 countries 

• over 22 logistics and staging facilities around the globe 

• Logistical network capable of delivery in +170 countries 

• +300 engineers with +1500 technical certifications 

• Global reach: multi-national, multi-language 

Read more and request Prefessional Services! 

CISCO SERVICES 

Reduce downtime with fast technical support, flexible hardware coverage 

and proactive device diagnostics with SMARTnet or SMARTCare Services. 

A service contract includes global 24-hour access to experts in the Cisco 

Technical Assistance Center (TAC), Hardware replacement options, 

including 2-hour, 4-hour and next business day, software updates and 

self-help support through online communities, resources and tools. 

Take advantage of the multi-year promotions NOW! 

CONTACT US! 

Martin Hegarty 

Architectural Lead DC&V 

Mobile: 01285 647014 

martin.hegarty@comstor.com 

Wouter De Prins 

Product Manager DC&V EMEA 

Mobile: +32 (0)473 33 58 26 

wouter.de.prins@comstor.com

COMSTOR NEXUS GUIDE

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