Replacing 1st Generation Copper / UTP Switch with new Leaf Switch C93216TC-FX2

[IslamOmar]

So i will be running into migration , where i will replace the old 1st generation leafs with new leaf with the model of N9K-C93216TC-FX2.

I still didn't know the current UTP cables type , but I'm assuming it will be CAT5 .

Now i need to know if this is the case , are these cables supported ? i know the the current leaf from the specs supported donwlink speeds are 100M/1/10 Gbps  but checking with the community to avoid any surprises that might happen ?

[balaji.bandi]

CAt 5 still supported in the industry.

[RedNectar · Accepted solution]

Hi @IslamOmar ,

According to this site, the switch you are using has the following specs:

N9K-C93216TC-FX2

96p 100M/1/10GBASE-T and 12p 40G/100G QSFP28

The Cisco Nexus 93216TC-FX2 Switch (Figure 5) is a 2RU switch that supports 4.32 Tbps of bandwidth and over 2.5bpps. The 96 10GBASE-T downlink ports on the 93216TC-FX2 can be configured to work as 100-Mbps, 1-Gbps, or 10-Gbps ports. The 12 uplinks ports can be configured as 40- and 100-Gbps ports, offering flexible migration options.

Figure 5.

Cisco Nexus 93216TC-FX2 Switch

So you can see it has 10GBASE-T downlink ports.

The specs for 10GBASE-T can be found in this wikipedia article:

10GBASE-T, or IEEE 802.3an-2006, is a standard released in 2006 to provide 10 Gbit/s connections over unshielded or shielded twisted pair cables, over distances up to 100 metres (330 ft). Category 6A is required to reach the full distance of 100 metres (330 ft) and category 6 may reach a distance of 55 metres (180 ft) depending on the quality of installation, determined only after re-testing to 500 MHz.

So if you plan on using the downlinks for speeds up to 1Gbps - go ahead, use the Cat 5 cable. But any 10Gbps connections should use Cat6A or better.