Cisco 5696Q EOL EOS Replacement

[S. B]

Cisco Nexus 5696Q is going to be EOL EOS @ May 2021.

According to Cisco's website, Cisco has replaced 2 Nexus models for this switch.

These 2 models are:

1- N9K-C9364C-GX              (Nexus 9K ACI & NX-OS Leaf/Spine, 64p 40/100G QSFP28)

2- N9K-C93360YC-FX2         (Nexus 9300 w/ 96p 1/10/25G, 12p 100G, MACsec capable)

I currently have Nexus 2348 FEX and dont wnat to buy nexus 5696Q as the parent switch(because of eos/eol) and want to buy cisco's suggestion.

But,

1- Nexus N9K-C9364C-GX is "ACI (leaf/spine*) & NXOS(Leaf/spine), powered by Cloud Scale",  but does not support FEX, so i cannot replace this switch with N5696Q.

The only option that supports fex and and has 40/100G ports that i can use instead of N5696Q, is "N9K-C9336C-FX2"

But , this switch is not recommended by Cisco in its website as a replacement for Nexus5696Q: 

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-5000-series-switches/eos-eol-notice-c51-743752.html

N9K-C9336C-FX2 :  (36 X 40G ports)  (ACI leaf & NXOS(Leaf/spine), powered by Cloud Scale)

3 questions:: 

1- Can we use this switch as a replacement of N5696Q?

2- can we still use the 3 layer architecture in the NX-OS mode as : 

Nexus 2348 :           FEX

Nexus 9K(NXOS) :    Parent

Nexus 7K :               Aggregation

all layer 2 , vpc,

same as it was with this architecture : Nexus 2K(fex), N5696Q(Parent) and N7k(Aggregation) ?

3- Is there any bugs , or incompatibility or problems using Nexus 9K as the parent switch for Nexus 2K and then connecting to N7K as the Aggregation, with all layer 2 and VPC?

Because we had done this with Nexus 2K,5K,7K lots of years without any problem,bug,... and now we have to change nexus5696Q with nexus 9K.

Thanks 

Reference:

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/Website/datacenter/fexmatrix/fexmatrix.html

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-5000-series-switches/eos-eol-notice-c51-743752.html

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/switches/nexus-9000-series-switches/nexus-9300-40GE-switches-comparison.html

[Marvin Rhoads]

It would be more appropriate to engage with your Cisco or reseller's Systems Engineer supporting your account to make the best recommendation that takes into account your current equipment and configuration.

[S. B]

Hi Marvin and Thanks

But this is more a technical question that i wanted to know.

We always was using (N2K--->N5K--->N7K--->)

now that cisco has replaced officially Nexus 9300 with N5K after May 2021) ,

I wanted to know that does this topology still work? Keeping in NX-OS mode 

and replacing only N9300 with N5K

so same topology, all layer 2 with vpc

(N2K---.>N9300--->N7K)

Or when you use Nexus 9300 instead of n5k, (NXIS mode), you have to change topology to leaf/spine?

Thanks

[Marvin Rhoads]

You don't need to change to leaf/spine but the *-FX2 Nexus 9k models only support straight through FEXes - not dual homed as your diagrams indicate.

https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/Website/datacenter/fexmatrix/fexmatrix.html#9300NX

Also see figure 12 here:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-9000-series-switches/guide-c07-730115.html#_Toc387967223

...and this document:

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/nexus-9000-series-switches/guide-c07-733228.html#_Toc429564865

[S. B]

Hi @Marvin Rhoads 

Special Thanks

Yes, my solution is straight through Fex (2348UPQ) connection to parent switch, same as topology attached to this message.

At the EOS/EOL page of Nexus 5696Q, Cisco is recommending to use these 2 models as a replacement:

1- N9K-C9364C-GX               Nexus 9K ACI & NX-OS Leaf/Spine   64 x 100/40-Gbps QSFP28 ports

2- N9K-C93360YC-FX2         ACI leaf & NXOS(Leaf/spine)            96 x 1/10/25Gbps and 12 x 40/100Gbps QSFP28 

So, i have the following questions:

1- Nexus 5696Q was always used as parent switch for N2K fex and then connected to N7k, all layer 2 and vpc.

But N9K-C9364C-GX switch that is recommended, does not support FEX, so how is it going to be used as a replacement for N5696Q for our networks that we previously had N5696Q and now we should migrate to N9300?

2-The only option of nexus 9300 that has all 40G ports is "N9336CFX2" , but this is not is the recommended list of Cisco's webpage (EOS/EOL page of N5696Q) as a replacement of N5696Q. Can we use this switch as a replacement instead of N5696Q for our 40G connections to N2348UPQ FEX?

3- The current N5696Q has both 10G and 40G modules, so from one single switch chassis, it can be connected to both 40G and 10G FEX , but the recommended Nexus 9300 switches as a replacement only supports 10G or only support 40G ports. So, for doing this replacement , we should buy 2 Nexus 9300 switches instead of 1 X N5696Q . Is this correct?

4- Nexus 5696Q supports 24 X Fex , but the Nexus 9300 switches support maximum 16 Fex, what can be reason of decreasing it , even as these are replacements of N5696Q?

5- Nexus 5696Q supports Native FC and FCOE, but Nexus 9300(only one model) supports this feature. as a replacement , how can this be done? Is it on the roadmap of cisco?

6- And as a summary, what i found is that for replacing a Nexus 9300 switch instead of an EOL/EOS N5696Q, to support both 10G and 40G switches and support Fex, to use it in the current network, without changing topology, (N2K-->N5K-->N7K) to (N2K-->N9300-->N7K) , and only changing the switch, it can be done by using 2 switches:

A- Using Nexus N9336CFX2 for the 40G Fex switches (N2348UPQ) (which is not the recommended switch as replacement, because N9K-C9364C-GX is the recommended switch , which does not support Fex )

+

B - Using Nexus N93360YCFX2 , for the 10G Fex switches. (which is the recommended switch as replacement, )

I appreciate for your help on the 6 questions

Thanks for your help.

[Marvin Rhoads]

The detail of these questions is exactly why your account SE is best qualified to answer you. Is there a reason why you don't want to consult with them?

[S. B]

Hi and thanks

Actually, I dont have any datacenter switches. This was only a technical question that raised in my mind when i was studying,reading articles and watching cisco live videos , and i came to N5696Q and compared with N9300. Then i shared my thought with other friends and they also said that we dont know and it was also their question. so i decided to raise it publicly, so me and others can discuss and share thoughts with each other.

Its not a personal or private question , as its completely a public technical that can be shared and discussed on posts, because whoever of my friends has read Cisco's Documents and are thinking to use Nexus 9300 instead of N5696Q, finds these technical questions.