cisco nexus switch

[suthomas1]

Hi,

I am curious to know what is the difference between cisco Nexus switches and the usual catalyst 3750 switches.

I do understand the operating system in both these are different. ( please correct if this is wrong )

When will we suggest using cisco nexus instead of usual cisco switches?

Also what interface does cisco nexus like 5548 come with , is it both copper and fibre ?

Appreciate if folks here can elaborate something on this.

Thanks in advance!

[InayathUlla Sharieff]

HI,

Difference:

Nexus -------------------cisco 3750

Nexus switches and the new NX-OS operating system are rapidly becoming the new de facto standards for data center distribution/aggregation layer networking. NX-OS builds on Cisco IOS to provide advanced features that will be increasingly crucial to efficient data center operations. NX-OS and Cisco Nexus Switching is the definitive guide to utilizing these powerful new capabilities in enterprise environments.

Well most importantly Nexus does 10Gig with the promise of Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) in the future. You can also add Fibre Channel modules to the Nexus line and not the catalyst line. It runs NX-OS instead of IOS which I believe came out of the Storage OS side of Cisco. The Nexus is also much higher performance overall in terms of switching capacity and for the most part isn't oversubscribed.

The Catalyst line has the ability to do Layer 3 that you can't do on the Nexus. It also has Power of Ethernet which you need for VoIP, security cams, etc...The Designs I typically see out of Cisco right now are using Nexus for the Core with a 4900M to handle the Layer 3 stuff. Then they use Catalyst for the Access Level to workstations and such.

They both have their place and it depends largely on what you are trying to accomplish.

Some more info:

http://www.cxtec.com/blog/cisco-nexus-switches-review/

HTH

Regards

Inayath

*Plz rate all usefull posts.

[suthomas1]

Thanks.

We are going to get a nexus 5548UP with us.

What are the interfaces on 5548UP, is it fibre or ethernet.

Can i connect a copper ethernet cable directly on 5548UP?

If i need to connect a fiber , how would i terminate it on 5548UP?

thanks again!

[InayathUlla Sharieff · Accepted solution]

HI Su,

Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switch

The Cisco Nexus 5548UP (Figure 2) is a 1RU 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and FCoE switch offering up to 960 Gbps of throughput and up to 48 ports. The switch has 32 unified ports and one expansion slot.

Figure 2. Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switch

• Unified ports support traditional Ethernet, Fibre Channel (FC),and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
• Connectivity options include: Gigabit, 10 Gigabit (fiber and copper), FC, and FCoE
• Provides support for all Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders

Ref:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11215/index.html

2- Terminating Fiber to 5548UP:

https://supportforums.cisco.com/videos/2545

http://www.netxplane.com/2012/07/fiber-channel-fc-ports-on-nexus-5000.html

https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2171367

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus5000/hw/installation/guide/overview5500.html

HTH

Regards

Inayath

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