Connecting 2248TP-E to 93180YC-EX

[j.a.m.e.s]

Dear All,

I realize there are already a few threads on this topic, sorry to be adding another.

Q1: I've read the excellent FEX Support Matrix for N9k, but I'm unclear which ports on the 93180YC-EX are supported for fabric links down to the 2248TP-E FEX, which requires 10Gb. Do only the 6x QSFP28 ports support attaching a 2248TP-E?

Q2: My preference would be to use FET10G on the 2248TP-E to link with a FET-10G on a regular 1/10/25Gbit port on the 93180YC-EX. Is this possible?

Q3: The nx-os scalability guide suggests we can attach 16x FEX to each 9300 switch. There's no mention of "EX" series though. Is this the correct figure?

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Regards

James.

[Reza Sharifi]

Hi,

Q1: I've read the excellent FEX Support Matrix for N9k, but I'm unclear which ports on the 93180YC-EX are supported for fabric links down to the 2248TP-E FEX, which requires 10Gb. Do only the 6x QSFP28 ports support attaching a 2248TP-E?

I have never connected a FEX to any other port but the uplinks but I it should work as long as you use FET (10Gig only) on both side.  

 Q2: My preference would be to use FET10G on the 2248TP-E to link with a FET-10G on a regular 1/10/25Gbit port on the 93180YC-EX. Is this possible?

I am not sure if that is good idea as the uplinks are designed with higher buffer, separate ASICs and lower latency for aggregation purposes. Connecting a FEX to a regular port may cause the interface to get quickly saturated.  

Q3: The nx-os scalability guide suggests we can attach 16x FEX to each 9300 switch. There's no mention of "EX" series though. Is this the correct figure?

I think 16 is the correct number regardless of EX or FX.

HTH

[j.a.m.e.s]

Hi Reza,

Thanks for your reply, but I'm not 100% clear about the answers to Q1 and Q2.

I think you're suggesting breaking out a QSFP-40G-SR4 into 4x 10G on the 93180YC-EX then connecting down to a FET-10G on the 2248TP-E. Is that right?

It would be great to know if it's supported to use one of the regular SFP+ ports on the 93180YC-EX to link down to the FEX. Perfomance is not really a concern as this is for OOB.

Regards

James.

[Reza Sharifi · Accepted solution]

Hi James,

I think you're suggesting breaking out a QSFP-40G-SR4 into 4x 10G on the 93180YC-EX then connecting down to a FET-10G on the 2248TP-E. Is that right?

That is correct. 

It would be great to know if it's supported to use one of the regular SFP+ ports on the 93180YC-EX to link down to the FEX. Perfomance is not really a concern as this is for OOB.

I have never done it but I think it should work. If FET does not work, you may want to try it with a couple regular (standard) SFP+ optics.

HTH

[j.a.m.e.s]

Thank you Reza, I also can't see any documentation saying the regular SFP+ ports won't support FEX. I'm expecting to go ahead with this purchase and will post back at some stage to let others know the outcome.

[Reza Sharifi]

Hi James,

The FEX support both FET and regular SFP+ as long as both sides of the connection use the same type.

HTH