Will Cisco Compatible SFP/QSFPs work with Cisco Catalyst C9500X-60L4D

[vondoom2]

Good evening,

I wonder if anyone can tell me if Cisco Compatible SFP/QSFPs will work on a Cisco Catalyst C9500X-60L4D switch?  Or would I have to use something like "service unsupported-transceiver" and then "no errdisable detect cause gbic-invalid"?

[Leo Laohoo]

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@vondoom2 wrote:
Cisco Compatible

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3rd party optics will natively work with Cisco equipment, regardless of firmware.  

If the optics won't work, talk to the vendor and they can re-flash the optics to a compatible wavelength to fool the system. 

[M02@rt37]

Hello @vondoom2,

It will work. Just note that if you have problems with non-Cisco transceivers, Cisco TAC won't help resolve such problems until the non-Cisco transceiver is replaced with one of theirs.

[vondoom2]

So I was used the two commands I posted in my original post and two things happened.  The first thing that happened was that the switch no longer tells me that the SFP modules are not supported.  The second thing that occurred was that the SFP ports for copper ethernet/fiber modules now will work with the Cisco Compatible modules.  However, my four dedicated QSFP fiber ports are still coming up as 'errdisabled'.  Is there a command, maybe slightly revised differently than the earlier commands I entered that will permit my QSFP transceivers work?

[M02@rt37]

Hello @vondoom2,

Please check if QSFP is compatible with your c9500x

https://tmgmatrix.cisco.com/?npid=5721

Check the firmware version also.

[vondoom2]

So here is one I have for example.  Currently as a test, I have a QSFP module that says "QSFP-CSR4-40G" on it.  I tried to search that on the list and the closest I found was "QSFP-40G-CSR4".  Is it really that specific that the nomenclature on the module has to match exactly?

[vondoom2]

One other thing.  I performed a reload to the switch with the QSFP module still in the unit.  And once the switch was up it saw the module and stated that the state was "notconnected" which it wasn't, but if I remove that QSFP and re-insert or insert it into one of the other three fiber ports it goes back to being errdisabled.

[Leo Laohoo]

What firmware is the switch on?

[vondoom2]

Version 17.11.01

[Leo Laohoo]

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@vondoom2 wrote:
Version 17.11.01

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Unless there is a specific reason (to use a single-release train), downgrade to 17.9.4.

[vondoom2]

UPDATE:

I was able to get to the bottom of the issue I was having.  It seems that this switch is so particular which transceiver it uses.  The one 40G module I was trying to use was close in name to the transceiver model number on the list, but it was still different enough that it wouldn't work.  I proved the module in an 3850 Catalyst Switch and that switch didn't have an issue with the module.  Thank you so much to everyone who offered assistance and input.