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Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Hardware Installation Guide
Chapter1 Using a Fabric Extender with a Cisco Nexus 5000 Series or Cisco Nexus 6000 Series Switch
Cisco Nexus 2300 Series
The Cisco Nexus 2348TQ provides 48 1/10GBASE-T host ports, while the Cisco Nexus 2348UPQ
provides 48 1/10G host unified ports. The unified ports provide native Fibre Channel as well as 1/10G
Ethernet and FCoE connectivity options.
You can order the platform with port side exhaust or port side intake air cooling. The port side exhaust
cooling model is compatible with data center hot-aisle and cold-aisle designs. This orientation places the
ports on the hot aisle aligned with the server ports. Port side intake airflow is used in network rack
designs in the data center such that the ports face the cold aisle. The Cisco Nexus 2300 Series is built for
non-stop operation, with redundant hot-swappable power supplies and redundant hot-swappable fans.
The Cisco Nexus 2300 Series platform is managed and configured by the upstream switch. The FEX
software ships with the Cisco Nexus switch software. The FEX downloads the software image from the
switch the same way that a module would download it from the supervisor in a modular chassis.
Note For the most current list of supported features, refer to the latest Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric
Extenders Release Notes at every release.
This section includes the following topics:
•Chassis, page 1-2
•Ports, page 1-5
•Power Supplies, page1-6
•Fans, page1-9
•Supported Transceivers and Cables, page1-10
Chassis
The Cisco Nexus 2300 Series platform has a one-rack-unit (1 RU) form factor that takes up relatively
little space, making it easy to incorporate into rack designs. The FEX is mounted in a standard 19-inch
(48.26 cm) rack. All switch ports at the rear of the unit are in close proximity to server ports, and all
user-serviceable components are accessible from the fan side panel.
You can order it with port side exhaust or port side intake air cooling, and with AC or DC power supplies.
The port side intake cooling model is intended for installations or deployments where the ports are in
the cold aisle, and the fans and power supplies are in the warm aisle.
Figure 1-1 and Figure1-2 show the fan side view of the Cisco Nexus 2300 Series chassis. Figure 1-3 and
Figure 1-4 show the port side view of the Cisco Nexus 2348TQ chassis, and Figure1-5 and Figure 1-6
show the port side view of the Cisco Nexus 2348UPQ chassis.