Cisco Systems 2000 Using a Fabric Extender with a Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switch

CHAPT ER
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Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Hardware Installation Guide
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Using a Fabric Extender with a Cisco Nexus 7000
Series Switch
This chapter describes the Cisco Nexus 2200 Platform Fabric Extender (FEX) chassis and the
components that you can connect to a Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switch. This chapter includes the
following sections:
•Information About Using a Fabric Extender with a Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switch, page2-1
•Cisco Nexus 2248TP-E FEX, page2-2
•Cisco Nexus 2248TP FEX, page2-11
•Cisco Nexus 2232TM FEX, page2-15
•Cisco Nexus 2232PP FEX, page2-22
•Cisco Nexus 2224TP FEX, page2-27
Information About Using a Fabric Extender with a Cisco Nexus
7000 Series Switch
You can extend the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switch architecture by connecting up to 32 FEXs as remote
I/O modules. Depending on which FEX model that you connect to the switch, the FEX provides
top-of-the-rack connectivity for up to 48, 32, or 24 hosts, and it becomes an extension of the parent Cisco
Nexus 7000 Series switch fabric, with the FEX and the switch becoming a virtual modular system. The
FEX forwards all 100/1000 Ethernet or 1- and 10-Gigabit Ethernet traffic from the hosts to the switch
over 10-Gbps uplinks. Traffic flows from the switch to the FEX over the 10-Gbps uplinks and to the
individual hosts over 100/1000 Ethernet or 1- and 10-Gigabit Ethernet downlinks.
You connect a FEX uplink port to the Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switch through one of the following
Ethernet I/O modules installed in the switch:
•F2 Series 48-port 1 or 10-Gigabit Ethernet I/O module (N7K-F248XP-25)
•M1 Series 32-port 10-Gigabit Ethernet I/O module (N7K-M132XP-12)
•M1 Series 32-port 10-Gigabit Ethernet I/O module with XL option (N7K-M132XP-12L)
•M2 Series 24-port 10-Gigabit Ethernet I/O module (N7K-M224XP-23L)