CHAPT ER
3-1
Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Hardware Installation Guide
3
Using a Fabric Extender with a Cisco Nexus 9000 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 9000 Series switch.
This chapter includes the following sections:
•Information About Using a Fabric Extender with a Cisco Nexus 9396PX Switch, page3-1
•Cisco Nexus 2248TP-E FEX, page3-1
•Cisco Nexus 2248TP FEX, page3-10
•Cisco Nexus 2232TM FEX, page3-15
•Cisco Nexus 2232PP FEX, page3-21
•Cisco Nexus 2224TP FEX, page3-25

Information About Using a Fabric Extender with a Cisco Nexus

9396PX Switch

With Cisco NX-OS Release 6.1(2)I2(3) and later releases, you can extend the Cisco Nexus 9396PX
switch architecture by connecting up to six 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 9396PX 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.

Cisco Nexus 2248TP-E FEX

The Cisco Nexus 2248TP-E FEX (N2K-C2248TP-E) is a stackable 1-RU FEX that has 48 100/1000
Ethernet host interfaces (downlink ports for copper RJ-45 connectors) and four 10-Gigabit Ethernet
fabric interfaces (uplink ports for copper/optical SFP+ connectors). This FEX requires a 19-inch
(48.26-cm) rack for its installation. Table 3 -1 lists its physical characteristics.