Cisco system introduced the Nexus series switch in 2008 that are modular and fixed port network switched designed for the data center. The Cisco Nexus series switches ranges from Nexus 1000v, to the newly released Nexus 9516, which are warmly welcomed by users. This article will introduce the Cisco 6004 switch and highlight its 10G and 40G cabling options.
Cisco Nexus 6004 Switch
Cisco Nexus 6004 switch is a model of Nexus 6000 series. Previously,, the Nexus 6000 series was meant to be focused on the Cisco 40G aggregation products, and the 5500 and 5600 series on 10G. However, Cisco decided to merge the product portfolios. Thus Nexus 6000 series switch delivers high-density 10 and 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity in an energy-efficient, compact form factor, so does the Nexus 6004 switch.
The Cisco Nexus 6004 switch is a high-density, low-latency, high-performance device for 10G & 40G Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) infrastructure, with a compact four-rack-unit (4RU) switch providing line-rate Layer 2 and 3 switching. This switch offers 48 x 40-Gbps ports on the base of the chassis and 4 line-card expansion module (LEM) slots; 12 x 40-Gbps port LEMs can be plugged into each slot, for a system total of 96 x 40-Gbps ports in an Enhanced Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP+) form factor.
Features and Capabilities of Cisco Nexus 6004 Switch
- High-performance—The Cisco Nexus 6004 can support up to 384 SFP+ connectivity over breakout cables or 96 40 Gbqs line rate. It also offers unified ports for LAN and SAN convergence.
- Future Proof—The Cisco Nexus 6004 support for all the card expansion modules across the 6004 Chassis. The Cisco Nexus 6004 is also equipped with eight expansion slots for accommodate network growth.
- Operational Efficiency—This switch is equipped with advanced analytics toolkit, VXLAN support for virtualized and cloud deployments (supported on Cisco Nexus 6004X), and dynamic Fabric Automation (DFA) and PowerOn Auto Provisioning (PoAP) for automated virtualized and cloud deployments.
Cabling Options for Cisco Nexus 6004 Switch
As noted before, the Cisco Nexus 6004 switch offers 10G and 40G connectivity. Numerous 10 and 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity options using Cisco 40GBASE QSFP and QSFP+ breakout cable can be used in this switch. The following image presents two physical connections for Nexus 6004 switch.
In a 10G deployment, a permanent structured cabling link would be deployed using these MTP-based trunks to create connector patching fields at each end. Then short MTP or LC jumper patch cables would be used to make the connection from the patch field to the QSFP+ or SFP+ optics at the switch port. The MTP patch-panel field allows the end device to be connected to any port across multiple Cisco Nexus 6004 devices because the devices terminate at the patch-panel field. The following figure shows a Cisco Nexus 6004 that is connected to the base ports of a Cisco Nexus 5500 platform switch.
These endpoint connections will be MTP and LC, respectively, and the structured cabling infrastructure maintains MTP trunks and panels. This approach will require a MTP-to-LC harness assembly to make the connection from the termination patch field to the Cisco Nexus 5500 platform. A MPO jumper can be used to make the connection from the termination patch field to the Cisco Nexus 6004.
For 40G connectivity, Cisco Nexus 6004 switches can support 40G direct attach cable (DAC) integrating QSFP connectors for short-reach 40G application, or supporting 40G active optical cable (AOC) for longer-reach application. FS.COM provides a full range of 40G QSFP+ DAC cables including passive (lengths up to 7m) and active cables (lengths up to 10m). In addition to the QSFP+ to QSFP+ DACs, it also offers the QSFP+ to 4 x SFP+ breakout DACs which are ideal for Cisco device user to run 40G over existing traditional 10G backbones.
The image above shows the 40G cabling connectivity between two Cisco Nexus 6004 switches. The MTP trunk cables used in this configuration create permanent fiber link between patch panels, and allow full support of 40Gbqs flows between the devices.
Conclusion
The Cisco Nexus 6004 switch provides can be deployed in multiple scenarios—direct-attach 10G and 40G Ethernet access and high-density fabric extender aggregation deployments. For those who want to upgrade to 10G Ethernet, the switch scales up to 384 ports of 10G Ethernet interfaces. And you can easily meet increasing demand for 40G Ethernet connectivity up to 96 QSFP+ interface ports. What’s more, the Cisco Nexus 6000 series can adapt to increasing bandwidth demands with low power and a compact space profile, providing savings in capital expenditures and operating expenses.
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