Cisco DN2-HW-APL-L Full English Product Description
1. Short Official Part & License Label
DN2-HW-APL-L: Cisco Second-Generation Catalyst DNA Center 56-Core Physical Appliance, 1U Rack-Mount UCS C220 M5 Server, 2×10G SFP+ Uplink Ports, Large-Scale Intent-Based Network Automation & Assurance Platform, Supports SDA Software-Defined Access, Wireless Assurance, Zero-Touch Provisioning, Multi-Host Cluster Deployment, Integrated CIMC Out-of-Band Hardware Management, Cisco DNA Subscription Licensing, End-of-Sale Gen2 Mid-Large DNA Center Hardware
2. Full Product Overview
The Cisco DN2-HW-APL-L is the 56-core mid-large physical appliance forCisco Catalyst DNA Center (DNAC)Gen2, built on the UCS C220 M5 SFF rack server platform. It serves as the centralized intent-based automation, assurance and policy orchestration platform for large enterprise campus networks, Software-Defined Access (SDA) fabrics, mixed campus/FlexConnect multi-branch architectures and multi-site wireless deployments.
This unit runs the DNA Center application stack and is deployed either standalone or as part of a minimum 3-node cluster for production high availability. It delivers unified lifecycle management, zero-touch device provisioning, network streaming telemetry, wireless assurance for Catalyst 9800 IOS-XE wireless controllers, and native integration with Cisco ISE for end-to-end zero-trust security workflows. The DN2-HW-APL-L supports up to8000 network devices and 250,000 transient monitored endpoints, suitable for consolidated multi-building campus and large distributed multi-site organizations.
Hardware foundation: Dual 28-core Intel Xeon Gold CPUs, 384GB DDR4 RAM, enterprise SSD RAID storage. Network adapter is Intel X710-DA2 dual-port 10G SFP+ NIC for cluster and control traffic, plus embedded 10GBase-T LOM interfaces. The chassis supports optional dual redundant AC power supplies and hot-swappable redundant fans to eliminate single points of hardware failure. It includes built-in Cisco Integrated Management Controller (CIMC) for independent out-of-band power control, remote console access and hardware health monitoring, separated from the DNA Center operating system.
Lifecycle Status: DN2-HW-APL-L reached End-of-Sale (EoS) December 14, 2024. Supported DNA Center software releases up to 2.x; it cannot run the latest 3.x major DNA Center releases. Successor hardware is the Gen3 DN3-HW-APL-L appliance. It interoperates with Catalyst IOS-XE switches, routers, Catalyst 9800 Wi‑Fi 6/6E controllers and legacy AireOS wireless controllers. Licensing follows Cisco DNA Software Subscription model, independent of base hardware.
Key Differentiator vs DN2-HW-APL (44-core): Higher 56-core compute, larger memory and endpoint scale, supporting up to 8000 network nodes instead of 5000. Compared to top-tier DN2-HW-APL-XL (112-core): Balanced cost and performance for large campus deployments without extreme service provider scale requirements.
3. Complete Hardware Physical & Interface Specifications
Form Factor & Mechanical
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Rack Form Factor: Standard 1U 19-inch rack-mount chassis (UCS C220 M5 SFF)
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Dimensions: 44.45 mm (H) × 431.8 mm (W) × 711.2 mm (D) / 1.75 × 17 × 28 inches
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Unit Weight: 14.5 kg (32 lbs) single PSU; up to 15.9 kg fully loaded with dual PSUs
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Cooling System: Multiple hot-swappable redundant internal cooling fans
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Power Supply: Single AC PSU standard; optional second redundant AC PSU (80 Plus Platinum certified)
Rear Panel Interface Layout
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2× 10G SFP+ uplink slots (Intel X710-DA2; Supports SFP+ copper, SR, LR transceivers; LAG EtherChannel supported)
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2× 10GBase-T embedded LOM RJ45 ports
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1× 10/100/1000BASE-T dedicated Service Port for isolated management traffic
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1× CIMC RJ45 out-of-band management port for independent hardware administration
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RJ45 RS‑232 serial console port for local CLI access
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Type-A USB port for firmware upload and configuration exports
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Dual AC power supply input slots (primary + optional redundant secondary PSU)
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Physical security lock slot
Front Panel LED Status Indicators
Global status LEDs: Power 1, Power 2, System Health, Critical Fault Alarm, Fan Status, Disk Activity
Per-port Link/Activity LEDs for all 10G SFP+ uplinks, copper ports, service port and CIMC port
Power & Environmental Parameters
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Input AC Range: Universal 100–264 VAC, 47–63 Hz power input
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Maximum Total Power Consumption: 770 W fully populated with dual PSUs
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Operating Temperature: 5°C to 40°C (41°F to 104°F)
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Storage Temperature: -40°C to 65°C (-40°F to 149°F)
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Humidity: 10%–90% non‑condensing (operation & storage)
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Regulatory Certifications: UL 60950‑1 safety, CE, FCC Class A EMC, ICES‑003, VCCI
Verified Scale Limits (Standalone / 3-Node Cluster)
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Maximum supported network devices: Up to 8000 managed network nodes
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Maximum concurrent monitored endpoints: Up to 100,000; transient endpoint capacity up to 250,000
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Supported topology: Campus LAN, SD-Access Fabric, FlexConnect multi-branch wireless, SD-WAN integration
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Supports multi-host clustering (minimum 3 nodes recommended for production HA)
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Maximum retained telemetry and assurance data governed by internal SSD storage capacity
4. Core DNA Center Software Feature Suite
1. Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP)
Automatic onboarding of Catalyst switches, routers and wireless controllers; automated day-0 configuration, image upgrades and policy deployment. Supports PnP discovery via DHCP Option 43.
2. Intent-Based Network Automation
Centralized template management, configuration drift detection, scheduled configuration deployment, Software Image Management (SWIM) for bulk firmware upgrades across the network.
3. Network Assurance & Streaming Telemetry
Real-time topology visualization, fabric health scoring, fault aggregation, performance statistics, on-demand packet capture and historical analytics. Wireless assurance for Catalyst 9800 Wi‑Fi 6/6E controllers.
4. Software-Defined Access (SDA) Orchestration
Single-pane control for SDA fabric: fabric discovery, VRF segmentation, EPG mapping, distributed anycast gateway, LISP mobility and multi-site fabric coordination. Native integration with Cisco ISE for dynamic endpoint policy enforcement.
5. Wireless Lifecycle Management
Centralized control plane for Catalyst 9800 wireless controllers; unified RF templates, WLAN synchronization, mobility group management, guest access orchestration and rogue wireless threat visibility.
6. Security & Identity Integration
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Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA): Detect threats hidden within encrypted flows without full packet decryption
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Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for multi-admin operations
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Native REST API integration with Cisco ISE for zero-trust access policy
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Audit logging for compliance (PCI DSS, HIPAA)
7. High Availability & Operations
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3-node multi-host cluster for distributed redundancy
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Synchronized database across all cluster members
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In-Service Software Upgrade (ISU) for rolling non-disruptive controller updates
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Full fabric configuration backup and restore capability
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Independent CIMC out-of-band hardware troubleshooting
8. Programmability & Orchestration
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Embedded HTML5 GUI, Bash-style CLI
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REST API, GraphQL for integration with Ansible, Terraform and third-party automation platforms
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Integration with VMware vCenter, SCVMM, OpenStack, Cisco Prime Infrastructure
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Cisco DNA Subscription licensing model
5. Typical Deployment Scenarios
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Large enterprise campus DNA Center cluster managing mixed wired and Wi‑Fi 6 networks
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Multi-pod Software-Defined Access (SDA) fabric orchestration for large organizations
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Hybrid campus + FlexConnect global multi-site enterprise wireless architectures
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Legacy network transformation migrating AireOS CUWN to modern IOS‑XE intent-based platform
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Lab and proof-of-concept environments for SD-Access, zero-trust and high-density wireless validation
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Intermediate migration platform before upgrading to Gen3 DN3 hardware
6. Short Sales Listing Tagline
Cisco DN2-HW-APL-L Legacy 1U Rackmount Gen2 Catalyst DNA Center 56-Core Intent-Based Network Automation Appliance, Built on UCS C220 M5 Server, 2×10G SFP+ Uplink Ports, Integrated CIMC Out-of-Band Hardware Management, Supports up to 8000 Network Devices & 100,000 Concurrent Endpoints, Zero-Touch Provisioning, SD-Access Fabric Orchestration, Wireless Assurance, ETA Encrypted Traffic Analytics, Multi-Host Cluster Deployment, Managed via HTML5 WebUI, IOS-XE CLI and REST APIs, End-of-Sale Mid-Large Scale DNA Center Platform for Large Enterprise Campus & Multi-Site Consolidated Networks
Note: DN2-HW-APL-L = Gen2 56-core DNA Center hardware. Related variants: DN2-HW-APL (44-core), DN2-HW-APL-XL (112-core flagship). Successor platform: DN3-HW-APL-L Gen3 Catalyst Center appliance.
