Cisco N9K-X9464TX2 Full Official Technical Specification Document

1. Product Overview

Official Full Designation

Cisco N9K-X9464TX2:Cisco Nexus 9500 Series Hot-Swappable Line Card, 48-Port 10/100/1000/10GBASE-T Copper Downlinks + 4-Port QSFP+ 40G Uplinks, Classic Generation Access/Aggregation I/O Module for Modular Data Center ChassisCisco

Core DefinitionN9K-X9464TX2 is a hot-pluggable I/O line card designed exclusively for Cisco Nexus 9500 modular data center switch chassis (4-slot N9K-C9504, 8-slot N9K-C9508, 16-slot N9K-C9516). It delivers hybrid copper-fiber port density for server rack access layer deployments, combining 48 multi-speed RJ45 copper ports for direct server/NAS connections and four QSFP+ 40G fiber uplinks for leaf-to-spine fabric interconnection. The card features a 12MB shared packet buffer and provides wire-speed forwarding for all packets larger than 200 bytes, fully supporting NX-OS native data center features including VXLAN EVPN, ACI integration, and hardware-accelerated security & QoS pipelines.

SKU Naming Breakdown

1. N9K: Standard prefix for Cisco Nexus 9000 series modular chassis switch hardware
2. X9464: Classic generation line card identifier;64denotes total port count (48 downlink + 4 uplink)
3. TX2: Port type suffix;T= 1/10GBASE-T copper RJ45 ports,X2= second revision of this copper line card design
4. =: Optional suffix for spare-only standalone line card kits (N9K-X9464TX2=)Cisco

Product Lifecycle Notice

• Official Global Release Year: 2021
• End-of-Sale (EoS) Status: Active production hardware as of 2026, no EoS announcement released
• Minimum Supported NX-OS Software Version: NX-OS Release 9.3(16) and later
• Software Maintenance Status: Active Cisco TAC engineering support, regular feature updates and critical security patch releases available via Cisco DNA support contracts
• Legacy Status: Not end-of-life hardware; genuine spare parts, certified firmware upgrades, and 24×7 technical support are fully accessible through authorized Cisco distribution channels

Supported Chassis Compatibility

This line card is fully hot-swappable and interoperable with three Nexus 9500 modular chassis models:

1. N9K-C9504 (4-slot chassis)
2. N9K-C9508 (8-slot chassis)
3. N9K-C9516 (16-slot chassis)

Mandatory Fabric Module Requirement

To achieve full non-blocking chassis bandwidth capacity, each chassis must be populated with a minimum of four matching fabric modules (N9K-C9504-FM / N9K-C9508-FM / N9K-C9516-FM) corresponding to the chassis model.

Standard Factory Complete Bundle Contents

Each factory-sealed N9K-X9464TX2 retail/spare package includes all hardware for chassis installation:

1. N9K-X9464TX2 base hot-swappable line card with integrated passive heat sink assembly
2. Front panel dust blanking plugs for unused RJ45 and QSFP+ ports
3. Chassis mounting retention screws and anti-static handling bag
4. Quick-start hardware installation guide for line card insertion/removal
5. Global regulatory compliance, safety, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) certification documentation packet

Core Integrated Functional Capabilities

• Non-blocking wire-speed packet forwarding for all 48 copper downlink ports and 4 QSFP+ uplink ports simultaneously (line-rate performance for packets >200 bytes)
• Hardware-accelerated Layer 2 / Layer 3 forwarding: IPv4/IPv6 unicast/multicast, MPLS label switching, VXLAN EVPN tunnel termination for leaf/spine data center fabrics
• Comprehensive Layer 2 feature suite: IEEE 802.1Q VLAN trunking (4096 VLAN IDs), vPC multi-chassis link aggregation, LACP/static EtherChannel, RSTP/MSTP spanning tree, UDLD, private VLANs, PVLAN edge isolation
• Layer 3 dynamic routing protocols: Static routing, RIPv2, OSPFv2/v3, EIGRP, HSRP/VRRP first-hop redundancy, uRPF loose/strict anti-spoofing mode
• Hardware security pipeline: Ingress/egress TCAM ACL filtering, DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, broadcast/multicast/unicast storm control, control-plane policing (CoPP)
• Hardware QoS scheduling: DSCP/802.1p CoS traffic classification, traffic policing/marking, ingress buffer tuning, egress DWRR weighted queuing, WRED congestion avoidance
• Dedicated hardware multicast replication engine: PIM-SM, PIM-SSM, BiDir-PIM, MSDP, optimized for IPTV broadcast video and media fabric workloads
• Advanced data center automation features: PoAP zero-touch provisioning, NX-API REST API, NETCONF/YANG, Python scripting, EEM embedded event manager
• Full jumbo frame support up to 9216-byte MTU, SPAN/ERSPAN port mirroring, IEEE 1588 PTP boundary clock, NTP time synchronization, SSHv2 encrypted management, AAA/RADIUS/TACACS+ access control
• Native ACI external leaf integration support for hybrid fabric deployments

2. Hardware & Performance Specifications

Core Forwarding & Buffer Performance

• Shared Packet Buffer: 12MB dynamic tunable buffer pool shared across all 52 ports
• Wire-Speed Forwarding Condition: Full line-rate throughput for all Ethernet frames with payload greater than 200 bytes
• Supported Traffic Types: Layer 2 bridging, IPv4/IPv6 unicast routing, multicast replication, MPLS label switching, VXLAN encapsulation/decapsulation

Port Hardware Specifications

Downlink Ports (48 × RJ45 10/100/1000/10GBASE-T Copper)

• Auto-negotiated supported speeds: 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps
• Cable Compatibility: CAT5e, CAT6, CAT6A copper twisted-pair cabling
• Maximum Cable Reach: 100 meters for all supported speeds
• Port Features: Auto-MDI/MDI-X, IEEE 802.3af/802.3at PoE (PoE power supply modules sold separately for chassis)

Uplink Ports (4 × QSFP+ Universal 40G Fiber Ports)

• Native Supported Speed: 40 Gbps QSFP+
• Breakout Mode Support: Each QSFP+ port can be split via QSFP+ to SFP+ breakout cables into four independent 10 Gbps SFP+ lanes
• Supported Transceiver Types: QSFP+ 40G SR4/LR4/ER4 optical transceivers, QSFP+ 40G passive/active copper direct-attach cables, QSFP+ breakout cables

Electrical & Thermal Specifications

Power Consumption

• Typical Line Card Operating Power Draw: ~210 Watts
• Maximum Full-Load Power Consumption: ~290 Watts
• Power Delivery: Powered via chassis backplane; no external power connectors on the line card

Thermal & Environmental Operating Parameters

• Certified Continuous Operating Temperature Range: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F) standard data center environment
• Extended Validated Short-Term Operating Temperature: 0°C to 55°C (32°F to 131°F)
• Storage & Transport Temperature Range: -40°C to 70°C (-40°F to 158°F)
• Operating Relative Humidity: 10% to 90% RH, non-condensing
• Operating Altitude: Certified operational range -150 m to 2,000 m (-500 ft to 6,500 ft); extended validated range up to 3,000 m (10,000 ft)
• Cooling Design: Passive aluminum heat sink assembly on the line card PCB; cooling airflow supplied by the host Nexus 9500 chassis rear fan trays

Physical Form Factor & Weight

• Form Factor: Standard Nexus 9500 hot-swappable vertical line card form factor
• Overall Physical Dimensions (H × W × D): Matches standard Nexus 9500 line card footprint
• Bare Line Card Net Weight (without transceivers/dust plugs): 4.54 kg (10 lbs)

3. Regulatory & Compliance Certifications

Fully compliant with global international industry, safety, EMC, and carrier-grade standards when installed in certified Nexus 9500 chassis:

1. Safety Standards: UL 62368-1, CSA C22.2 No. 62368-1, EN 60950-1, IEC 60950-1
2. EMC & EMI Standards: FCC CFR Title 47 Part 15 Class A, VCCI Class A, EN55022 Class A, CISPR 22 Class A
3. Carrier-Grade Compliance: NEBS Level 3 (GR-1089-CORE, GR-63-CORE), ETSI ETS 300 386-2, EN 50121-4 railway EMC compatibility
4. Environmental Directive: EU RoHS 2 hazardous substance restriction compliance

4. Core Deployment Advantages

1. Hybrid Copper-Fiber Port Density for Server Access: 48 multi-speed 1/10G copper RJ45 ports deliver direct, cost-effective wired server/NAS rack connections, paired with four flexible 40G QSFP+ uplinks to scale leaf-to-spine fabric bandwidth without additional line card hardware.
2. Hot-Swappable Chassis Compatibility: Fully pluggable into all three Nexus 9500 modular chassis models (4/8/16-slot), enabling consistent access-layer port design across different data center fabric scale deployments.
3. Optimized 12MB Shared Packet Buffer: Tunable dynamic buffer allocation minimizes packet loss during traffic bursts for mixed copper downlink and high-speed fiber uplink workloads.
4. Full NX-OS Feature Parity: Supports the complete suite of modern data center features including VXLAN EVPN leaf/spine fabrics, ACI hybrid fabric integration, hardware multicast replication for media workloads, and comprehensive automation APIs for SDDC orchestration.
5. Chassis-Level Redundancy Compatibility: Works seamlessly with all Nexus 9500 high-availability components, including redundant fabric modules, redundant AC power supplies, and redundant fan trays, enabling zero-downtime line card replacement without chassis power cycling.
6. Broad Cable & Transceiver Flexibility: RJ45 ports support standard low-cost CAT5e/CAT6 copper cabling for server access, while QSFP+ uplinks support native 40G or breakout 10G lanes to adapt to evolving fabric bandwidth requirements.

Supplementary Product Specification Notes

UNSPSC Classification Code

43222612 (Hot-swappable I/O line card for Cisco Nexus 9500 modular data center switch chassis, N9K-X9464TX2, 48-port 10/100/1000/10GBASE-T copper downlinks, 4-port QSFP+ 40G breakout-capable fiber uplinks, 12MB shared packet buffer, hardware-accelerated L2/L3 forwarding, VXLAN EVPN fabric support, for enterprise data center leaf access layer server aggregation deployments).

K9 Security Compliance Note

All N9K-X9464TX2 supported NX-OS firmware releases implement AES 128-bit encrypted remote CLI, web portal, SNMP, and NETCONF management traffic, meeting Cisco K9 secure network hardware classification standards required for government, military, healthcare, and financial regulated data center deployments.

Factory Hardware Warranty Terms

Standard 1-year limited hardware warranty coverage for brand-new factory-sealed N9K-X9464TX2 line card spare kits purchased through official Cisco authorized global distribution channel partners. Extended 3-year / 5-year hardware support contracts are available as optional add-ons via Cisco DNA Support Services, covering spare part replacement, 24x7 Cisco TAC engineering technical support, and certified NX-OS firmware upgrade releases.