Cisco SM-X-8X1GE-T Full Official Technical Specification Document

1. Product Overview

Official Full Designation

Core Definition

SKU Naming Breakdown

1. SM-X: Service Module X, single-wide enhanced expansion form factor exclusive to Cisco ISR 4000 Series routers, with high-bandwidth Multigigabit Fabric (MGF) backplane bus and native OIR support
2. 8: Eight independent physical Gigabit Ethernet ports integrated on the single SM-X module
3. 1GE: 1 Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T copper standard
4. T: Twisted-pair RJ45 copper interface (distinguishes from SFP fiber port variants)
5. =: Standard spare part suffix for standalone replacement kits (SM-X-8X1GE-T=)
6. -RF: Certified refurbished spare SKU variant (SM-X-8X1GE-T-RF)

Product Lifecycle Notice

• Official Global Release Year: 2014
• End-of-Sale (EoS) Status: Discontinued; Cisco permanently ceased production of brand-new SM-X-8X1GE-T hardware units
• Direct Upgrade Replacement Models: Catalyst 8000 Series NIM multi-port copper GE modules, SM-X Layer 2 EtherSwitch modules with PoE for LAN switching use cases
• Minimum Supported IOS XE Software Version: Cisco IOS XE 3.12S / IOS 15.4(2)T; all subsequent IOS XE 3.x, 16.x, 17.x release trains provide full feature support
• Software Maintenance Status: Only critical security vulnerability patches are released for customers holding active Cisco DNA Services contracts; no new feature enhancements will be developed
• Legacy Status: End-of-sale legacy hardware; certified refurbished spare modules, validated IOS XE firmware images and 24×7 Cisco TAC engineering technical support remain available through authorized Cisco distribution partners

Supported Router Platform Compatibility

1. Cisco ISR 4300 Series: 4321, 4331, 4351
2. Cisco ISR 4400 Series: 4431, 4451, 4461

Deployment Restrictions

1. No on-board Layer 2 switching capability: All eight RJ45 ports operate as pure Layer 3 routed interfaces. VLAN switching between ports on the SM-X module or cross-chassis Layer 2 forwarding is not implemented on the module hardware.
2. No Power over Ethernet (PoE/PoE+/UPOE): The copper RJ45 ports only support data transmission; no power delivery to IP phones, wireless APs or cameras. For PoE LAN deployments, SM-X EtherSwitch Layer 2 switching modules must be used instead.
3. OIR operational requirement: Online Insertion and Removal is fully functional only when the router runs the minimum required IOS XE release; older IOS versions require a full chassis power cycle for module replacement.
4. Backplane bandwidth ceiling: The SM-X slot provides a maximum 10 Gbps full-duplex MGF backplane link to the router’s route processor; aggregate sustained traffic exceeding the backplane bandwidth capacity will trigger packet drop and congestion events.
5. Copper cable distance limitation: 1000BASE-T RJ45 ports support a maximum cable length of 100 meters over Cat5e/Cat6 twisted-pair cabling.

Standard Factory Complete Bundle Contents

1. SM-X-8X1GE-T eight-port 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ45 copper SM-X service module with eight front-panel RJ45 ports and dedicated per-port link/activity LED indicators
2. Anti-static ESD handling storage bag and protective foam packaging
3. Quick-start hardware installation guide covering ESD static protection protocols, SM-X slot OIR insertion/removal procedures, Cat5e/Cat6 copper cabling specifications, IOS XE routed GE interface configuration, IP addressing, SD-WAN transport setup and QoS policy configuration command examples
4. Global regulatory compliance, safety, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) certification documentation packet

Core Integrated Functional Capabilities

1. Eight Independent Auto-Sensing 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ45 Copper Ports: Eight separate RJ45 twisted-pair copper ports supporting IEEE 802.3ab Gigabit Ethernet auto-negotiation for 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps or 1000 Mbps full-duplex operation, delivering multiple independent line-rate Layer 3 routed copper uplink/downlink connections for branch LAN and WAN access.
2. Online Insertion and Removal (OIR) Support: Native OIR functionality allows field technicians to remove or replace the SM-X-8X1GE-T module without powering down the entire ISR 4000 router chassis, minimizing enterprise edge network service outages during hardware maintenance and spare part replacement operations.
3. Pure Layer 3 Routed Interface Operation: Each RJ45 copper port functions exclusively as a routed IP interface. All ingress Ethernet frames are forwarded to the router’s main route processor for IP lookup, inter-VLAN routing, SD-WAN traffic steering and security policy enforcement; local Layer 2 switching between module ports is not supported.
4. Line-Rate Hardware Packet Forwarding: Optimized packet forwarding pipeline supporting line-rate 1 Gbps bidirectional IP traffic throughput per port, with aggregate bandwidth governed by the SM-X MGF backplane capacity. Eliminates route processor CPU bottlenecks under multi-port concurrent WAN/LAN traffic loads.
5. Full SD-WAN Feature Compatibility: Natively integrated with the complete Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN feature suite, supporting multiple independent high-capacity encrypted overlay transport tunnels, application-aware intelligent traffic routing, per-application QoS prioritization and centralized vManage orchestration for multi-site enterprise overlay networks.
6. Comprehensive Gigabit Ethernet Interface Feature Support: IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging, configurable IP MTU with jumbo frame support up to 9000 bytes, full-duplex auto-negotiation, port statistics and error counter tracking, link fault signaling and remote interface monitoring via SNMP.
7. Full IOS XE Security Feature Integration: IPSec site-to-site VPN tunnel acceleration, zone-based firewall stateful traffic inspection, NAT/PAT address translation, AAA identity authentication, standard and extended access control lists (ACLs), threat defense filtering and encrypted remote management (SSH, TLS).
8. Rich QoS Traffic Prioritization Toolset: Hardware-assisted traffic classification, DSCP marking, policing and queuing for multi-port Gigabit copper traffic, supporting differentiated services (DSCP), traffic shaping, low-latency queuing (LLQ) and bandwidth reservation for real-time voice, video and business-critical application traffic.
9. SNMP MIB Remote Monitoring Support: Implements standard Cisco Ethernet interface SNMP MIBs for remote network monitoring of module hardware operational status, per-port aggregate ingress/egress traffic throughput, packet error counters, link up/down fault alarm reporting and resource utilization metrics.

2. Hardware & Performance Specifications

Core 10/100/1000BASE-T Copper Port Transmission Performance

• Interface Standard: IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX, IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T; full-duplex auto-negotiation, half-duplex fallback supported
• Port Form Factor: Eight independent RJ45 female twisted-pair copper connectors (Cat5e/Cat6 cabling required for 1Gbps operation)
• Maximum Cable Length: 100 meters for all speed grades (10M/100M/1G)
• Per-Port Line-Rate Throughput: 1 Gbps bidirectional full-duplex IP traffic forwarding
• Jumbo Frame Support: Configurable MTU range from 1500 bytes standard Ethernet up to 9000 bytes jumbo frames
• VLAN Support: IEEE 802.1Q tagged VLAN sub-interfaces for multi-VLAN WAN/LAN transport per port
• Supported Layer 3 Transport Protocols: IPv4, IPv6, GRE, IPsec, SD-WAN overlay tunnels

Front Panel LED Indicator Definitions (Per Individual RJ45 Port)

1. LINK LED: Solid green = Valid synchronized 10/100/1000M physical layer link established with remote switch/router/end device; off = No copper signal detected or link down fault condition
2. ACT LED: Blinking green = Active bidirectional IP packet traffic transmission/reception over the RJ45 copper port; steady off = No active payload traffic passing through the interface

Electrical & Thermal Specifications

Power Consumption

• Typical operating power draw under medium multi-port 1G traffic load: ~11 Watts
• Maximum full-load power consumption with all eight ports operating at sustained line-rate 1Gbps bidirectional throughput: ~16 Watts
• Power Delivery: Powered exclusively through the ISR 4000 router chassis SM-X slot internal MGF backplane bus; no external power supply connectors mounted on the SM-X module hardware

Thermal & Environmental Operating Parameters

• Certified Continuous Operating Temperature Range: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F) standard enterprise branch datacenter equipment room 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: 5% to 85% RH, non-condensing
• Storage Relative Humidity: 5% to 95% 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: Fanless passive heat dissipation architecture with integrated aluminum heat sink, no onboard cooling fans; cooling airflow supplied by the host ISR 4000 router’s internal chassis fan assembly
• Airflow Direction: Horizontal chassis airflow passing over the SM-X module passive heat sink for thermal dissipation

Physical Form Factor & Weight

• Form Factor: Standard single-wide SM-X service module expansion card form factor, designed exclusively for SM-X dedicated expansion slots of Cisco ISR 4000 Series routers
• Bare SM-X Module Net Weight (without copper patch cables and accessory packaging): Approximately 760 grams
• Physical Dimensions (H x W x D): 1.25 × 3.50 × 7.24 inches (32 × 89 × 184 mm)

3. Regulatory & Compliance Certifications

1. Safety Standards: UL 60950-1, CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1, EN 60950-1, IEC 60950-1, GB 4943 Chinese national safety standard
2. EMC & EMI Standards: FCC CFR Title 47 Part 15 Class A, VCCI Class A ITE, EN55022 Class A, CISPR 22 Class A, ICES-003 Class A, CISPR 24, EN 61000 series electromagnetic immunity standards
3. Ethernet Copper Compliance: IEEE 802.3ab 1000BASE-T, IEEE 802.3u 100BASE-TX, IEEE 802.3 10BASE-T twisted-pair copper specifications
4. Environmental Directive: EU RoHS hazardous substance restriction compliance

4. Core Deployment Advantages

1. High-Density Eight-Port Copper Gigabit Routed Port Design: The SM-X-8X1GE-T delivers eight independent RJ45 copper Gigabit Layer 3 routed ports within a single SM-X expansion slot, eliminating the need to deploy multiple low-port-count SM-X modules for multi-segment branch LAN aggregation, multi-ISP internet access and redundant metro Ethernet uplink deployments. This design drastically conserves limited ISR 4000 chassis SM-X slot resources and reduces overall hardware capital expenditure for multi-port copper access edge branch deployments.
2. Online Insertion and Removal (OIR) Reduces Network Maintenance Downtime: Native OIR support allows field technicians to replace the SM-X-8X1GE-T module without powering down the entire ISR 4000 router chassis. This eliminates extended enterprise edge network outages required for full chassis power cycles during hardware spare part replacement, drastically improving network availability for business-critical multi-site overlay SD-WAN and inter-branch copper WAN/LAN services.
3. Universal Cat5e/Cat6 Copper Media Compatibility for Low-Cost Access Deployments: Each RJ45 copper port supports standard low-cost Cat5e/Cat6 twisted-pair cabling widely deployed in enterprise branch buildings, eliminating the higher cost of fiber optic cabling and SFP transceivers for short-distance in-building LAN and metro copper Ethernet access connections.
4. Line-Rate Hardware Packet Forwarding for Multi-Port High-Volume Edge Traffic: Optimized dedicated packet forwarding pipeline on the SM-X module hardware delivers sustained line-rate 1Gbps bidirectional IP traffic throughput per port, eliminating route processor CPU bottlenecks under heavy multi-port enterprise copper WAN/LAN traffic loads. This preserves the router’s main CPU resources for critical control-plane workloads including SD-WAN orchestration, firewall inspection, voice DSP processing and security policy enforcement.
5. Full Native SD-WAN Integration for Modern Overlay Enterprise Networks: The SM-X-8X1GE-T is fully integrated with the complete Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN feature stack, supporting multiple independent high-capacity encrypted overlay tunnels, application-aware intelligent traffic routing, per-application QoS prioritization and centralized vManage cloud/orchestrator management. It serves as an ideal multi-transport copper uplink solution for large regional enterprise branch SD-WAN edge routers requiring redundant or multi-ISP copper WAN/LAN connectivity.
6. Unified IOS XE Feature Suite Compatibility for All Edge Workloads: The SM-X-8X1GE-T eight-port copper routed interface seamlessly integrates with the full portfolio of core Cisco IOS XE enterprise edge features: IP routing, stateful zone-based firewall, NAT/PAT, IPSec VPN tunneling, differentiated services QoS, ACL security filtering, AAA user authentication and encrypted remote network management. All WAN/LAN interface configuration, monitoring and policy management is centralized within a single consistent IOS XE command-line interface, eliminating disjointed separate management systems for edge copper access and security infrastructure.
7. Fanless Passive Heat Sink High-Reliability Low-Maintenance Architecture: The SM-X-8X1GE-T module utilizes a fanless integrated aluminum passive heat sink cooling design with zero moving mechanical fan components. This eliminates mechanical hardware failure risks associated with rotating cooling fans, enabling stable 24/7 continuous unattended operation in remote unmanned enterprise branch datacenter equipment closets with minimal long-term on-site maintenance requirements. Low idle and full-load power consumption reduces overall router chassis energy draw and enterprise branch site cooling operational energy costs.

Supplementary Product Specification Notes

UNSPSC Classification Code

K9 Security Compliance Note

Factory Hardware Warranty Terms