Cisco SM-X-PVDM-500 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 and Catalyst 8300 routers, supporting OIR hot-swap and high-speed Multigigabit Fabric (MGF) backplane bus
2. PVDM: Packet Voice Digital Signal Processor, dedicated DSP farm hardware for packet voice media processing
3. 500: Nominal base channel rating SKU identifier; actual maximum supported medium-complexity voice capacity reaches 768 concurrent bidirectional voice channelsCisco
4. =: Standard spare part suffix for standalone replacement kits (SM-X-PVDM-500=)
5. -RF: Certified refurbished spare SKU variant (SM-X-PVDM-500-RF)

Product Lifecycle Notice

• Official Global Release Year: 2015
• End-of-Sale (EoS) Status: Discontinued; Cisco permanently ceased production of brand-new SM-X-PVDM-500 hardware units
• Direct Upgrade Replacement Models: SM-X-PVDM-1000 / SM-X-PVDM-2000 / SM-X-PVDM-3000 higher-density SM-X PVDM modules for larger contact center branch deployments
• Minimum Supported IOS XE Software Version: Cisco IOS XE Release 3.16.1S; all subsequent IOS XE 3.x, 16.x, 17.x release trains fully support all DSP media processing featuresCisco
• Software Maintenance Status: Only critical security vulnerability patches are released for customers holding active Cisco DNA Services contracts; no new media processing 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 ISR G3: 4331, 4351
2. Cisco ISR 4400 Series ISR G3: 4431, 4451, 4461
3. Cisco Catalyst 8300 Series Edge Routers: C8300-1N1S-6T

Deployment Restrictions

1. OIR operational requirement: Online Insertion and Removal hot-swap functionality is fully functional only when the router runs the minimum required IOS XE release (3.16.1S or newer); older IOS XE versions require a full chassis power cycle for module installation or replacement.
2. Unified Communications license dependency: Full voice gateway, SRST and CME media processing functionality requires the router to be provisioned with the Cisco Unified Communications Technology Package RTU license; base IP Base IOS XE feature sets lack voice DSP resource management and telephony feature supportCisco.
3. Backplane bandwidth ceiling: The SM-X slot provides a maximum 10 Gbps full-duplex MGF backplane link to the router’s route processor; sustained concurrent voice media traffic exceeding backplane capacity will trigger minor media packet queuing and jitter.
4. No built-in trunk interfaces: This module only provides DSP media processing resources; PSTN T1/E1 voice trunk connectivity requires separate SM-X-2MFT-T1/E1 multiflex trunk service modules installed in additional SM-X expansion slots.
5. Mixed-module bus resource sharing constraint: When multiple SM-X service modules (voice DSP, T1/E1 trunk, Ethernet WAN) are installed in the same router chassis, all modules share the internal MGF backplane bus bandwidth; maximum concurrent voice channel capacity may be slightly reduced under peak multi-module traffic loads.

Standard Factory Complete Bundle Contents

1. SM-X-PVDM-500 single-wide high-density multicore DSP PVDM SM-X service module with integrated passive aluminum heat sink and single front-panel EN status LED indicator
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, IOS XE DSP farm resource pool configuration, voice codec complexity tuning, SRST/CME voice gateway deployment and T.38 fax relay setup command examples
4. Global regulatory compliance, safety, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) certification documentation packet

Core Integrated Functional Capabilities

1. Multicore DSP Farm High-Density Voice Media Offload: Dedicated independent multicore DSP processing array fully offloads all resource-intensive packet voice media workloads from the router’s main general-purpose route processor, eliminating CPU bottlenecks under high concurrent voice call, conferencing and transcoding loads. Delivers a maximum of 768 concurrent medium-complexity bidirectional voice channels for enterprise branch voice gateway deploymentsCisco.
2. Dynamic Pooled DSP Resource Allocation Architecture: All onboard DSP cores operate as a single global shared resource pool managed by IOS XE. DSP capacity is dynamically assigned to active voice trunks, SIP/H.323 VoIP calls, audio conferencing sessions and transcoding workloads on demand, achieving up to 97% DSP resource utilization in mixed multi-codec enterprise voice environments, far higher static resource partitioning on legacy PVDM3/PVDM4 modules.
3. Full Industry-Standard Voice Codec Hardware Acceleration: Native DSP-assisted encoding and decoding for all mainstream narrowband and wideband telephony codecs: G.711 a-law/mu-law, G.722 wideband, G.729A, G.729AB, iLBC, AMR-WB adaptive multi-rate wideband voice codecs.
4. Integrated Full-Suite Packet Voice Auxiliary DSP Features: Hardware-accelerated support for critical voice quality media functions: voice activity detection (VAD), comfort noise generation (CNG), high-performance long-loop echo cancellation, dynamic jitter buffer management, silence suppression and adaptive voice packetization intervals configurable from 10ms to 60ms with ±0.5ms jitter tolerance.
5. Multi-Party Audio Conferencing & Inter-Codec Transcoding: Dedicated DSP core resources for scalable multi-party audio conferencing sessions and real-time inter-codec transcoding/transrating between disparate VoIP endpoints running different voice codecs, eliminating media interoperability barriers for distributed enterprise voice networks.
6. T.38 Real-Time IP Fax Relay Hardware Acceleration: Optimized DSP processing for T.38 real-time fax relay, preventing analog fax signal degradation over packet-switched WAN and SD-WAN transport networks, supporting simultaneous fax relay sessions alongside standard voice calls without resource contention.
7. Hardware SRTP Secure Voice Media Encryption: Integrated dedicated ASIC for SRTP/SIPS secure voice media encryption and decryption with up to 2.4 Gbps aggregate encrypted media throughput, offloading TLS/AES cryptographic workloads from router CPU to maintain consistent voice call audio quality for secure enterprise remote worker and branch telephony deployments.
8. Unified Communications Voice Gateway Feature Compatibility: Natively integrated with the complete Cisco IOS XE unified communications feature suite: Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST), Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (CME), CUCM branch voice gateway, SIP/H.323/MGCP call control protocols, PRI/CAS PSTN trunk signaling and dial plan configuration.
9. Full IOS XE Security, Routing and QoS Feature Integration: Seamless compatibility with core enterprise edge router functionality: static/dynamic IP routing (RIP, EIGRP, OSPF), zone-based IOS firewall, NAT/PAT address translation, IPSec site-to-site VPN tunneling, AAA identity authentication, differentiated services QoS traffic prioritization and LLQ low-latency queuing for voice media streams.
10. SNMP MIB Remote Monitoring Support: Implements standard Cisco voice DSP SNMP MIBs for remote network monitoring of SM-X module hardware operational status, total active concurrent voice call counters, DSP core resource utilization percentage, voice codec distribution statistics, media packet error counters and hardware fault alarm reporting.

2. Hardware & Performance Specifications

Core Multicore DSP Media Processing Performance

• DSP Architecture: High-performance multicore dedicated media processing farm integrated on single SM-X module PCB
• Total Dedicated DSP Processing Power: 7.2 GFLOPs aggregate floating-point media processing capacity
• Maximum Concurrent Voice Channel Capacity (Codec Complexity Dependent):
  • Medium-complexity codecs (G.711, G.729AB): Up to 768 simultaneous bidirectional voice callsCisco
  • High-complexity wideband transcoding/conferencing (AMR-WB, G.722): Reduced channel capacity based on concurrent transcoding/conferencing session count
• Supported Hardware-Accelerated Voice Codecs: G.711 a-law/mu-law, G.722, G.729A, G.729AB, iLBC, AMR-WB
• Supported Auxiliary DSP Media Functions: VAD silence suppression, comfort noise generation, long-loop echo cancellation, dynamic jitter buffer management, T.38 fax relay, multi-party audio conferencing, inter-codec transcoding, SRTP secure voice media encryption
• Configurable Voice Packetization Interval: 10ms to 60ms adjustable media packet size with ±0.5ms jitter tolerance
• Supported Voice Transport & Call Control Protocols: VoIP SIP, H.323, MGCP, VoFR, VoATM AAL2/AAL5, RSVP QoS bandwidth reservation

Front Panel LED Indicator Definitions (Single EN Status LED)

1. EN LED Solid Green: SM-X-PVDM-500 module is powered, detected and fully operational with all DSP cores online and available for media processing workloads
2. EN LED Amber Blinking: Module is booting, undergoing IOS XE DSP resource initialization, or operating under partial DSP core fault/overload conditions
3. EN LED Off: No power supplied to the SM-X module, improperly seated module, or critical hardware failure rendering DSP farm non-functional

Electrical & Thermal Specifications

Power Consumption

• Typical operating power draw under medium concurrent voice call load (300–400 active medium-complexity voice channels): ~15 Watts
• Maximum full-load power consumption at peak 768 concurrent medium-complexity voice channels plus simultaneous T.38 fax relay and SRTP encrypted media traffic: ≤18 Watts full-load thermal dissipation
• Power Delivery: Powered exclusively through the ISR 4000 / Catalyst 8300 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 aluminum integrated heat sink architecture without onboard cooling fans; cooling airflow supplied by the host ISR 4000 / Catalyst 8300 router’s internal chassis fan assembly
• Airflow Direction: Horizontal chassis airflow passing over the SM-X module integrated passive heat sink for continuous thermal dissipation under full DSP load

Physical Form Factor & Weight

• Form Factor: Standard single-wide SM-X enhanced service module expansion card form factor, designed exclusively for SM-X dedicated expansion slots of Cisco ISR 4300/4400 and Catalyst 8300 Series multiservice integrated services routers
• Bare SM-X Module Net Weight (without packaging, ESD bags and accessories): Approximately 900 grams
• Physical Dimensions (H × W × D): 40 × 89 × 206 mm (1.57 × 3.50 × 8.11 inches)

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. Telecommunications & Voice Media Compliance: ITU-T G.711, G.722, G.729 voice codec standards, T.38 fax relay standard, ETSI 300 386-3 voice quality specifications, ITU-T Y.1541 QoS standards, SRTP secure voice IETF RFC specifications
4. Environmental Directive: EU RoHS hazardous substance restriction compliance

4. Core Deployment Advantages

1. High-Density Single-Slot DSP Resource Architecture Maximizes Router SM-X Slot Utilization: The SM-X-PVDM-500 delivers up to 768 concurrent medium-complexity voice media processing channels within a single SM-X expansion slot, eliminating the need to deploy multiple low-density legacy DSP modules for large enterprise branch voice gateway and contact center deployments. This design drastically conserves limited router chassis SM-X expansion slot resources, leaving remaining slots available for T1/E1 multiflex trunk modules, 10GE WAN uplink modules and Ethernet LAN aggregation modules, reducing overall router hardware capital expenditure for multi-service unified communications branch deployments.
2. Dynamic Pooled DSP Resource Allocation Delivers Superior Media Resource Utilization: Unlike statically partitioned DSP resources on legacy PVDM3/PVDM4 motherboard DSP modules, the SM-X-PVDM-500’s global shared DSP resource pool dynamically allocates media processing capacity to active voice trunks, VoIP calls, conferencing and transcoding workloads on real-time demand, achieving up to 97% DSP resource utilization in mixed multi-codec enterprise voice environments, minimizing wasted idle DSP capacity and maximizing the number of concurrent supported voice calls per router chassis.
3. Dedicated Offload DSP Architecture Eliminates Router CPU Media Processing Bottlenecks: All resource-intensive voice codec compression/decompression, echo cancellation, conferencing, transcoding, T.38 fax relay and SRTP secure voice encryption workloads are fully offloaded to the SM-X-PVDM-500’s dedicated multicore DSP farm hardware. This preserves the host router’s main general-purpose route processor CPU resources for critical core enterprise network workloads including dynamic IP routing, stateful zone-based firewall inspection, NAT/PAT address translation, SD-WAN overlay orchestration and security policy enforcement, preventing high-volume voice media traffic from starving other essential data network services of CPU processing capacity.
4. Universal Unified Communications Feature Compatibility for Enterprise Branch Voice Gateways: The SM-X-PVDM-500 DSP module natively integrates with the complete Cisco IOS XE unified communications feature suite, supporting all mainstream enterprise branch telephony use cases: Survivable Remote Site Telephony (SRST) for CUCM failover branch resiliency, Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (CME) standalone branch PBX functionality, SIP/H.323/MGCP VoIP call control, PRI/CAS T1/E1 PSTN trunk signaling, multi-party audio conferencing and inter-codec media transcoding for distributed multi-site enterprise voice networks. All voice DSP resource pool management, voice gateway dial plan and telephony policy configuration is centralized within a single consistent IOS XE command-line interface, eliminating disjointed separate management systems for branch data routing and PBX telephony infrastructure.
5. Hardware-Accelerated SRTP Secure Voice Encryption Protects Enterprise Voice Media Streams: Integrated dedicated ASIC hardware offloads SRTP/SIPS secure voice media AES encryption and decryption processing with up to 2.4 Gbps aggregate encrypted media throughput, eliminating CPU encryption bottlenecks for secure remote worker VoIP calls and inter-branch encrypted voice trunk deployments, ensuring consistent high-fidelity voice call audio quality without media packet loss or jitter introduced by CPU-intensive cryptographic processing.
6. OIR Hot-Swap Support Minimizes Unified Communications Maintenance Downtime: Native Online Insertion and Removal (OIR) hot-swap functionality allows field technicians to replace or upgrade the SM-X-PVDM-500 DSP module without powering down the entire ISR 4000 / Catalyst 8300 router chassis. This eliminates extended enterprise branch voice gateway outages required for full chassis power cycles during DSP module spare part replacement or capacity upgrade maintenance operations, drastically improving business-critical unified communications network availability for enterprise contact center and branch telephony deployments.
7. Fanless Passive Heat Sink High-Reliability Low-Maintenance Architecture: The SM-X-PVDM-500 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