Cisco A9K-SIP-700 Full Official Product Description

1. Product Overview & SKU Definition

Official Full Name

SKU Breakdown

1. A9K: Platform identifier for Cisco ASR 9000 Series aggregation service carrier routers
2. SIP: SPA Interface Processor, the carrier-grade expansion board that hosts multiple Shared Port Adapters (SPAs)
3. 700: 20G throughput-class SIP generation, base model equipped with 4GB onboard memory; the enhanced variant A9K-SIP-700-8G provides 8GB memory for larger-scale service deploymentsCisco

Core Positioning

2. Chassis & IOS XR Software Compatibility

Supported ASR 9000 Chassis Models

Minimum IOS XR Software Requirement

Mixed Hardware Coexistence

3. SPA Slot Density & Supported SPA Combinations

1. Maximum 4 × single-height, single-width SPAs
2. Maximum 2 × double-height, single-width SPAs
3. Hybrid combination: 1 double-height SPA + 2 single-height SPAs (total 3 SPAs maximum)

Widely Supported SPA Families

Note: Certain high-power double-height SPAs (OC192 POS) restrict adjacent SPA slot usage to avoid thermal overloadCisco.

4. Performance & Memory Specifications

• Aggregate bidirectional switching throughput: 20 Gbps total capacity across all installed SPAs
• Base memory configuration (A9K-SIP-700): 4 GB DRAM for SPA traffic management, ACL classification, QoS scheduling and VPN table storage
• Enhanced model (A9K-SIP-700-8G): 8 GB DRAM for high-scale channelized DS0 aggregation, large ACL rule sets and multi-tenancy VRF deploymentsCisco
• Forwarding Architecture: Distributed line-card offload; all SPA ingress/egress packet classification, policing, QoS queuing and MPLS label switching processed locally on the SIP without RSP control plane CPU bottlenecks
• Supported Layer Scale: IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack forwarding, up to thousands of VRF instances, MPLS VPN label tables, and integrated routing & bridging (IRB/BVI) IPv4 unicast traffic forwarding between SPA Layer3 interfaces and Ethernet line-card Layer2 bridge domainsCisco.

5. Physical & Environmental Parameters

• Form Factor: Double-height, single-width full-size SIP board for ASR 9000 chassis slots
• Overall Dimensions: 355.6 mm (W) × 520.7 mm (D) × 43.7 mm (H)
• Net Unit Weight: 6.35 kg (14 lbs)
• Operating Temperature Range: 0°C to 40°C (32°F ~ 104°F) standard data center environment
• Storage & Transit Temperature: -40°C to 70°C (-40°F ~ 158°F)
• Relative Humidity: 10% – 85% non-condensing continuous operation; 5% – 95% non-condensing storage
• Cooling Design: Front-to-back forced airflow cooling aligned with ASR 9000 chassis thermal architecture; empty SPA slots must be fitted with blank filler panels to maintain balanced air circulation and prevent overheating.

6. Front Panel LED Indicator System

1. Global SIP STATUS LED (bi-color):
   • Off: SIP powered off or not detected by chassis
   • Solid Green: Normal operational state, all SPAs initialized without critical faults
   • Solid Amber: Boot initialization in progress, minor SPA alarm active, or partial power failure
   • Blinking Red: Critical hardware fault, SPA power overload, or unrecognized faulty SPA
2. Per-SPA Bay Dual-Color Status LEDs (2 sets for dual SPA bays):
   • Off: No SPA installed in slot, SPA administratively shut down
   • Solid Green: SPA fully operational, link up, no layer1/layer2 alarms
   • Solid Amber: SPA detected but link loss (LOS), BER errors, FEC alarms or configuration mismatch
   • Blinking Green: Active bidirectional user traffic transmitting/receiving on the SPA interfaces

7. Carrier-Grade High Availability Features

1. OIR Online Insertion and Removal
   Full hot-swap capability for both the entire SIP board and individual SPAs; SPA addition, removal or replacement does not disrupt traffic on other active SPAs installed on the same SIP or other chassis line cards.
2. Hardware Fault Isolation
   Independent dedicated power regulation, clock distribution and traffic forwarding plane per SPA bay; power failure or hardware fault on one SPA cannot propagate to other SPAs or the chassis Route Switch Processor (RSP).
3. Full Chassis Redundancy Compatibility
   Seamless interoperability with all ASR 9000 chassis redundant subsystems: 1+1 redundant RSP route processors, N+1 redundant power supplies, and redundant fan tray assemblies, delivering carrier-class 99.999% annual service uptime (five-nines availability).
4. ISSU In-Service Software Upgrade
   Supports non-disruptive IOS XR firmware and SPA FPD image upgrades; active SPA traffic sessions, MPLS VPN tunnels and TDM voice trunking services remain uninterrupted during image loading and activation.
5. Synchronous Timing Support
   Native SyncE and IEEE 1588 PTP timing hardware for mobile 4G/5G backhaul and TDM voice trunk deployments, compatible with external BITS, GPS ToD, 1-PPS and 10MHz timing reference interfaces.

8. Supported IOS XR Service & Routing Features

Core Routing Protocols

Layer2 & VPN Services

WAN & TDM Transport

Security & Traffic Monitoring

9. Key Deployment Advantages

1. Modular SPA Flexibility for Mixed WAN Interfaces
   The dual-bay SPA architecture allows operators to deploy multiple distinct WAN interface types on a single SIP board, consolidating legacy TDM, optical POS and IP security services onto one chassis slot to save precious chassis slot resources.
2. Distributed Offload Forwarding Architecture
   All packet processing, QoS scheduling and policy enforcement runs locally on the SIP’s onboard processor, eliminating control-plane RSP CPU overload under heavy SPA traffic loads typical of mobile backhaul and wholesale aggregation networks.
3. Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
   Instead of deploying dedicated full line cards for each individual WAN interface type, the SIP-700’s modular SPA design enables incremental capacity expansion; operators only purchase the specific SPAs matching their required interface speeds and standards.
4. Complete Carrier-Grade Resilience Toolkit
   Native OIR hot swap, ISSU non-disruptive upgrades, isolated per-SPA fault domains and full chassis redundant component compatibility ensure uninterrupted mission-critical WAN transport services for service provider core and edge networks.
5. Broad Investment Protection
   Fully backward compatible with the entire Cisco ASR 9000 chassis portfolio and comprehensive Cisco SPA hardware library; existing SPA inventory can be reused across SIP-700 and other ASR 9000 SIP generations during network capacity upgrades.

10. Regulatory & Safety Compliance Certifications

1. Electrical Safety Standards: UL 60950-1, CSA C22.2 No.60950-1, IEC 60950 CB Scheme, EN 60950-1, GB 4943
2. Laser Safety: IEC/EN 60825 for optical SPA transceivers
3. EMC & EMI Electromagnetic Compatibility: FCC Part 15 Class A, ICES-003 Class A, VCCI Class A, CISPR 22 (EN55022) Class A, CISPR 24, full EN 61000 series ESD, surge and radiated immunity compliance
4. Telecom Carrier Industry Standards: NEBS Level 3 (GR-63-Core environmental protection, GR-1089-Core EMC/safety specifications)
5. Environmental Directives: EU RoHS hazardous substance restriction compliance, EU WEEE waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling directive compliant

11. Standard Factory Packaging Contents

1. A9K-SIP-700 20G SPA Interface Processor (4GB base memory)
2. ESD anti-static protective transport bag
3. SPA slot blank filler panels for unused bays
4. Hardware installation quick reference guide (covers SIP chassis slot insertion, SPA hot-swap installation, LED alarm troubleshooting procedures)
5. Global regulatory compliance documentation packet (safety, EMC, NEBS, RoHS certification documents)
6. Dual ejector lever assemblies pre-installed on the SIP front panel for easy chassis insertion and removal

Supplementary UNSPSC Classification Code

Standard Hardware Warranty