Cisco A9K-VSM-500 Full Official Product Description

1. Product Overview & SKU Breakdown

Official Full Name

SKU Decoding

1. A9K: Platform identifier for Cisco ASR 9000 Series carrier-grade aggregation service routers
2. VSM: Virtualized Services Module, a dedicated compute line card integrated into ASR 9000 router chassis with built-in hypervisor to host virtualized network service workloadsCisco
3. 500: Base generation virtual service card equipped with multi-socket high-performance x86 compute, large-capacity memory, local SATA storage, and four front-panel 10GE ports for storage connectivityCisco

Core Positioning

2. Chassis & IOS XR Software Compatibility

Supported ASR 9000 Chassis Models

IOS XR Version Restrictions

• Only supported on 32-bit IOS XR software images;not compatible with 64-bit IOS XR releasesCisco
• Minimum supported release: IOS XR 5.x; full CGv6, virtual machine migration, and service chaining features require IOS XR 6.x or later firmware trains

Mixed Hardware Coexistence

3. Hardware Compute, Memory & Storage Specifications

Compute Architecture

Memory Allocation (Total 128GB DRAM)Cisco

• 10GB reserved for hypervisor, system admin VM, IOS XR management VM infrastructure
• 118GB user-allocated RAM for running application VMs (CGNAT, CGv6, custom third-party workloads)

Local SATA Storage (Total 128GB usable capacity, dual 64GB SATA drives)Cisco

• 10GB system partition for hypervisor boot, OS images, system logs
• 118GB application storage for VM operating systems, service application binaries, subscriber session databases, and local logging

Front-Panel Interfaces

4. Supported Virtualized Service Workloads

1. Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT / LSN): Massive IPv4 address translation for residential broadband aggregation
2. Carrier-Grade IPv6 (CGv6): Stateful IPv6 transition and subscriber session management for IPv6-only access networksCisco
3. Service Chaining: Sequential forwarding of subscriber traffic through multiple virtualized service functions
4. Custom Third-Party Virtual Appliances: User-defined Linux/Windows VM workloads for operator-specific value-added services
5. Virtualized Security & Edge Services: Virtual firewalls, traffic analytics, and broadband policy enforcement VMs

5. Physical & Environmental Specifications

• Form Factor: Single-slot full-height line card for ASR 9000 universal chassis slots
• Standard Operating Temperature (Data Center): 5°C ~ 40°C (41°F ~ 104°F)Cisco
• Short-Term Extended Operating Range: -5°C ~ 55°C (23°F ~ 131°F), maximum 96 consecutive operation hours, annual total usage cap of 15 days
• Continuous Operating Relative Humidity: 10% – 85% non-condensing; storage/transit humidity: 5% – 95% non-condensing
• Storage & Transit Temperature Range: -40°C ~ 70°C (-40°F ~ 158°F)
• Cooling Design: Front-to-back forced airflow matching ASR 9000 chassis thermal architecture; empty front-panel SFP+ ports must be fitted with blank dust plugs to maintain balanced cooling airflow.

6. Front Panel LED Indicator System

1. Global Module STATUS Bi-Color LED
   • Off: VSM powered off, unrecognized or offline
   • Solid Green: Normal operational state, hypervisor initialized, all VMs running without critical faults
   • Solid Amber: Boot initialization in progress, minor storage warning, or partial power regulation alarm
   • Blinking Red: Critical hardware fault, CPU watchdog reset, storage drive failure, or hypervisor crash
2. Per-Port Dual-Color Status LEDs (4 × 10GE ports)
   • Off: No SFP+ transceiver installed, port administratively shutdown
   • Solid Green: 10GE link fully up, stable storage network connectivity
   • Solid Amber: Link loss (LOS), excessive BER errors, or SFP transceiver fault
   • Blinking Green: Active bidirectional storage/VM service traffic transmitting/receiving

7. Carrier-Grade High Availability Features

1. OIR Online Insertion and Removal
   Full hot-swap capability for the entire VSM line card. Adding, removing, or replacing the module does not disrupt routing traffic on other chassis line cards. Individual 10GE SFP+ transceivers also support hot plug without VM downtime.
2. Isolated Hardware Fault Domains
   Dedicated independent power regulation, clock distribution, compute, storage, and port plane for the VSM module. Hardware failures on this card cannot propagate to other line cards or the chassis RSP route processor.
3. Virtual Machine Live Migration
   Supports live VM migration between multiple deployed A9K-VSM-500 modules within the same chassis for non-disruptive service failover during hardware maintenance or module reloads.
4. ISSU In-Service Software Upgrade
   Non-disruptive IOS XR firmware, hypervisor, and VM application image upgrades. Active subscriber CGNAT/CGv6 sessions and virtual service traffic remain uninterrupted during image activation.
5. Synchronous Timing Support
   Native SyncE and IEEE 1588 PTP precision timing hardware integrated for mobile broadband and IPTV subscriber deployments, compatible with external BITS, GPS ToD, 1-PPS, and 10MHz timing reference interfaces.

8. Key Deployment Advantages

1. Converged Router + Virtual Compute Architecture
   Consolidates routing forwarding and virtualized service compute into a single chassis slot, eliminating standalone rack-mount service servers, reducing total rack space, power consumption, and multi-device management overhead for service provider PoPs.
2. Elastic Virtual Resource Allocation
   Compute, memory, and storage resources can be dynamically reallocated between virtual machines to match fluctuating subscriber traffic loads, enabling pay-as-you-grow capacity scaling without additional hardware investmentCisco.
3. Multi-Service Repurposable Hardware
   The identical VSM-500 hardware platform can be repurposed for different service workloads by loading alternate VM application images, eliminating dedicated single-use service hardware.
4. Independent Resource Isolation
   All virtual service compute and storage resources are fully separated from the router’s RSP control-plane CPU and forwarding ASICs, eliminating routing protocol CPU saturation risks under heavy CGNAT subscriber traffic loads.
5. Full Carrier-Grade Resilience Toolkit
   Native OIR hot swap, live VM migration, ISSU non-disruptive software upgrades, isolated fault domains, and multi-VSM cluster redundancy deliver uninterrupted mission-critical broadband and mobile edge services for service provider networks.
6. Investment Protection
   Fully compatible with the full range of ASR 9000 mid-to-high density chassis, existing chassis power, fan, and fabric subsystems can be reused during virtual service capacity expansion upgrades.

9. 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 front-panel SFP+ optical 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, electrical surge, radiated and conducted 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

10. Standard Factory Packaging Contents

1. A9K-VSM-500 Virtualized Services Module line card
2. ESD anti-static protective transport bag
3. Blank dust filler plugs for unused front-panel 10GE SFP+ ports
4. Hardware installation quick reference guide (covers VSM chassis slot insertion, SFP+ transceiver 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 VSM front panel for easy chassis insertion and removal

Supplementary UNSPSC Classification Code

Standard Hardware Warranty