Cisco FPR9K-SM36 Full Official Product Description

1. Part Number & Naming Definition

Official Full Name

Naming Breakdown

1. FPR9K: Platform identifier for Cisco Firepower 9000 series modular security chassis, exclusively compatible with Firepower 9300 3RU rack-mount hardware
2. SM: Security Module, dedicated blade executing all NGFW, NGIPS, VPN, AMP, ETA, URL filtering security inspection workloads
3. 36: 36 physical x86 enterprise CPU cores integrated for parallel high-volume security traffic processing
4. Suffix=(FPR9K-SM36=): Field-replaceable spare unit for hardware replacement
5. NEBS variant (FPR9K-SM36-NEB): NEBS Level 3 certified edition for telecom central office deployments

Core Positioning

2. Chassis & Software Compatibility

Supported Hardware Platforms

• Exclusively compatible withCisco Firepower 9300 3RU modular security chassis
• Chassis slot allocation: 3 independent hot-swappable security module slots; FPR9K-SM36 occupies one single-width slot
• I/O expansion compatibility: Works with all Firepower 9000 series network modules (8x10G SFP+, 4x40G QSFP+, 2x100G QSFP28, fixed copper/fiber FTW bypass modules) installed on the chassis supervisor’s dual network module slots

Mandatory Supported Firmware & OS Versions

1. FXOS Chassis Manager: All stable FXOS 2.x releases prior to FXOS 2.17
2. Firepower Threat Defense (FTD): Supported up to FTD 7.2;not supported on FTD 7.3 and later releasesCisco
3. Cisco ASA Classic Firewall OS: Supported up to ASA 9.18; unsupported on ASA 9.19 and newer firmware branches

Critical Hardware Restrictions

• Hot-swap capable when the Firepower 9300 chassis remains powered and running FXOS; full chassis power cycle is not required for module replacement
• Onboard dual SSDs are fixed in RAID-1 configuration; no field-upgradable storage drives
• Can be mixed with SM-24/SM-44 modules in Firepower 9300 chassis for mixed-performance multi-context deployments
• Incompatible with Firepower 4100, Firepower 9200, and standalone fixed-form-factor Firepower security appliances

3. Onboard Hardware Specifications

CPU & Memory Complex

• Processor: 36 physical x86 multi-core enterprise-grade CPU complex optimized for parallel security inspection workloads
• System RAM: 256GB error-correcting (ECC) DDR4 memory dedicated to firewall session tables, global threat signature databases, SSL/TLS decryption key storage, and encrypted traffic analytics processingCisco

Local Storage Subsystem

• Dual enterprise-grade solid-state drives (SSD) configured in hardware RAID-1 mirroring
• RAID-1 redundancy eliminates single point of failure for local OS images, threat signature update packages, long-term threat logging databases, and active firewall session state storage
• SSD endurance rated for 3 Drive Writes Per Day (3 DWPD) for continuous 24/7 data center operation

Environmental & Physical Parameters

• Form Factor: Single-width hot-swappable blade for Firepower 9300 chassis security slots
• Module Weight: Approximately 7.03 kg (15.5 lbs)Cisco
• Operating Temperature (Standard Enterprise):
  • Continuous operation below 10,000 ft (3000 m): 0°C to 35°C (32°F to 95°F)
  • Altitude adjustment: Subtract 1°C maximum operating temperature per 1000 ft elevation above sea level
• Operating Humidity: 5% to 95% non-condensing
• Storage & Transit Temperature: -40°C to 65°C (-40°F to 149°F)
• Maximum Supported Altitude: 13,000 ft (3962 m) above sea level

4. Official Single-Module Performance Benchmarks

1. Maximum Stateful Firewall Throughput: 80 Gbps
2. Multiprotocol Mixed-Traffic Firewall Throughput: 60 Gbps
3. Maximum Concurrent Firewall Sessions: 60 million
4. New Connection Establishment Rate: 900,000 connections per second
5. IPsec VPN Throughput: 18 Gbps
6. Maximum Supported VPN Tunnels (IPsec Site-to-Site + AnyConnect Remote Access): 20,000
7. Firewall Latency (64-byte UDP packets, cut-through bypass mode): 3.5 microseconds
8. Maximum Supported Virtual Security Contexts (Multi-Tenant): 250
9. Maximum Supported VLAN Logical Interfaces: 1024

5. Core Security & Functional Feature Set

1. Full Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) Suite
   Stateful packet inspection, Application Visibility and Control (AVC), user identity-based policy enforcement, NAT/PAT, policy-based routing, granular QoS traffic shaping and bandwidth management
2. Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention System (NGIPS)
   Real-time Snort 3 threat signature matching, vulnerability exploit blocking, custom signature creation, comprehensive intrusion event logging and audit trails
3. Encrypted Traffic Analytics (ETA)
   Deep behavioral inspection of TLS 1.0/1.1/1.2/1.3 encrypted traffic without full packet decryption, automated identification of malware and suspicious encrypted data flows
4. Advanced Malware Protection (AMP)
   Cloud-based global file reputation analysis, AMP Threat Grid malware sandboxing, retrospective threat detection for malicious file transfer events
5. Global URL Filtering & Web Access Control
   Database covering over 280 million categorized URLs across 80+ risk/industry categories, customizable website allow/block policies, bandwidth throttling for high-risk web categories
6. Comprehensive VPN Capabilities
   IPsec IKEv1/IKEv2 site-to-site tunnel support, Cisco AnyConnect SSL remote access VPN, full tunnel / split-tunnel routing and DNS split configuration
7. Multi-Context Virtual Firewall Architecture
   Up to 250 fully isolated independent virtual security contexts to segregate multi-tenant enterprise, MSSP, and departmental network traffic on a single chassis blade
8. High Availability & Chassis Clustering
   Active/standby intra-chassis failover for dual-module single-chassis deployments; inter-chassis clustering across multiple Firepower 9300 chassis for linear throughput scaling
9. NEBS Level 3 Carrier-Grade Compliance
   Meets GR-63-Core environmental standards and GR-1089-Core EMC/safety specifications for telecom central office service provider deployments
10. Centralized Unified Management Support
    Fully managed via Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) for centralized security policy deployment, real-time threat monitoring, cross-device reporting, and automated firmware and signature database updates

6. Typical Enterprise & Service Provider Deployment Use Cases

1. Large Enterprise Core Data Center Perimeter Security
   Deployed as primary high-performance security blade in standalone Firepower 9300 chassis for internet edge NGFW, NGIPS, remote access VPN, and enterprise-wide web filtering for large corporate campus networks
2. Multi-Tenant Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP)
   Leverages multi-context virtual firewall functionality to fully isolate independent customer network traffic streams on one chassis blade, delivering dedicated, segregated security policy enforcement per enterprise tenant
3. Carrier Service Provider Central Office Security
   NEBS-certified FPR9K-SM36-NEB variant deployed in telecom central offices to secure ISP backbone peering links, residential broadband aggregation infrastructure, and carrier MPLS VPN core networks
4. Cross-Datacenter Interconnect (DCI) Inline Threat Inspection
   Paired with Firepower 9000 series high-speed fiber network modules (10G/40G/100G SFP+/QSFP+/QSFP28) to provide inline end-to-end security filtering for long-distance inter-data-center dark fiber links
5. Regulated Industry Secure Network Segmentation (Finance, Healthcare, Energy)
   Delivers full compliance support for PCI-DSS, HIPAA, NERC-CIP via comprehensive deep traffic logging, immutable threat audit trails, encrypted traffic monitoring, and granular role-based access control security policies

7. Global Regulatory & Certification Compliance

1. Electrical Safety Standards: UL 60950-1, CSA C22.2 No.60950-1, IEC/EN 60950-1
2. Telecom Carrier Industry Standards: NEBS Level 3 (GR-63-Core environmental protection, GR-1089-Core EMC and safety specifications)
3. Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC & EMI): CE Mark, FCC Part 15 Class A, ICES-003 Class A, VCCI Class A, CISPR 22 Class A, CISPR 24, full EN 61000 series ESD, surge, radiated and conducted immunity compliance
4. Cryptographic Validation: FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated cryptographic processing engine for government and regulated industry encrypted traffic workloads
5. Environmental Directives: EU RoHS hazardous substance restriction compliant, EU WEEE waste electrical and electronic equipment recycling directive compliant

8. Standard Factory Packaging Contents

1. FPR9K-SM36 hot-swappable 36-core security processing module main blade
2. Integrated front panel extraction handle and captive installation retention screw for chassis insertion and removal
3. ESD anti-static protective packaging and ESD wrist strap for safe static-discharge compliant hardware handling
4. Hardware installation quick start guide covering Firepower 9300 chassis blade insertion, hot-swap replacement procedures, and RAID-1 storage maintenance notes
5. Full global regulatory compliance and certification documentation packet

Supplementary UNSPSC Classification Code

Standard Hardware Warranty Information