Cisco FPR9K-SM48 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 rack-mount hardware
2. SM: Security Module, dedicated blade executing all NGFW, NGIPS, VPN, AMP, ETA, URL filtering and TLS decryption workloads
3. 48: 48 physical x86 enterprise CPU cores optimized for heavy cryptographic traffic processingCisco
4. Suffix=(FPR9K-SM48=): Field-replaceable spare unit for hardware replacement
5. NEBS certified: Standard factory variant meets NEBS Level 3 specifications for telecom central office deploymentsCisco

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-SM48 occupies one single-width slot
• Onboard fixed ports: 8 integrated SFP+ 1G interfaces built into the module front panel
• I/O expansion compatibility: Supports up to two Firepower 9000 series network modules (1G/10G/40G/100G SFP+/QSFP+/QSFP28, copper/fiber FTW bypass modules) installed on the chassis supervisor’s dual network module slots

Mandatory Supported Firmware & OS Versions

1. FXOS Chassis Manager: FXOS 3.x and newer stable releases
2. Firepower Threat Defense (FTD): Fully supported on FTD 7.3 and all subsequent modern FTD releases
3. Cisco ASA Classic Firewall OS: Unsupported for ASA image deployments; designed exclusively for FTD threat defense workloads

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 1.6TB SSDs are fixed in RAID-1 configuration; no field-upgradable storage drives
• Mixed module compatibility: Can be mixed with SM-40/SM-56 crypto security modules in Firepower 9300 chassis for mixed-performance multi-context deploymentsCisco
• Incompatible with Firepower 4100, Firepower 9200, and standalone fixed-form-factor Firepower security appliances

3. Onboard Hardware Specifications

CPU & Memory Complex

• Processor: 48 physical x86 multi-core enterprise-grade CPU complex optimized for parallel cryptographic workloads (TLS decryption, IPsec VPN, SSL inspection)Cisco
• System RAM: 384GB 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 1.6TB 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 operationCisco

Environmental & Physical Parameters

• Form Factor: Single-width hot-swappable blade for Firepower 9300 chassis security slots
• 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
• NEBS Long-Term Operating Range: 0°C to 45°C up to 6,000 ft; 0°C to 35°C from 6,000 ft to 13,000 ft
• 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. FW + AVC Throughput: 65 Gbps
2. FW + AVC + NGIPS Full Inspection Throughput: 68 Gbps
3. Maximum Concurrent Firewall Sessions (with AVC): 35 million
4. New Connection Establishment Rate (with AVC): 450,000 connections per second
5. Hardware-Accelerated TLS Decryption Throughput: 10 Gbps
6. Firewall Latency (64-byte UDP packets, cut-through bypass mode): 3.5 microseconds
7. Maximum Supported Virtual Security Contexts (Multi-Tenant): 250
8. Maximum Supported FTD Container Instances: Up to 15 isolated security workload containers per moduleCisco
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 multi-threaded threat signature matching, vulnerability exploit blocking, custom signature creation, comprehensive intrusion event logging and immutable 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 deploymentsCisco
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 Encrypted Traffic Security
   Deployed as primary crypto-optimized high-performance security blade in standalone Firepower 9300 chassis for internet edge NGFW, NGIPS, remote access VPN, and enterprise-wide TLS decryption and 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 with high-volume encrypted tenant traffic support
3. Carrier Service Provider Central Office Security
   NEBS-certified FPR9K-SM48 variant deployed in telecom central offices to secure ISP backbone peering links, residential broadband aggregation infrastructure, and carrier MPLS VPN core networks with heavy SSL/TLS encrypted subscriber traffic
4. Cross-Datacenter Interconnect (DCI) Inline Encrypted 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 carrying encrypted workload traffic
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, AS/NZS 60950-1, GB4943
2. Telecom Carrier Industry Standards: NEBS Level 3 (GR-63-Core environmental protection, GR-1089-Core EMC and safety specifications)Cisco
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-SM48 hot-swappable 48-core crypto-optimized 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