Product Overview
The Cisco Nexus N9K-C9272Q is a high-performance, compact spine switch designed for data centers requiring dense 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. Featuring 72 QSFP+ ports in a 2RU form factor, it delivers high throughput, low latency, and scalability, making it ideal for spine-layer deployments in leaf-spine architectures.
Product Details
The N9K-C9272Q provides up to 5.76 Tbps of switching capacity and supports both Layer 2 and Layer 3 features under Cisco NX-OS. It enables deployment flexibility with support for VXLAN, EVPN, and advanced programmability through Python scripting and open APIs. The switch supports port breakout for 10G and 4x10G configurations, offering adaptable connectivity options for modern virtualized and cloud-scale environments.
Product Features
72 x 40-Gbps QSFP+ ports, supporting up to 288 x 10-Gbps via breakout
Up to 5.76 Tbps switching capacity with low latency
Rich L2/L3 routing support: BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, and multicast
VXLAN and EVPN support for scalable virtualization
Support for Cisco ACI, cloud-scale networking, and telemetry
Redundant and hot-swappable power supplies and fans
Automation support with Python, Puppet, Chef, Ansible
Product Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Model | N9K-C9272Q |
| Form Factor | 2RU |
| Switching Capacity | 5.76 Tbps |
| Forwarding Rate | ~4.3 Bpps |
| Ports | 72 x 40-Gbps QSFP+ |
| Port Breakout | Supported (up to 288 x 10G) |
| VXLAN/EVPN | Supported |
| Layer Support | Layer 2 and Layer 3 |
| Redundancy | Dual hot-swappable PSUs/fans |
| Management | CLI, SNMP, REST, Python, Ansible |
| Software | Cisco NX-OS |
Similar Models Comparison
| Model | Port Configuration | Switching Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| N9K-C9272Q | 72 x 40G QSFP+ | 5.76 Tbps | High-density spine switch |
| N9K-C93180YC-EX | 48 x 1/10/25G + 6 x 40/100G | 3.6 Tbps | Leaf switch with versatile speeds |
| N9K-C93360YC-FX2 | 64 x 1/10/25G + 8 x 40/100G | 7.2 Tbps | Higher performance newer generation |
Latest Models Comparison
| Model | QSFP+/QSFP28 Ports | Total Bandwidth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| N9K-C9272Q | 72 x 40G QSFP+ | 5.76 Tbps | Legacy model, breakout for 10G |
| N9K-C9364C | 64 x 100G QSFP28 | 12.8 Tbps | Newer generation, 100G native |
| N9K-C9332C | 32 x 100G QSFP28 | 6.4 Tbps | Compact spine, advanced telemetry |
