Cisco N5K-C5596UP Managed Network Layer 3 Switch

The Cisco Nexus 5500 Series N5K-C5596UP Managed Layer 3 Switch delivers high-density, low-latency data center switching with unified Ethernet and Fibre Channel connectivity. It provides 48 unified ports that can operate as Ethernet or Fibre Channel, enabling flexible deployment for server access, storage networking, and data-center aggregation. Each port supports 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet or 8 Gb Fibre Channel, delivering up to 960 Gbps of switching capacity and a forwarding rate of up to 714 Mpps. The switch supports Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching (license required) and offers Unified Fabric through Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and FCoE for converged data and storage traffic. Three expansion module slots allow future growth, while management is via CLI, SNMP, and Cisco NX-OS management tools. Virtualization features include Virtual Port Channel (vPC) and other network virtualization capabilities to simplify multi-pathing and workload mobility. In a 2RU form factor, it is rack-mountable and operates in 0°C to 40°C environments, making it suitable for rack deployments in enterprise data centers, cloud infrastructure, and high-performance computing networks where dense, low-latency connections are essential.