Cisco Catalyst C6800-16P10G: High-Density 10G Ethernet Module for Catalyst 6500/6800 Series

Product Overview

The Cisco Catalyst C6800-16P10G is a high-performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet module designed for the Catalyst 6500/6800 Series chassis switches. This advanced line card provides sixteen 10G SFP+ ports in a single-slot form factor, delivering 160Gbps of switching capacity for enterprise core, data center aggregation, and service provider edge deployments.

Key Specifications

✔ Port Configuration:

• 16x 10G SFP+ ports (hot-swappable)

• Supports 10GBASE-SR/LR/ER/ZR optics

• 1G/10G auto-negotiation capability

✔ Performance Characteristics:

• 160Gbps full-duplex bandwidth

• Up to 120Mpps forwarding rate

• <5μs port-to-port latency

✔ Switching Features:

• Full Layer 2/Layer 3 capabilities

• Hardware-based MPLS support

• MACsec 256-bit encryption

✔ Compatibility:

• Works with Catalyst 6500-E/6800-XL chassis

• Requires Supervisor Engine 2T/6T

• Cisco IOS/XE software support

Advanced Features

Enterprise-Class Switching

• Virtual Switching System (VSS) support

• Flexible NetFlow for advanced analytics

• QoS with 8 queues per port

Data Center Ready

• FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) capability

• Data Center Bridging Exchange (DCBX)

• VN-Tag support for virtual machine connectivity

Network Virtualization

• MPLS VPN and VRF-lite

• EVPN/VXLAN ready

• Cisco TrustSec support

High Availability

• Online insertion and removal (OIR)

• Non-stop forwarding (NSF)

• Stateful switchover (SSO)

Next-Generation Evolution: Cisco Catalyst C6800-32P25G (Projected 2026)

Key Upgrades & Innovations

Higher Density & Performance

• 32x 25G SFP28 ports (breakout to 4x10G)

• 800Gbps switching capacity

• <2μs latency

AI-Optimized Networking

• Machine learning-based traffic engineering

• Predictive congestion avoidance

• Automated QoS optimization

Enhanced Security

• Post-quantum cryptography support

• Hardware-based encrypted traffic analysis

• Zero Trust network segmentation

Sustainability Improvements

• 40% lower power-per-port

• Dynamic power scaling

• Smart cooling technology

Why Upgrade to C6800-32P25G?

✔ 2.5x port density increase
✔ 5x bandwidth improvement
✔ AI-driven network optimization
✔ Future-proof security architecture
✔ Energy-efficient operation

Conclusion

The C6800-16P10G delivers enterprise-class 10G density for demanding network environments, while the C6800-32P25G represents the next evolution in chassis-based switching with 25G/100G readiness, AI automation, and quantum-safe security. Together, they provide organizations with a smooth migration path to higher-speed architectures while maintaining investment protection in the Catalyst 6500/6800 platform.