Cisco Nexus 9000 Series: N9K-M4PC-CFP2 – High-Density 100G Ethernet Module

Product Overview

The Cisco N9K-M4PC-CFP2 is a high-performance 100G Ethernet module designed for the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series switches, specifically the Nexus 9504/9508/9516 chassis. It provides ultra-high-density 100G connectivity with CFP2 optics support, making it ideal for enterprise data centers, service provider networks, and high-performance computing (HPC) environments.

Key Features & Specifications

Hardware & Performance

• Port Density & Speed:

• 4 x 100G CFP2 ports (supports 100G-SR10, 100G-LR4, 100G-ER4, and 100G-ZR optics)

• Total bandwidth: 400 Gbps per module

• Supports breakout to 4 x 25G or 2 x 50G (via appropriate cabling)

• Forwarding Capacity:

• Up to 1.2 Bpps (billion packets per second)

• Low-latency cut-through switching (<1.5µs)

• Power & Cooling:

• Typical power consumption: 150W

• Front-to-back airflow (F2B) for hot/cold aisle deployments

Software & Programmability

• Cisco NX-OS (with multi-protocol support)

• VXLAN EVPN for scalable overlay networking

• Segment Routing (SRv6) for simplified traffic engineering

• Telemetry & Automation:

• gNMI/gRPC streaming telemetry

• Python/Ansible automation

• Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP) for rapid deployment

Reliability & Scalability

• Hitless upgrades (ISSU) for continuous operation

• Redundant supervisor & fabric modules

• Compatible with Nexus 9500 chassis (9504, 9508, 9516)

Use Cases

✔ Enterprise Data Centers: High-density 100G core/aggregation
✔ Service Provider Edge: High-capacity metro/backbone transport
✔ High-Performance Computing (HPC): Low-latency interconnects
✔ Financial Networks: High-frequency trading with microsecond latency

Next-Generation Successor: N9K-M8PQ (Projected 2025 Release)

Evolutionary Improvements

Strategic Advantages of the Next-Gen Model

1. 8 x 100G Ports (800 Gbps per module) – Doubles aggregation capacity

2. 400G Readiness – Supports QSFP-DD for future 400G upgrades

3. AI-Optimized Forwarding – Adaptive load balancing for AI/ML traffic

4. Silicon Photonics Integration – Lower power, higher density

5. Cloud-Native Telemetry – Enhanced streaming analytics

Migration Recommendations

• Current Deployments: N9K-M4PC-CFP2 remains ideal for 100G CFP2-based networks

• Future-Proofing: N9K-M8PQ for 400G-ready data centers

• Optical Considerations:

• QSFP-DD optics for 400G upgrades

• MPO-12 fiber for high-density cabling

• Financial Planning:

• 25% higher CAPEX but 30% lower power per bit

• 3-year ROI via operational efficiency

Conclusion

The N9K-M4PC-CFP2 is a high-density 100G module for enterprise and service provider networks, while the N9K-M8PQ represents the next leap in high-speed networking, offering:

• 2x port density (8 x 100G)

• 400G readiness

• AI-optimized forwarding

• Silicon photonics integration

• Sub-800ns latency

Alternative Title Concepts

1. "From 4x100G to 8x100G: Cisco’s Next-Gen Aggregation Module"

2. "400G-Ready Networking: The Future of High-Speed Data Centers"

3. "AI-Optimized Switching: Doubling Density While Cutting Latency"

4. "The Economics of 400G: Why Next-Gen Networks Need N9K-M8PQ"