PA-E3 - Cisco 7200 Series Port Adapter Overview
PA-E3 - Cisco 7200 Series Port Adapter is a genuine modular capacity expansion product from Cisco, a leading enterprise networking vendor whose Catalyst, Nexus and ISR families power campus, data-center and branch networks worldwide. Belonging to the Cisco 7200 Series family, the PA-E3 unit is built to the original factory specification, so it integrates with existing Cisco deployments predictably and behaves exactly as the platform documentation describes. In the network, it is deployed as a standalone unit or as part of a larger managed network, following the standard operating procedures of the platform.
This unit follows the original factory specification for the Cisco 7200 Series family, covering its intended role without compatibility surprises. Standard mounting, cabling and management practices apply, and it interoperates with surrounding hardware using the same procedures as other Cisco equipment already deployed in the network.
Typical deployments include adding ports and performance to existing chassis systems, modernizing legacy platforms with compatible line cards, and mixing copper, fiber and high-speed uplinks in one chassis. Organizations commonly source it for refresh programs, capacity expansion and spares management, keeping a tested unit on hand so outages stay short and replacements are predictable. The factory detail for this unit reads: “Cisco 7200 Series 1 Port E3 Serial Port Adapter with E3 DSU”. This makes it a practical choice when original-spec hardware is required at a predictable cost.
Every unit at LinkNewNet is inspected and tested before dispatch, and stock is graded, cleaned and verified for correct operation, including port status, console access and firmware state. Our warranty coverage and responsive technical support protect the purchase after it arrives, and our team can confirm revision levels and software compatibility before you order. For volume requirements we also offer configuration checks and staged delivery options.
Contact our sales team for current availability, lead time and shipping options for the PA-E3. We respond quickly with stock status and a firm quote, so you can plan the refresh or expansion with confidence.
Key Specifications
Applications
Enterprise Campus
High-density ports power users, phones and APs at the access layer.
Branch Office
Stackable units simplify branch deployment and management.
Wireless & IoT
PoE budget supports dense wireless and IoT endpoints.
Buying a Pre-Owned PA-E3
Verify the unit is tested, firmware confirmed, and condition documented. Every unit is fully tested and warranty covered. Contact our team for current stock and availability.
PA-E3 Specification | |
| System Configurations | • Up to four E3 ports cards per VIP2-40 and higher (two PA-2E3) • Up to six E3 ports per Cisco 7200 Series router (up to four E3 ports, two PA-2E3 port adapters, if Cisco 7200 Fast Ethernet input/output [I/O] controller used) • Carrier card option required for support on the Cisco 7304 Series router, and the Enhanced FlexWan provides support on the 7600 series router • Full online insertion and removal (OIR) support on Cisco 7200; OIR of VIP only on the Cisco 7500 |
| E3 Specifications | • G.703 level interface with dual female 75-ohm BNC coaxial connectors per port (separate RX and TX) • Full-and half-duplex operation at E3 rate (34.368 MHz) • Scrambling and Subrate (22 Kbps to 34 Mbps data rate) support of major DSU vendors • Line build-out: 450 feet (135 meters) of 75-ohm type 728A or equivalent coaxial cable • Remote and local loopback support • Unframed or G.751 (software selectable-G.751 default) • HDB3 line coding • 16- and 32-bit cycles redundancy check (CRC) supported. (16-bit CRC default) • Software-setable E3 national service bits • 24-hour history maintained for error statistics and failure counts • E3 alarm/event detection (once per second polling) RCLK: receive clock signal AIS: alarm indication signal OOF: out of frame state FERF: far-end receive failure • Serial encapsulation: HDLC: High-Level Data Link Control PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol Frame Relay ATM-DXI: ATM Data Exchange Interface |
| LEDs per port | • RCLK LED (Green) to indicate the port has detected a receive clock signal • AIS LED (Yellow) to indicate the port is receiving an AIS • OOF LED (Yellow) to indicate the port is in a receive OOF state • FERF LED (Yellow) to indicate the port is receiving a FERF • Local Loop (Yellow) to indicate E3 port looped locally • Remote Loop (Yellow) to indicate the far-end E3 port is looped |
| Physical Specifications | • Occupies one port adapter bay on any VIP2 model or one port adapter slot in any Cisco 7200 series router |
| Environmental Specifications | • Operating temperature: 32 to 104° F (0 to 40° C) • Storage temperature: -4 to 149° F (-20 to 65° C) • Relative humidity: 10 to 90%, noncondensing |
| Compliance | • E3 physical layer CCITT G.703 CCITT G.751 CCITT G.753 CTR 24 CCITT G.823 • Safety AS/NZS 3260 (Australia/New Zealand) EN60950/EN41003 (Europe) IEC 950 (National Deviations) • Emissions AS/NZS 3548 (Australia/New Zealand) EN55022 (CISPR 22) Class B (Europe) • Immunity IEC 1000-4-2 (ESD) IEC 1000-4-3 (Radiated) IEC 1000-4-4 (Fast Transients) IEC 1000-4-5 (Power Line Surge) IEC 1000-4-6 (Injected RF) IEC 1000-3-2 (Harmonic Distortions) |
PA-E3 - Deployment Notes
This PA-E3 security appliance is positioned for the throughput and VPN requirements of its specific SKU tier. Confirm the firewall throughput, VPN tunnel capacity, and interface configuration of this variant against your expected traffic profile before ordering.
For refresh or migration projects, verify the software version and license entitlements applicable to this unit. Our team can confirm the installed software and hardware revision before dispatch.
Every PA-E3 unit at LinkNewNet is inspected and tested before dispatch, and stock is graded, cleaned and verified for correct operation, including interface status, console access and firmware state.
PA-E3 - Cisco Series Notes
This listing is part of the Cisco enterprise networking product family, sourced and tested by LinkNewNet for enterprise deployment. Cisco module/line card expands the capability of a chassis platform, adding interface density, forwarding capacity, or service features. It is installed in a matching chassis slot and managed as part of the parent platform.
Deployment guidance: When planning this PA-E3 unit into a network, confirm the software image (IOS/IOS-XE/NX-OS) required, the power and cooling profile, and the upstream/downstream interface types that match your existing infrastructure. For a like-for-like refresh, match the feature set of the units already in service so management and automation behave consistently.
Our Cisco reconditioning process: Every pre-owned Cisco unit at LinkNewNet passes a documented reconditioning flow before dispatch - visual inspection, internal cleaning, firmware verification, port-by-port testing, and configuration reset to factory defaults. This ensures the unit you receive operates reliably and integrates cleanly with your existing Cisco management tools.
Related models in this family: PA-GE, C7200-JC-PA, PA-4E-IPP, PA-4E, C7200-I/O-GE+E. Compare specifications to confirm the right port density, feature set and uplink options for your deployment.
