NX-OS Data Sheet
Cisco NX-OS Software data sheet covering capabilities, supported platforms, licensing, and feature highlights for data center and cloud networks.
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Cisco NX-OS
The industry’s most deployed data center operating system
Cisco NX-OS is an extensible, open, and programmable network operating system built on Linux for next-generation data centers and cloud networks, running on Cisco Nexus and MDS switches.
The foundation of modern data center networking
NX-OS delivers the programmability, resilience, and security required to operate next-generation data centers at any scale. Build any fabric with VXLAN EVPN, automate with model-driven APIs, and protect data with line-rate encryption.
Core Capabilities
NX-OS provides the intelligence and flexibility to power every modern data center architecture.
Architectural Flexibility
Build any data center fabric with VXLAN EVPN, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, and SR-MPLS support for spine-leaf, multi-site, and DCI topologies.
Extensive Programmability
Automate at scale with Ansible, Chef, Puppet, YANG models, NX-API, and NX-SDK for custom on-box applications and integrations.
Pervasive Visibility
Gain deep network insights with streaming telemetry, NetFlow, and sFlow for real-time monitoring, troubleshooting, and capacity planning.
High Availability
Ensure continuous operations with In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU), Graceful Insertion and Removal (GIR), vPC, and ECMP.
Comprehensive Security
Protect data in transit with MACsec, CloudSec, FIPS 140 compliance, and measured boot for hardware integrity verification.
Nexus Dashboard
Simplify operations with closed-loop automation, proactive insights, and centralized management across your entire data center fabric.
Features and Benefits
NX-OS delivers the programmability, resilience, and security required to operate next-generation data centers at any scale.
VXLAN EVPN Fabrics
Build scalable multi-tenant data center fabrics with VXLAN EVPN for flexible workload placement and seamless mobility.
Day-Zero Automation
Power On Auto Provisioning (POAP) enables zero-touch deployment of switches, reducing provisioning time from hours to minutes.
Model-Based APIs
NX-API and YANG models enable programmatic access for configuration, monitoring, and integration with DevOps toolchains.
Streaming Telemetry
Real-time push-based telemetry provides granular visibility into network state, replacing legacy polling with proactive monitoring.
Zero-Downtime Upgrades
In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU) and Graceful Insertion and Removal (GIR) ensure maintenance without service disruption.
Line-Rate Encryption
MACsec and CloudSec deliver wire-speed encryption for east-west and DCI traffic without performance compromise.
Feature Details
A closer look at the key capabilities that make NX-OS the industry standard for data center networking.
VXLAN EVPN
Scalable multi-tenant overlay networking with integrated routing and bridging for flexible workload placement.
SR-MPLS
Segment Routing with MPLS data plane for simplified traffic engineering and seamless DCI connectivity.
NX-API / YANG
Programmatic interfaces enable automation with Ansible, Terraform, and custom scripts for consistent operations.
ISSU / GIR
Non-disruptive software upgrades and graceful maintenance mode eliminate planned downtime windows.
MACsec / CloudSec
Line-rate encryption for intra- and inter-site traffic protects data in motion without performance penalty.
vPC
Virtual Port Channel provides active-active redundancy and optimal bandwidth utilization without Spanning Tree.
Streaming Telemetry
Push-based real-time data collection enables proactive monitoring and faster root-cause analysis.
Nexus Dashboard
Closed-loop automation with centralized visibility, policy management, and proactive insights across the fabric.
Specifications
Supported Platforms
Nexus 9000 Series, Nexus 7000 Series, Nexus 3000 Series, and MDS Series storage networking switches.
Protocol Support
BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, IS-IS routing. PIM and MSDP multicast. HSRP, VRRP first hop redundancy. SR-MPLS.
Overlay
VXLAN EVPN fabric. SR-MPLS WAN/DCI. Tenant Routed Multicast (TRM). vPC Fabric Peering multi-homing.
Licensing
Essentials, Advantage, and Premier tiers. Security, Storage, and NDB add-ons available.
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