Cisco 76-ES+XT-4TG3CXL
7600 ES+XT, LAN/WAN PHY, OTN/G.709, 4x10GE, XFP, DFC3CXL
Product Highlights
Service providers and large enterprises running Cisco 7600 Series routers need line cards that deliver high-bandwidth Ethernet services with carrier-grade reliability — without compromising on protocol flexibility or optical transport integration. The Cisco 76-ES+XT-4TG3CXL is a 4-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet ES Plus Extended Transport (ES+XT) line card that addresses exactly this need.
Equipped with four XFP-based 10GE interfaces and an integrated DFC3CXL (Distributed Forwarding Card 3CXL), this line card delivers up to 40 Gbps of aggregate throughput with line-rate forwarding offloaded from the supervisor engine. It supports LAN PHY, WAN PHY, and OTN/G.709 modes, making it uniquely versatile for Carrier Ethernet, IP/MPLS provider edge, WAN/MAN aggregation, and IP-over-DWDM deployments.
The 76-ES+XT-4TG3CXL combines native Ethernet Layer 2 switching, bridging, VPLS, EoMPLS, and Layer 3 IP/MPLS routing on a single card — a key differentiator for operators consolidating services. With hierarchical QoS, up to 16,000 VLAN IDs per card, and support for advanced traffic engineering, it is purpose-built for environments where scale, flexibility, and optical integration matter most. Note: The Cisco 7600 Series platform has reached End-of-Life (EOL) status; this card is available as a replacement spare for existing deployments.
Features & Benefits
High-Density 10 Gigabit Ethernet Connectivity
The 76-ES+XT-4TG3CXL provides four 10GE ports using industry-standard XFP optics, delivering up to 40 Gbps of aggregate bandwidth per line card slot. This density is ideal for aggregating high-speed uplinks in service provider edge and enterprise core environments, reducing the number of chassis slots consumed.
Integrated DFC3CXL Distributed Forwarding
The onboard DFC3CXL enables hardware-based, line-rate packet forwarding directly on the line card, offloading the central supervisor engine. This distributed architecture improves overall system scalability and ensures consistent forwarding performance even under heavy traffic loads across multiple line cards.
Multi-Mode PHY: LAN, WAN & OTN/G.709
Supporting LAN PHY, WAN PHY (OC-192/STM-64), and OTN/G.709 modes, this line card adapts to diverse network interconnect requirements. WAN PHY mode enables direct connection to SONET/SDH infrastructure, while OTN mode (with the 76-ES+OTN-LIC license) provides G-FEC and E-FEC for integration with optical transport platforms like the Cisco ONS 15454.
Carrier Ethernet & MPLS Services
The card uniquely combines Layer 2 and Layer 3 services — including VPLS, EoMPLS, and full IP/MPLS routing — on a single line card. This convergence simplifies network design for service providers delivering triple-play, L2/L3 VPN, and metro Ethernet services, reducing both hardware footprint and operational complexity.
Scalable QoS & VLAN Support
With hierarchical QoS and support for up to 16,000 locally significant VLAN IDs per line card, the 76-ES+XT-4TG3CXL enables granular traffic management at scale. Service providers can deliver differentiated SLAs across thousands of customer circuits without running into VLAN ID limitations.
IP-over-DWDM Optical Integration
The line card supports pluggable and tunable 10G DWDM XFP optics in the C band, enabling direct IP-over-DWDM connectivity. This eliminates the need for external transponders in metro and regional networks, reducing cost and latency while simplifying the optical layer.
Deployment Scenarios
Service Provider MPLS Edge
Deploy at the provider edge to aggregate 10GE customer handoffs and deliver L2/L3 VPN, VPLS, and EoMPLS services. The integrated DFC3CXL ensures line-rate MPLS label processing, while hierarchical QoS enforces per-customer SLAs across thousands of VLANs.
Metro Ethernet / WAN Aggregation
Use the LAN/WAN PHY flexibility and DWDM XFP support to aggregate metro Ethernet traffic and extend reach over regional fiber spans. OTN/G.709 mode enables seamless interworking with optical transport equipment for converged IP-optical networks.
Enterprise Core / Data Center Interconnect
In large enterprise campus or data center interconnect scenarios, the 76-ES+XT-4TG3CXL provides 40 Gbps of high-speed backbone connectivity between 7600 Series routers, supporting advanced routing, traffic engineering, and resilient failover designs.
Legacy Network Maintenance & Sparing
For organizations maintaining existing Cisco 7600 Series deployments past the platform's EOL date, this line card serves as a critical replacement spare. Sourcing pre-owned or refurbished units ensures continued operation while migration plans to next-generation platforms like the Cisco ASR 9000 are executed.
General
Interfaces
Performance
Software
Power & Electrical
Physical
Compliance
Compatibility Notes
Supported Chassis:
- Cisco 7603-S, 7604, 7606, 7606-S, 7609, 7613 (slots 9–13 only on 7613)
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series (subset of features; refer to Cisco data sheet C78-643759)
Required Supervisor Engine:
- Supervisor Engine 720-3B, 720-3BXL, RSP720-3C/3CXL, or RSP720-10GE
- VS-S720 (for Catalyst 6500)
- Not supported with Supervisor Engine 32
Minimum Cisco IOS Release:
- Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SRD1 (7600 Series)
- Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SXJ1 or later (Catalyst 6500 Series)
Fabric Requirement:
- Requires dual-channel switch fabric connectivity
OTN License:
- 76-ES+OTN-LIC required per line card to enable G.709/FEC/EFEC features
Optics:
- Accepts 10G XFP modules (LAN, WAN, DWDM); refer to Cisco supported optics tables for validated part numbers
Downloads & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
| Part Number | Product | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 76-ES+XT-4TG3C | 7600 ES+XT 4x10GE w/ DFC3C | Same port count and XT features but with DFC3C instead of DFC3CXL — lower forwarding table capacity and 378W max power vs. 406W |
| 76-ES+XT-2TG3CXL | 7600 ES+XT 2x10GE w/ DFC3CXL | Same DFC3CXL and XT capabilities but with only 2x 10GE ports (20 Gbps) — lower density at reduced power (301W) |
| 7600-ES+4TG3CXL | 7600 ES+ 4x10GE w/ DFC3CXL | Same 4x10GE density and DFC3CXL but without Extended Transport (XT) — lacks LAN/WAN PHY and OTN/G.709 support |
| 76-ES+XC-40G3CXL | 7600 ES+XC Combo 20x1GE/2x10GE w/ DFC3CXL | Combo card with 20x 1GE SFP + 2x 10GE XFP ports — better for mixed GE/10GE deployments with OTN support |