Cisco 7600-ES+4TG3CXL
7600 ES+ Line Card, 4x10GE XFP with DFC 3CXL
Product Highlights
When your Cisco 7600 Series router needs to deliver carrier-grade 10 Gigabit Ethernet density without compromising on service intelligence, the 7600-ES+4TG3CXL is the line card built for the job.
Part of the Cisco 7600 Ethernet Services Plus 40-Gbps (ES+40) family, this fixed-configuration line card provides four 10GE XFP ports and ships with an integrated DFC 3CXL (Distributed Forwarding Card 3CXL) that offloads forwarding decisions from the supervisor engine, delivering line-rate performance at up to 59.52 million packets per second. The extensible architecture combines proven ASIC-based forwarding with programmable network processors, enabling advanced Carrier Ethernet features such as hierarchical QoS, locally significant VLANs, and up to 16,000 Ethernet service instances per card.
The 7600-ES+4TG3CXL uniquely combines both Layer 2 and Layer 3 services on a single line card — native Ethernet switching, bridging, VPLS, Ethernet over MPLS, and full IP/MPLS routing — making it an ideal fit for service provider PE nodes, enterprise WAN/MAN aggregation, and mobile wireless backhaul. With 512 MB of packet buffer memory providing 200 ms of combined ingress and egress buffering at 10 Gbps, the card absorbs traffic bursts gracefully and minimizes packet loss under load.
Note: The Cisco 7600 Series platform has reached End-of-Life. This line card is available as a replacement spare for existing deployments.
Features & Benefits
High-Density 10 Gigabit Ethernet
Four 10GE XFP ports deliver 40 Gbps of aggregate bandwidth in a single line card slot. XFP optics are hot-swappable, supporting a wide range of 10GE transceivers including SR, LR, ER, and DWDM modules for flexible reach and wavelength options.
Distributed Forwarding with DFC 3CXL
The integrated DFC 3CXL offloads Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding from the Supervisor Engine, enabling line-rate packet processing directly on the line card. The CXL variant provides expanded TCAM capacity compared to the standard DFC 3C, supporting larger routing and ACL tables for complex network environments.
Carrier Ethernet Service Intelligence
Supports hierarchical QoS, locally significant VLANs, and up to 16,000 Ethernet service instances per line card. The unique ability to combine Layer 2 switching (bridging, VPLS, EoMPLS) and Layer 3 IP/MPLS routing on the same card simplifies service delivery and reduces hardware footprint.
Programmable Architecture
Programmable interface processors (Trident) provide ingress and egress feature processing at line rate. This extensible design protects your investment by enabling new features and services through software updates without replacing hardware.
Deep Packet Buffering
512 MB of packet buffer memory provides 200 ms of combined input and output buffering at 10 Gbps (100 ms ingress, 100 ms egress). This deep buffering absorbs traffic bursts and minimizes packet loss during congestion events — critical for latency-sensitive voice and video services.
Deployment Scenarios
Service Provider IP/MPLS PE Node
Deploy at the provider edge to deliver Layer 3 VPNs, IPv6, VPLS, and triple-/quadruple-play services (data, voice, video, mobility). The combination of Layer 2 and Layer 3 services on a single card reduces slot consumption and simplifies PE architecture.
Enterprise WAN/MAN Aggregation
Aggregate high-bandwidth WAN links at the enterprise core or campus edge. Four 10GE ports provide ample uplink capacity, while hierarchical QoS ensures business-critical applications receive priority treatment across the WAN.
Mobile Wireless Backhaul
Backhaul mobile traffic from cell sites to the core network with carrier-grade reliability. Deep packet buffering and advanced QoS handle the bursty nature of mobile data traffic, while MPLS transport ensures efficient, scalable connectivity.
Replacement Spare for Existing 7600 Deployments
As the Cisco 7600 Series has reached End-of-Life, this line card serves as a critical replacement spare to maintain uptime in production networks still running on the 7600 platform until migration to next-generation platforms like the Cisco ASR 9000 is complete.
General
Interfaces
Performance
Features
Compatibility
Physical
Compatibility Notes
Chassis Compatibility
- Compatible with all Cisco 7600 Series Router chassis: 7603-S, 7604, 7606, 7606-S, 7609, 7609-S, 7613
- Not supported in the original Cisco 7603 chassis (End-of-Life)
- Not supported in slots 1 through 8 of the Cisco 7613 chassis (requires dual-channel switch-fabric connectivity)
Supervisor Engine Requirements
- Requires Supervisor Engine 720-3B/3BXL or Route Switch Processor 720 (RSP720) or later
- Not compatible with Supervisor Engine 32 (requires dual-channel switch fabric)
Software Requirements
- Minimum: Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SRD or later
- Also supported on Cisco IOS Release 15S
Licensing
- 76-ES+BASIC-LIC — Basic license (includes IPv6)
- 76-ES+ADVIP-LIC — Advanced IP license (adds L3 VPN, MPLS TE, and additional features)
- Optional: 76-ES+OTN-LIC, 76-ES+ISG-LIC, 76-ES+VIDEO-LIC
Optics
- Accepts XFP transceiver modules (10GE SR, LR, ER, ZR, DWDM)
- XFP modules sold separately
Downloads & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
| Part Number | Product | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 7600-ES+4TG3C | 7600 ES+ 4x10GE XFP with DFC 3C | Same port configuration but with standard DFC 3C — smaller TCAM capacity vs. the CXL variant |
| 7600-ES+2TG3CXL | 7600 ES+ 2x10GE XFP with DFC 3CXL | 2-port 10GE variant (20 Gbps) with DFC 3CXL — lower density for smaller deployments |
| 76-ES+XT-4TG3CXL | 7600 ES+XT 4x10GE XFP with DFC 3CXL | Extended Transport variant adds LAN/WAN PHY, OTN/G.709, and EFEC for optical transport integration |
| 7600-ES+40G3CXL | 7600 ES+ 40xGE SFP with DFC 3CXL | 40-port Gigabit Ethernet SFP variant — higher port density at 1GE speeds instead of 10GE |