Cisco N3K-C3548P-10G
Nexus 3548, 48 SFP+ ports
Product Highlights
What's Included
(2) N2200-PAC-400W & (5) NXA-FAN-30CFM-F (Port Side Exhaust)
or (2) N2200-PAC-400W-B & (5) NXA-FAN-30CFM-B (Port Side Intake)
(2) AC Power Cords
(1) Rackmount/Rail Kit (N3K-C3064-ACC-KIT)
Data center environments demand switches that deliver wire-rate performance without sacrificing port density or adding unnecessary latency. The Cisco Nexus 3548 (N3K-C3548P-10G) is a compact 1RU 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch purpose-built for top-of-rack (ToR) deployments where every nanosecond counts.
With 48 enhanced SFP+ ports supporting both 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps speeds, the Nexus 3548 delivers a 960 Gbps switching capacity and 720 Mpps forwarding rate — all at ultra-low latencies of 250 nanoseconds or less. Cisco's proprietary Algo Boost technology powers advanced features including Warp mode, Warp SPAN, and Active Buffer Monitoring, giving network engineers unprecedented visibility into congestion events and traffic behavior.
Running the industry-leading Cisco NX-OS operating system, the Nexus 3548 provides a comprehensive Layer 2 and Layer 3 feature set including VLAN support for up to 4,096 VLANs, LACP, and extensive ACL capabilities. The switch contains no physical layer (PHY) chips, a deliberate design choice that minimizes latency and power consumption. Flexible airflow options — port-side exhaust or port-side intake — allow seamless integration into any hot-aisle/cold-aisle data center layout. Dual redundant, hot-swappable power supplies ensure continuous operation for mission-critical workloads.
Note: This product has reached Cisco End-of-Sale status. It remains a proven, cost-effective solution available through the secondary market with third-party support options.
Features & Benefits
Algo Boost Ultra-Low Latency
Cisco's Algo Boost technology enables the Nexus 3548 to achieve latencies of 250 ns or less across all traffic types — unicast, multicast, Layer 2, and Layer 3. Features like Warp mode and Warp SPAN further optimize latency-sensitive monitoring and forwarding, making this switch ideal for high-frequency trading floors and high-performance computing clusters.
High-Density 10G Connectivity
With 48 enhanced SFP+ ports each supporting 1 Gbps or 10 Gbps, the Nexus 3548 packs significant bandwidth into a single rack unit. The 960 Gbps switching capacity and 720 Mpps forwarding rate ensure wire-rate, non-blocking performance even under full load — eliminating bottlenecks in dense ToR deployments.
Active Buffer Monitoring
Traditional buffer monitoring relies on software polling with intervals exceeding 100 ms, which can miss critical congestion events. Algo Boost accelerates buffer utilization data collection in hardware, with sampling intervals as low as 10 ns. This gives network operators real-time visibility into microburst activity and congestion patterns.
Cisco NX-OS with Comprehensive L2/L3 Features
The Nexus 3548 runs Cisco NX-OS, a modular, self-healing operating system designed for mission-critical data center environments. It supports a full Layer 2 and Layer 3 feature set including up to 4,096 VLANs, LACP, Private VLANs, routed ports, SVIs, and extensive IPv4 ACLs — providing the flexibility needed for complex network architectures.
Redundant Power & Flexible Airflow
Dual hot-swappable AC power supplies provide N+N redundancy for uninterrupted operation. The switch supports both port-side exhaust (forward airflow) and port-side intake (reversed airflow) configurations, allowing you to match your data center's hot-aisle/cold-aisle cooling strategy without compromise.
Deployment Scenarios
Data Center Top-of-Rack (ToR) Deployment
The Nexus 3548 excels as a ToR switch in mainstream data center environments, connecting servers via 10G SFP+ uplinks with wire-rate L2/L3 switching. Its compact 1RU form factor and 48-port density maximize rack space efficiency while delivering non-blocking performance.
High-Frequency Trading & Financial Services
With sub-250 ns latency powered by Algo Boost, the Nexus 3548 is purpose-built for latency-sensitive financial trading environments. Warp mode and Active Buffer Monitoring provide the deterministic performance and real-time congestion visibility that trading firms demand.
High-Performance Computing (HPC) Clusters
HPC workloads require ultra-low latency and high throughput between compute nodes. The Nexus 3548's PHY-less design and 960 Gbps switching capacity deliver the consistent, low-latency interconnect fabric that parallel computing applications need to maximize cluster efficiency.
Lab, Staging & Secondary Data Center Environments
As an End-of-Sale product available at significant savings on the secondary market, the Nexus 3548 is an excellent choice for lab environments, staging networks, and secondary data centers where enterprise-grade 10G switching is needed without the cost of current-generation hardware.
General
Ports & Interfaces
Performance
Power & Cooling
Physical
Management & Protocols
Software Features
Compatibility Notes
SFP+ Transceiver Compatibility: All 48 ports accept standard SFP+ (10G) and SFP (1G) transceivers. Cisco-branded optics such as SFP-10G-SR, SFP-10G-LR, and SFP-10G-SR-S are supported, along with compatible DAC and AOC cables.
Power Supplies: Ships with your choice of (2) N2200-PAC-400W (forward airflow) or (2) N2200-PAC-400W-B (reversed airflow) 400W AC power supplies.
Fan Modules: Includes (5) NXA-FAN-30CFM-F (port-side exhaust) or (5) NXA-FAN-30CFM-B (port-side intake) depending on selected airflow direction.
Rackmount Kit: Includes N3K-C3064-ACC-KIT for standard 19" rack installation.
EOL Status: The Cisco Nexus 3548 (N3K-C3548P-10G) reached End-of-Sale on October 7, 2016, and End-of-Support on October 31, 2021. Cisco TAC support is no longer available; third-party maintenance is recommended. The successor platform is the Cisco Nexus 3548-X series.
Downloads & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
| Part Number | Product | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| N3K-C3548P-10GX | Cisco Nexus 3548-X (Enhanced) | Next-generation successor with enhanced silicon, multicast NAT, latency monitoring, 25% lower power, and a second USB port. |
| N3K-C3548P-XL | Cisco Nexus 3548-XL | XL variant with faster 2.5 GHz CPU, 16 GB system memory, and 16 GB bootflash for larger-scale deployments. |
| N3K-C3524P-10GX | Cisco Nexus 3524-X | Same hardware platform but licensed for 24 active ports — a lower-cost option for smaller deployments. |
| N9K-C93180YC-FX | Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX | Current-generation Nexus 9000 with 48x 1/10/25G SFP+ and 6x 40/100G QSFP28 — recommended migration path for active Cisco support. |