Cisco N9K-C9372PX-E
Nexus 9300 with 48p 10G SFP+ and 6p 40G QSFP+
Product Highlights
What's Included
(2) N9K-PAC-650W-B (Port Side Exhaust) or N9K-PAC-650W (Port Side Intake)
(2) AC Power Cords
(4) NXA-FAN-30CFM-F (Port Side Exhaust) or NXA-FAN-30CFM-B (Port Side Intake)
(1) Rackmount/Rail Kit (NXK-ACC-KIT-1RU)
Modern data centers demand switches that deliver high port density, low latency, and programmable automation — all without consuming excessive rack space or power. The Cisco N9K-C9372PX-E is a Nexus 9300 series fixed-configuration switch purpose-built to meet those requirements.
Packed into a compact 1RU form factor, the N9K-C9372PX-E provides 48 fixed 1/10G SFP+ ports for dense server access and 6 fixed 40G QSFP+ uplink ports for high-bandwidth spine connectivity. All ports operate at line rate, delivering a total switching capacity of 1.44 Tbps and a forwarding rate exceeding 1,150 Mpps. As an enhanced hardware revision of the Nexus 9372PX, the "-E" variant adds hardware support for IP-based Endpoint Group (EPG) classification in Cisco ACI mode, enabling more granular micro-segmentation policies.
The switch runs Cisco NX-OS and is fully compatible with Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), giving network teams the flexibility to operate in standalone mode or as a leaf node in a policy-driven ACI fabric. With dual hot-swappable 650W AC power supplies, four fan modules with configurable airflow direction, and support for features like VXLAN, vPC, VRF, and comprehensive QoS, the N9K-C9372PX-E is an ideal choice for top-of-rack, middle-of-row, or end-of-row deployments in enterprise and service provider data centers.
Features & Benefits
High-Density 10G/40G Connectivity
With 48 SFP+ ports supporting 1G and 10G speeds plus 6 QSFP+ uplinks at 40G, the N9K-C9372PX-E delivers the port density needed to connect dense 1RU server racks while maintaining high-bandwidth paths to the spine layer. This eliminates the need for multiple switches per rack, reducing cabling complexity and cost.
Cisco ACI Integration with Enhanced EPG Classification
The "-E" hardware revision introduces IP-based EPG classification in ACI mode, enabling more flexible and granular policy enforcement without relying solely on VLAN-based classification. This allows network and security teams to implement micro-segmentation policies that follow workloads across the fabric, improving security posture and operational agility.
Line-Rate Non-Blocking Performance
Delivering 1.44 Tbps of switching capacity and over 1,150 Mpps forwarding rate, every port operates at full line rate with no oversubscription. This non-blocking architecture ensures predictable, low-latency performance for latency-sensitive workloads including virtualization clusters, big data analytics, and storage traffic.
Redundant Power & Flexible Airflow
Each unit ships with dual 650W AC power supplies and four fan modules, both hot-swappable for zero-downtime maintenance. Airflow direction is configurable — choose port-side exhaust or port-side intake to align with your data center's hot-aisle/cold-aisle cooling strategy, optimizing energy efficiency and thermal management.
Advanced Layer 2/3 Feature Set
Running Cisco NX-OS, the switch supports a comprehensive feature set including VXLAN overlay networking, vPC for loop-free redundancy, VRF for multi-tenant routing, HSRP, IGMP snooping, RPVST, MST, and rich QoS capabilities. With support for up to 128,000 LPM routes, it handles complex Layer 3 topologies with ease.
Programmability & Automation
The N9K-C9372PX-E supports modern automation workflows through NX-API, Python scripting, and integration with configuration management tools like Puppet and Chef. This programmability reduces manual configuration effort, accelerates deployments, and enables infrastructure-as-code practices across the data center.
Deployment Scenarios
Top-of-Rack Leaf in Spine-Leaf Data Center Fabric
Deploy the N9K-C9372PX-E as a leaf switch in a spine-leaf architecture, connecting up to 48 servers at 10G while providing 240 Gbps of uplink bandwidth to the spine via six 40G QSFP+ ports. ACI integration enables automated tenant provisioning and policy-driven micro-segmentation across the fabric.
Enterprise Data Center Aggregation
Use the switch in a middle-of-row or end-of-row deployment to aggregate traffic from multiple access-layer switches. The 128K LPM routing table and comprehensive Layer 3 feature set support complex enterprise routing requirements, while vPC provides loop-free redundant connectivity to downstream switches.
Virtualized & Cloud Infrastructure
The N9K-C9372PX-E's VXLAN support and non-blocking performance make it well-suited for environments running large-scale virtualization or private cloud platforms. VXLAN overlay networking enables seamless workload mobility across the fabric, while line-rate forwarding ensures consistent VM-to-VM performance.
Service Provider & Multi-Tenant Hosting
Service providers can leverage the switch's VRF capabilities, 4,096 VLAN support, and ACI-based policy automation to deliver isolated, SLA-backed network services to multiple tenants from a shared infrastructure, reducing per-tenant cost while maintaining strict traffic separation.
General
Ports & Interfaces
Performance
Power
Cooling
Physical
Environmental
Compatibility Notes
Optics Compatibility: The 48 SFP+ ports support Cisco 1G and 10G SFP+ transceivers (e.g., SFP-10G-SR, SFP-10G-LR). The 6 QSFP+ ports support Cisco 40G QSFP+ transceivers (e.g., QSFP-40G-SR4, QSFP-40G-LR4) and can also be used with QSFP-to-SFP+ breakout cables for 4x10G connectivity.
Operating System: Supports Cisco NX-OS and Cisco ACI mode. Verify the minimum NX-OS or ACI firmware version required for your deployment features on Cisco's compatibility matrix.
Power Supplies: Ships with two N9K-PAC-650W-B (port-side exhaust) or N9K-PAC-650W (port-side intake) depending on airflow selection.
Fan Modules: Ships with four NXA-FAN-30CFM-F (port-side exhaust) or NXA-FAN-30CFM-B (port-side intake) depending on airflow selection.
Rackmount Kit: Includes NXK-ACC-KIT-1RU for standard 19" rack installation.
Downloads & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
| Part Number | Product | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| N9K-C9372PX | Cisco Nexus 9372PX | Original non-enhanced version; lacks hardware support for IP-based EPG classification in ACI mode. |
| N9K-C9372TX-E | Cisco Nexus 9372TX-E | Same chassis and performance but with 48x 10GBASE-T copper ports instead of SFP+ fiber ports. |
| N9K-C93180YC-EX | Cisco Nexus 93180YC-EX | Next-generation Nexus 9300-EX with 48x 1/10/25G SFP28 ports and 6x 40/100G QSFP28 uplinks for higher-speed migration. |
| N9K-C9348GC-FXP | Cisco Nexus 9348GC-FXP | Newer-generation Nexus 9300-FX with 48x 1G copper ports and 4x 10/25G SFP28 uplinks; suited for lower-speed access deployments. |