Cisco N9K-C9396TX
Nexus 9300 48p 1/10GBASE-T & additional uplink module req.
Product Highlights
What's Included
(2) N9K-PAC-650W-B (Port Side Exhaust) or N9K-PAC-650W (Port Side Intake)
(2) AC Power Cords
(3) N9K-C9300-FAN2-B (Port Side Exhaust) or N9K-C9300-FAN2 (Port Side Intake)
(1) Rackmount/Rail Kit (NXK-ACC-KIT-2RU)
Data center environments demand dense, high-speed copper connectivity that scales without complexity. The Cisco N9K-C9396TX (Nexus 9396TX) delivers exactly that — a line-rate 10GBASE-T switch purpose-built for top-of-rack deployments in enterprise, service provider, and cloud data centers.
Part of the Cisco Nexus 9300 platform, the 9396TX provides 48 fixed 100M/1/10GBASE-T ports and a single modular uplink slot that accepts field-replaceable modules supporting up to 12 QSFP+ 40G or 4 CFP2 100G uplink ports. With up to 1.92 Tbps of switching bandwidth and over 1500 mpps forwarding capacity, it handles demanding east-west and north-south traffic patterns without compromise.
The switch operates in both Cisco NX-OS mode and ACI mode, giving you the flexibility to deploy it in traditional or policy-driven Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure fabrics. Redundant, hot-swappable 650W AC power supplies and N+1 fan trays ensure high availability, while configurable port-side exhaust or port-side intake airflow adapts to any hot-aisle/cold-aisle configuration. Shipped with a rackmount kit, dual PSUs, three fan modules, and AC power cords, the N9K-C9396TX is ready for rapid deployment right out of the box.
Note: This product has reached Cisco End-of-Sale status. It remains a proven, cost-effective option available through the secondary market for organizations maintaining or expanding existing Nexus 9300 deployments.
Features & Benefits
High-Density 10GBASE-T Access
The N9K-C9396TX provides 48 fixed 1/10GBASE-T RJ-45 ports, enabling high-speed copper connectivity to servers, storage arrays, and other data center infrastructure over standard twisted-pair cabling. This eliminates the need for costly optics on short-reach server connections while supporting link speeds from 100 Mbps to 10 Gbps per port.
Modular Uplink Flexibility
A single field-replaceable uplink module slot lets you tailor north-south connectivity to your spine architecture. Choose from the N9K-M12PQ (12x 40G QSFP+), N9K-M6PQ / N9K-M6PQ-E (6x 40G QSFP+), or N9K-M4PC-CFP2 (4x 100G) modules. The uplink module is user-serviceable, allowing in-field upgrades without replacing the entire switch.
ACI and NX-OS Dual-Mode Operation
Deploy the 9396TX as a leaf switch in a Cisco ACI fabric for automated, policy-driven network provisioning, or run it in standalone NX-OS mode for traditional Layer 2/Layer 3 switching. This dual-mode capability protects your investment as your data center strategy evolves toward software-defined networking.
Redundant Power & Cooling
Dual hot-swappable 650W AC power supplies operate in 1+1 redundancy, and three hot-swappable fan modules provide N+1 redundancy. All power supplies are 80 Plus Platinum certified for at least 90% efficiency. Port-side exhaust and port-side intake airflow options let you match the switch to your facility's cooling design.
Line-Rate Performance
With up to 1.92 Tbps of bandwidth and over 1500 mpps forwarding rate, the Nexus 9396TX delivers wire-speed performance across all ports simultaneously. Low-latency forwarding makes it suitable for latency-sensitive workloads including virtualization, big data analytics, and high-performance computing clusters.
Deployment Scenarios
Data Center Top-of-Rack (ToR) Deployment
Mount the N9K-C9396TX at the top of each server rack to aggregate 10GBASE-T connections from blade and rack-mount servers. The modular 40G/100G uplink slot provides high-bandwidth connectivity to spine switches, supporting leaf-and-spine architectures at scale.
Cisco ACI Leaf Switch
Deploy as a leaf node in a Cisco ACI fabric alongside Nexus 9500 spine switches. ACI mode enables automated policy-based provisioning, microsegmentation, and centralized management through the APIC controller — ideal for multi-tenant cloud and enterprise environments.
Middle-of-Row / End-of-Row Aggregation
Use the 9396TX as a MoR or EoR aggregation switch to consolidate traffic from multiple access-layer switches or Cisco Fabric Extenders (FEXs). The 48 copper ports and high-bandwidth uplinks provide a cost-effective aggregation tier for medium to large data center pods.
Lab, Staging, and Secondary Data Centers
As an End-of-Sale product available on the secondary market, the N9K-C9396TX offers significant cost savings for non-production environments such as development labs, staging environments, and disaster recovery sites where the latest-generation hardware is not required.
General
Interfaces & Ports
Performance
Power & Cooling
Physical
Compliance
Compatibility Notes
Uplink Modules (sold separately — one required for switch operation)
- N9K-M12PQ — 12-port 40G QSFP+ uplink module (12 active ports on 9396TX)
- N9K-M6PQ — 6-port 40G QSFP+ uplink module
- N9K-M6PQ-E — 6-port 40G QSFP+ uplink module (enhanced)
- N9K-M4PC-CFP2 — 4-port 100G CFP2 uplink module (4 active ports on 9396TX)
Power Supply Options
- N9K-PAC-650W-B — 650W AC, port-side exhaust (blue)
- N9K-PAC-650W — 650W AC, port-side intake (burgundy)
- N9K-PUV-1200W — 1200W HVAC/HVDC, dual-direction airflow (white)
- UCSC-PSU-930WDC — 930W DC, port-side intake (green)
- UCS-PSU-6332-DC — 930W DC, port-side exhaust (gray)
Fan Modules
- N9K-C9300-FAN2-B — Port-side exhaust (blue)
- N9K-C9300-FAN2 — Port-side intake (burgundy)
Operating Modes
- Cisco NX-OS mode (standalone)
- Cisco ACI mode (requires APIC controller)
Important: An uplink module is required for normal switch operation and is not included in this SKU. The authoritative bill of materials for this listing includes your choice of airflow direction with matching PSUs, fans, AC power cords, and a rackmount kit.
Downloads & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
| Part Number | Product | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| N9K-C9396PX | Cisco Nexus 9396PX | SFP+ fiber downlinks instead of 10GBASE-T copper — choose when your server connections require fiber optics. |
| N9K-C93120TX | Cisco Nexus 93120TX | 96 fixed 1/10GBASE-T ports with 6 fixed 40G QSFP+ uplinks — double the copper port density in a 2RU form factor. |
| N9K-C93180YC-FX | Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX | Next-gen Nexus 9300-FX with 48x 1/10/25G SFP+ and 6x 40/100G QSFP28 — Cisco's recommended migration path. |
| N9K-C9372TX | Cisco Nexus 9372TX | 1RU form factor with 48x 10GBASE-T and 6x 40G QSFP+ — smaller footprint but fewer uplink options. |