Cisco WS-C6509-E
Enh C6509 Chassis, 9slot, 15RU, No Pow Supply, No Fan Tray
Product Highlights
Scaling your campus, data center, or service provider network demands a chassis platform that delivers density, resilience, and investment protection. The Cisco WS-C6509-E is the enhanced 9-slot variant of the legendary Catalyst 6500 Series — a modular switch chassis engineered for high port density deployments across wiring closets, distribution layers, core networks, and data centers.
The Catalyst 6509-E chassis supports redundant supervisor engines with rapid stateful failover (1–3 seconds), redundant power supplies ranging from 2,500W to 8,700W AC, and hot-swappable line cards spanning Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and multi-gigabit services modules including firewall, IPS, VPN, and SSL acceleration. With compatible Supervisor Engine 720 or Supervisor Engine 2T modules, two 6509-E chassis can be combined into a single Virtual Switching System (VSS) for simplified management and doubled bandwidth.
Note: This is a chassis-only SKU (WS-C6509-E). It ships without power supplies, fan trays, supervisor engines, or line cards — giving you full control to configure the system to your exact requirements. This product is part of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 series which has reached End-of-Life status; it remains widely deployed and fully supported on the secondary market as a cost-effective solution for network expansion and spare inventory.
Features & Benefits
Modular 9-Slot Architecture
The WS-C6509-E provides nine horizontal module slots that accept the full range of Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series line cards, supervisor engines, and service modules. This modularity lets you tailor port density, interface speeds, and integrated services — from 10/100 Ethernet to 10 Gigabit Ethernet — to match your exact deployment needs without replacing the chassis.
High Availability & Redundancy
Designed for mission-critical environments, the 6509-E supports dual redundant supervisor engines with rapid stateful failover in as little as 1–3 seconds. Redundant power supply bays accept AC or DC supplies, ensuring continuous operation even during a power supply failure. Hot-swappable modules further minimize downtime during maintenance or upgrades.
Enhanced Power Capacity
The Enhanced (-E) chassis delivers greater per-slot power capacity compared to the original Catalyst 6509, supporting power supplies up to 8,700W AC. This increased power budget is essential for driving large numbers of IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE) devices across high-density line cards.
Virtual Switching System (VSS) Support
When paired with a compatible Supervisor Engine (720-3C, 720-3CXL, S2T-10G, or S2T-10G-XL), two Catalyst 6500-E chassis can be pooled into a single Virtual Switching System. VSS simplifies network topology, eliminates Spanning Tree dependencies, and doubles available system bandwidth — all managed as one logical device.
NEBS Level 3 Compliance
The WS-C6509-E chassis is NEBS Level 3 compliant, meeting the stringent environmental, safety, and EMC requirements for deployment in telecommunications central offices and service provider facilities. This certification ensures reliability in demanding physical environments.
Deployment Scenarios
Enterprise Campus Core / Distribution
Deploy the 6509-E as a core or distribution-layer switch in large campus networks. Its 9-slot capacity supports high-density Gigabit and 10 Gigabit uplinks, while redundant supervisors and power supplies ensure the always-on availability that campus backbones demand.
Data Center Aggregation
Use the Catalyst 6509-E as an aggregation-layer switch in data center environments. The modular architecture accommodates 10GE line cards for server farm connectivity and integrated service modules for firewall, IPS, and load balancing — consolidating multiple functions into a single chassis.
Service Provider Edge / Central Office
With NEBS Level 3 compliance and support for a wide range of service modules, the 6509-E is well-suited for service provider edge deployments. Its VSS capability enables simplified, resilient topologies at the network edge while reducing operational complexity.
Spare Chassis & Lifecycle Extension
For organizations with existing Catalyst 6500-E deployments, a spare WS-C6509-E chassis provides critical insurance against hardware failure. As an EOL product available on the secondary market, it offers a cost-effective way to extend the operational life of proven infrastructure.
General
Performance
Power
Physical
Environmental
Compliance
Compatibility Notes
Supervisor Engine Compatibility
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 32
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720-3B
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720-3BXL
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720-10G-3C
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720-10G-3CXL
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 2T (VS-S2T-10G / VS-S2T-10G-XL)
Power Supply Compatibility
- AC: 3000W, 4000W, 6000W, 8700W (2500W is EoS)
- DC: 2500W, 4000W, 6000W
Minimum IOS Requirements (by Supervisor)
- Supervisor Engine 32: Cisco IOS 12.2(18)SXF
- Supervisor Engine 720: Cisco IOS 12.2(14)SX
- Supervisor Engine 720-10GE: Cisco IOS 12.2(33)SXH
Important
This is a chassis-only SKU. Power supply, fan tray, supervisor engine, and line cards must be purchased separately.
Downloads & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
| Part Number | Product | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| WS-C6509-V-E | Catalyst 6509-V-E (Vertical) | Vertical 9-slot chassis with front-to-back airflow, optimized for hot aisle/cold aisle data center designs (21 RU). |
| WS-C6506-E | Catalyst 6506-E | Smaller 6-slot Enhanced chassis for deployments requiring fewer module slots and a reduced physical footprint. |
| WS-C6513-E | Catalyst 6513-E | Larger 13-slot Enhanced chassis for maximum port density and module capacity in core or data center roles. |
| C9410R | Catalyst 9410R | Cisco's current-generation modular chassis (Catalyst 9400 Series) — the recommended migration path from the Catalyst 6500-E. |
