Product Summary:
The DS-X9648-1536K9 is a 48-port 16-Gbps Fibre Channel line card designed for Cisco MDS 9700 Series Multilayer Directors. It offers high-density, low-latency SAN connectivity for enterprise data centers and supports mission-critical workloads with robust security and performance monitoring capabilities.
Product Description:
The Cisco DS-X9648-1536K9 line card expands the port capacity of MDS 9700 Series chassis by providing 48 high-speed 16-Gbps Fibre Channel ports on a single module. It is engineered to deliver high performance, seamless scalability, and real-time visibility into SAN traffic.
Ideal for storage networks demanding high availability and fast data transfer, the DS-X9648-1536K9 ensures secure Fibre Channel connectivity with advanced features such as port security, slow-drain device detection, and built-in diagnostics. The card is hot-swappable, allowing for non-disruptive upgrades and maintenance.
This line card is part of Cisco’s Data Center-class architecture and integrates fully with the Cisco Data Center Network Manager (DCNM) for centralized SAN management and analytics.
Key Features:
48-port high-density Fibre Channel line card
Supports 2/4/8/16 Gbps auto-negotiation
Total throughput up to 768 Gbps
Ideal for storage aggregation and high-performance SANs
Integrated diagnostics and traffic monitoring
Supports virtualization and multi-tenant SAN environments
Hot-swappable module for Cisco MDS 9700 Series Directors
Product Specifications Table:
| Specification | Details |
| Product Code | DS-X9648-1536K9 |
| Port Count | 48 ports |
| Port Speed | 2/4/8/16 Gbps auto-negotiation |
| Total Throughput | Up to 768 Gbps |
| Compatibility | Cisco MDS 9700 Series chassis (9710, 9718, etc.) |
| Hot Swappable | Yes |
| Buffer Credits | 1536 |
| Features | Advanced SAN security, diagnostics, traffic monitoring |
| Management | Cisco DCNM, SNMP, CLI |
Similar Models Comparison Table:
| Model | Port Count | Port Speed | Buffer Credits | Key Difference |
| DS-X9648-1536K9 | 48 | 2/4/8/16 Gbps | 1536 | Standard high-density FC line card |
| DS-X9648-512K9 | 48 | 2/4/8 Gbps | 512 | Lower buffer credit version |
| DS-X9232-256K9 | 32 | 2/4/8/16 Gbps | 256 | Fewer ports, mid-density option |
| DS-X9704 | 4 | 10/40 Gbps | N/A | Designed for FCoE over Ethernet |
| DS-X9808-18K9 | 8 | 32 Gbps | 1872 | Higher port speed, lower port count |
