Cisco Nexus 9000 a feature rich solution for any and all data center needs!
March 07, 2022

Cisco Nexus 9000 a feature rich solution for any and all data center needs!

Edwin Labirua | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Nexus 9000 Series

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Nexus

We use the Cisco Nexus 9000 as the core router of our data center, which is the hub of the company. Besides being our main routers, they are also being utilized as the main switches in our data center. We have a pair for redundancy with 40-gigabit connections between. One business problem the Cisco Nexus 9000 helps resolve is to reduce the space use and power consumption in our data center. Migrating to it, allowed us to combine our core routers and core switching environment. We also wanted to take advantage of the Nexus' features and flexibility in our growing environment.
  • The Cisco Nexus 9000 has a virtual port channel (vPC) allowing us to bundle links between the two switches increasing the bandwidth available to the device.
  • The ease of configuration of the ports in the Nexus 9000. In Catalyst switches, you have to be specific if a port is either FastEthernet, gigabit Ethernet, or ten-gigabit Ethernet. In the Nexus 9000, all port is Ethernet port, making the command used universally, unlike the Catalyst line.
  • The Nexus 9000 provides more features compared to the Catalyst line.
  • The Nexus 9000 has 40GB capability increasing thru-put.
  • Consolidate NX-OS updates, multiple components of the Nexus 9000 had to be updated manually compared to the Catalyst.
  • Licensing for the Cisco 9000 can be complicated. A more straightforward licensing model would benefit us greatly.
  • The Nexus 9000 OS can be buggy depending on the version you are one. We had to perform 2 subsequent upgrades to fix a bug.
  • A positive ROI from the Nexus 9000 is cost reduction. We moved from a 2 core and 2 aggregation layer to just the 2 Nexus 9000 in our data center.
  • Another ROI is the increase of efficiency. We don't have to distinguish between FastEthernet, gigabit ethernet, or ten-gigabit ethernet when configuring the Nexus 9000, they are all ethernet.
  • Furthermore, another ROI is its reliability and stability. We have run our set of Nexus 9000 for over 5 years and have not had any hardware issues.
  • Lastly, the features of the Nexus 9000 are another positive ROI. The ability to utilize vPC, FCoE, 40 gigabits, etc. gives us options to accommodate future business needs.
The Cisco 9000 stacks up quite well against the Cisco Catalyst 3850 switches. The additional features available in the Nexus 9000, such as VPN, FCoE, 40 gigabits, give us the ability to support the future needs of the company in our data center. The Nexus 9000 allowed us to condense our core and aggregation environment that comprised of 2 Catalyst 6504 and 2 Catalyst 6509 to a port of Nexus 9000. Although the Catalyst 3850 would be sufficient to handle routing, those features in the Nexus 9000 made it the clear choice for us.

Do you think Cisco Nexus Series Switches delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cisco Nexus Series Switches's feature set?

Yes

Did Cisco Nexus Series Switches live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cisco Nexus Series Switches go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cisco Nexus Series Switches again?

Yes

The Cisco Nexus 9000 is well suited as the core switch router in data centers. We use them as our main routers using both EIGRP and BGP. We make use of the increased thru-put it's capable of with 10GB ethernet ports and the 40 gigabits interconnect between them. It's not well suited for non-data center locations. The features of the Nexus 9000 are wasted if not utilized in a data center environment.