Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms Data Sheet
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The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are high-performance cloud edge platforms designed for accelerated services, multi-layer security, cloud-native agility, and edge intelligence to accelerate your journey to cloud.
Platforms and configurations
The C8500-20X6C platform (Figure 1) allows all ports to be enabled simultaneously. It offers:
● 20x 1/10GE ports
● 6x 40/100GE ports
The C8500-12X4QC platform (Figure 2) allows for a maximum of 240GE ports to be enabled simultaneously. It offers:
● 12x 1/10GE ports (can increase to 24x 1/10GE if using 4x10GE breakout from QSFP 40G ports when not in SD-WAN mode)
● 3x 40GE ports
● 2x 40/100GE ports
The C8500-12X platform (Figure 3) offers 12x 1/10GE ports.
The C8500L-8S4X platform (Figure 4) offers 4x 1/10GE and 8x 1GE ports.
C8500-20X6C
C8500-12X4QC
C8500-12X with 12x 1/10GE ports
C8500L-8S4X with 4x 1/10GE and 8x 1GE ports
Nomenclature note
Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms refer to C8500-12X, C8500-12X4QC and C8500-20X6C.
Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform refers to C8500L-8S4X.
Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms refer to Catalyst 8500 and Catalyst 8500L Edge Platforms together.
Foundation for Software-Defined WAN
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms (Catalyst 8500 and Catalyst 8500L) with Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software deliver Cisco’s secure, cloud-scale SD-WAN solution for aggregation sites. The Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms feature the all-new third-generation Cisco Quantum Flow Processor (QFP), the Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are built for services from the ground up. The Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform features an x86 based platform architecture that is purpose built to continue delivering the same experience as an ASR1000 platform. The Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are compact 1RU or 3RU (Catalyst C8500-20X6C) devices with flexible interface options, including 1GE, 10GE, 40GE, and 100GE ports. Powered by Cisco IOS XE, fully programmable software architecture, and API support, these platforms can facilitate automation at scale to achieve zero-touch IT capability while migrating workloads to the cloud.
Catalyst 8500 Edge Platform Product highlights
Table 1. Catalyst 8500 Edge Platform Product highlights
| Product feature |
Benefits and description |
| All-new third-generation Quantum Flow Processor (QFP) ASIC |
● Inline hardware-accelerated encryption for high-throughput IPsec and MACsec
● High-performance routing and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN with services
|
| IPsec |
● Up to 5X higher IPsec throughput than 2nd Gen QFP devices
|
| Multicore control processor |
● Intel x86 CPU with 16 GB memory default (up to 64 GB memory) for high-speed control plane processes
|
| Interface flexibility |
● Options for 1GE, 10GE, 40GE, and 100GE ports
|
| DRAM |
● All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms have 16 GB default DRAM and can be upgraded to 32 GB and 64 GB for higher scale. C8500-20X6C has 64GB of DRAM by default
(Maximum possible) |
| SSD storage |
● Default 32-GB eUSB for storage with optional 480-GB SSD upgrade. C8500-20X6C has 480-GB-SSD as default (Maximum available).
|
| Redundancy |
● High-efficiency dual power supplies by default for power supply redundancy
● N+1 redundancy (Option N+2 redundancy) High-efficiency power supplies by default for power supply redundancy on the C8500-20X6C
● All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms support software redundancy with 2 Cisco IOS processes running on a single device (IOS XE routing mode)
|
| Form factor |
● Compact 1RU form factor on the C8500-12X and C8500-12X4QC
● Enhanced 3RU form factor C8500-20X6C
|
| Integrated security |
● Hardware-anchored Secure Boot and Secure Unique Device Identification (SUDI) support for Plug and Play to verify the identity of the hardware and software
|
Table 2. Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform Product highlights
| Product feature |
Benefits and description |
| x86 Based Platform Architecture |
● Advanced flow based forwarding reduces overhead for stateful features
● Dynamic core allocation architecture that can leverage data plane cores for I/O and service plane as per-user configuration
● Higher performance routing and SD-WAN with services
|
| IPsec |
● Up to 2.5X higher IPsec throughput compared to ASR1001-X/ASR1002-X, 19 Gbps (1400 bytes, clear text)
|
| High Performance Control Plane |
● Intel x86 CPU with multiple cores allocated to control plane with 16 GB memory default (up to 64 GB memory) for high-speed control plane processes
|
| Interface flexibility |
● Includes 1G and flexible 1G/10G interfaces
|
| DRAM |
● All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms have 16 GB default DRAM and can be upgraded to 32 GB or 64 GB for higher scale
|
| Flash storage |
● Default 16G eUSB for storage and can be upgraded 32G eUSB for additional storage on the platform
|
| SSD Storage |
● Optional SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB upgrade for additional storage on the platform
|
| Redundancy |
● High-efficiency dual power supplies by default for power supply redundancy
● All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms support software redundancy with 2 Cisco IOS processes running on a single device (IOS XE routing mode)
|
| Form factor |
● Compact 1RU form factor
|
| Integrated security |
● Hardware-anchored Secure Boot and Secure Unique Device Identification (SUDI) support for Plug and Play to verify the identity of the hardware and software
|
Table 3 provides details on each platform’s configurations and port density. Table 4 shows the maximum port configurations for the Cisco Catalyst C8500-20X6C and Table 5 shows the maximum port configurations for the Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X4QC platform.
Table 3. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series configurations and port density
| Platform |
Description |
Max 1GE ports |
Max 10GE ports |
Max 40GE ports |
Max 100GE ports |
| C8500-20X6C* |
20-port 1/10GE, |
20* |
20* |
6* |
6* |
| C8500-12X4QC** |
12-port 1/10GE, |
12** |
12**, *** |
4** |
2** |
| C8500-12X |
12-port 1/10GE |
12 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
| C8500L-8S4X |
4-port 1/10GE, |
12 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
Table 4. Maximum ports configurations for Cisco Catalyst C8500-20X6C (All ports can be enabled)
| Ports type |
Configuration |
| Max 1 GE |
20x1GE |
| Max 10 GE |
20x10GE |
| Max 40 GE + 10 GE |
6x40GE + 20x10GE |
| Max 100 GE + 10 GE |
6x100GE + 20x10GE |
| Max 40/100 GE + 10 GE |
6x40/100GE + 20x10GE |
| Max 40/100 GE + 10 GE |
6x40/100GE + 20x1/10GE |
Table 5. Maximum ports configurations for Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X4QC
| Ports type |
Configuration |
| Max 1 GE |
12x1GE |
| Max 10 GE ** |
12x10GE |
| Max 40 GE + 10 GE |
4x40GE + 8x10GE |
| Max 100 GE |
2x100GE* |
| Max 100 GE + 40 GE |
1x100GE + 3x40GE |
| Max 100 GE + 40 GE + 10 GE |
1x100GE + 1x40GE + 8x10GE |
| Max 100 GE + 10 GE |
1x100GE + 12x10GE |
| Max 10 GE + 40 GE |
12x10GE + 3x40GE |
Figures 5 and 6 are a series of images that highlight the Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X4QC platform’s port options in each of its bays.
Bay 0 + bay 1 port options
Bay 2 port options
Table 5a. Cisco controller mode (Catalyst SD-WAN) performance specifications
| Performance attribute |
C8500-20X6C |
C8500-12X4QC |
C8500-12X |
C8500L-8S4X |
| SD-WAN IPsec Throughput (1400Bytes, clear text) |
Up to 350Gbps |
UP to 96Gbps |
Up to 51Gbps |
Up to 19Gbps |
| SD-WAN IPsec Throughput (IMIX*, clear text**) |
Up to 100Gbps |
Up to 31.9Gbps |
Up to 22.6Gbps |
Up to 10Gbps |
| SD-WAN Overlay Tunnels scale |
8000 (10000[2]) |
8000 (10000[2]) |
8000 (10000[2]) |
6000 (8000[1]) |
SD-WAN Multi-layer security performance use cases for Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform
The Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge platform connects to branch offices to the Internet and cloud, with industry-leading protection against major web attacks. Table 1 below provides test results for common Multi-layer Security use cases in SD-WAN.
● The first use case is with 50% of the traffic encrypted in IQDF traffic pattern (IPSec + Quality of Service (QoS) + Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) + Flexible Netflow (FNF) and another 50% of unencrypted Direct Internet Access (DIA) traffic protected by advanced security features. This protection includes NG-FW, IPS, URLF (URL-Filtering) and AMP (Advanced Malware Protection).
● The third use case is with 100% unencrypted DIA traffic protected by the same advanced security features as in the second use case.
Table 5b. Cisco Catalyst 8500L Series SD-WAN, Multi-layer security performance use cases*
| Performance attribute |
C8500L-8S4X |
| 50% IQDF*+ 50% (DIA w. NAT + NGFW + IPS + URLF + AMP) |
Up to 5.9 Gbps |
| DIA w. NAT + NGFW + IPS + URLF + AMP |
Up to 4 Gbps |
Table 5c. Cisco autonomous mode (non SD-WAN) performance specifications
| Performance attribute |
C8500-20X6C |
C8500-12X4QC |
C8500-12X |
C8500L-8S4X |
| IPv4 Forwarding Throughput (1400 bytes) |
Up to 500Gbps |
Up to 197Gbps |
Up to 118Gbps |
Up to 39Gbps |
| IPsec Throughput (1400 bytes, clear text**) |
Up to 400Gbps |
Up to 135Gbps |
Up to 84Gbps |
Up to 19Gbps |
| Number of IPsec SVTI Tunnels |
4000 |
4000 |
4000 |
4000 |
Table 5d. Cisco autonomous mode (non SD-WAN) system scalability
| Performance attribute |
C8500-20X6C |
C8500-12X4QC |
C8500-12X |
C8500L-8S4X |
| Number of ACLs per system |
8000 |
4000 |
4000 |
4000 |
| Number of IPv4 ACEs per system |
380K |
380K |
47K |
50K |
| Number of IPv4 Routes |
7M w/ default 64GB (16M w/ default 64GB [1]) |
4M w/ default 16GB |
4M w/ default 16GB |
4M w/ default 16GB |
| Number of IPv6 Routes |
7M w/ default 64GB (16M w/ default 64GB [1]) |
4M w/ default 16GB |
4M w/ default 16GB |
4M w/ default 16GB |
| Number of Queues |
256K |
256K |
256K |
16K |
| Number of NAT Sessions |
32M |
16M |
12M |
2M |
| Number of Firewall Sessions |
32M |
6M |
6M |
2M |
| Number of VRFs |
8000 |
8000 |
8000 |
8000 |
Accelerated services with Cisco Catalyst Software-Defined WAN
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN is a set of intelligent software services that allow you to connect users, devices, and branch office locations reliably and securely across a diverse set of WAN transport links. Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series Edge Platforms can dynamically route traffic across the “best” link based on up-to-the-minute application and network conditions for great application experiences. You get tight control over application performance, bandwidth usage, data privacy, and availability of your WAN links—control you need as your branches conduct greater volumes of mission-critical business with both on-premises and cloud controllers.
Application optimization
Ensure that your Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN networks meet Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) and maintain strong performance, even if network problems occur. With multi-cloud access, you can accelerate your SaaS applications with a simple template push from the SD-WAN controller.
Multi-layer security
You can now move your traditional and complex WAN networks to a more agile software-defined WAN with integrated security. The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms feature on-premises and cloud-based security options.
Application visibility
Applications and users are more distributed than ever, and the internet has effectively become the new enterprise WAN. As organizations continue to embrace internet, cloud, and SaaS, network and IT teams are challenged to deliver consistent and reliable connectivity and application performance over networks and services they don’t own or directly control.
The Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are integrated with Cisco ThousandEyes internet and cloud intelligence. IT managers now have expanded visibility, including hop-by-hop analytics, into network underlay, proactive monitoring of SD-WAN overlay, and performance measurement of SaaS applications. This granular visibility ultimately lowers the Mean Time to Identification of Issues (MTTI) and accelerates resolution time.
Cloud-native agility with programmable software architecture
Cisco continues to offer a feature-rich traditional IOS XE routing stack on the Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series Edge Platforms. IP Routing, IPSec, Quality of Service (QoS), firewall, Network Address Translation (NAT), Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR), Flexible NetFlow (FNF), and many other features are part of Cisco IOS XE, a fully programmable software architecture with API support and a wide variety of protocols and configurations. With an integrated software image and a single binary file, you can now choose between Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN and Cisco IOS XE. And easily move from one to the other when you choose to do so.
5G-ready
The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are built for future 5G networks. These platforms support external cellular gateway modules with LTE/5G capability for improved throughput and latency.
Compact form factor
The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge platforms feature compact 1RU and 3RU platforms with rich interface options, including 1G, 10G, 40G, and 100G ports. Featuring the highly efficient third-generation QFP, the Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are built without compromising on performance and ports.
Memory, storage, and accessory options
Table 6. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series C8500-20X6C memory, storage, and accessory options
| Product number |
Description |
| C8500-FILTER-ASSY |
Cisco NEBs level 3 filter |
Note: MEM-C8500-64GB memory, SSD-M2SATA-480G SSD M.2 SATA 480 GB and C8500-ACCKIT3R-19 Cisco Mounting Brackets/accessory kit – 19 inches come standard as a default SKU.
Table 7. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series C8500-12X and C8500-12X4QC memory, storage, and accessory options
| Product number |
Description |
| MEM-C8500-32GB |
Cisco C8500 32 GB memory |
| MEM-C8500-64GB |
Cisco C8500 64 GB memory |
| SSD-M2SATA-480G |
Cisco C8500 SSD M.2 SATA 480 GB |
| C8500-ACCKIT-19 |
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge accessory kit - 19 inches |
| C8500-ACCKIT-23 |
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge accessory kit - 23 inches |
| C8500-4PT-KIT |
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge accessory kit – 4-post kit |
Table 8. Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform memory, storage, and accessory options
| Product number |
Description |
| MEM-C8500L-32GB |
Cisco C8500L 32 GB memory |
| MEM-C8500L-64GB |
Cisco C8500L 64 GB memory |
| SSD-M2NVME-2T |
Cisco C8500L SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB |
| C8500L-RM-19-1R |
Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge accessory kit - 19 inches |
| C8500L-RM-23-1R |
Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge accessory kit - 23 inches |
| C8500L-4PT-KIT |
Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge accessory kit – 4-post kit |
Optics and transceivers modules
A full list of optics and transceivers is available at: https://tmgmatrix.cisco.com/?si=C8500.
Resiliency and high availability
Platform redundancy is critical, as any downtime has direct impact to a customer’s business. The Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms ship with high-efficiency dual power supplies by default for power supply redundancy. All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms support software redundancy with two IOS XE processes running on a single device (IOS XE routing mode) for additional control-plane resiliency.
Table 9. Cisco Catalyst 8500-20X6C Series power supply specifications
| Power supply feature |
PWR-CH1-1100WAC |
PWR-CH1-950WDC |
| Power maximum rating |
1100W |
950W |
| Input-voltage range and frequency |
90-264 V AC 50-60 Hz |
DC: -40 to -72V; -48V nominal |
| Power supply efficiency (nominal) |
80 Plus Platinum 90% 90% @ 20% load 92% @ 50% load 89% @ 100% load |
86% |
| Power Factor (min) |
0.90 |
N/A |
| AC Line Inrush (peak) |
50A |
N/A |
| Input current |
13 A (at 100V AC) 7 A (at 200V AC) |
27.6 A to 15.3 A (23 A) |
| Output ratings |
12 V 90A |
12 V 79 A |
| Output holdup time |
16 ms |
4 ms |
| Power supply input receptacles |
IEC 320 C14 |
Amphenol FXTH series 2 terminal block |
| Power cord rating |
10 A |
#10 wire 30 A |
Note: The 8500-20X6C has 4 Power Supply slots maximum and a minimum of 2 power supplies must be populated/powered.
Table 10. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series power supply specifications for C8500-12X and C850012X4QC
| Power supply feature |
PWR-CH1-750WACR |
PWR-CH1-950WDCR |
| Power maximum rating |
750W |
950W |
| Input-voltage range and frequency |
85 to 264 VAC 47 to 63 Hz |
DC: -40 to -72V; -48V nominal |
| Power supply efficiency (nominal) |
80 Plus Platinum 90% @ 20% load 92% @ 50% load 89% @ 100% load |
86% |
| Power Factor (min) |
0.90 |
N/A |
| AC Line Inrush (peak) |
50A |
N/A |
| Input current |
9.4 A to 3.0 A |
27.6 A to 15.3 A (23 A) |
| Output ratings |
12 V 63 A |
12 V 79 A |
| Output holdup time |
20 ms |
4 ms |
| Power supply input receptacles |
IEC 320 C14 |
Amphenol FXTH series 2 terminal block |
| Power cord rating |
10 A |
#10 wire 30 A |
Table 11. Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform power supply specifications
| Power supply feature |
PWR-CH1-400WAC |
PWR-CH1-400WDC |
PWR-CC1-400WHV |
| Power maximum rating |
424W |
400W |
500W (12V at 42A) output |
| Input-voltage range and frequency |
85 to 264 Vac 47 to 63 Hz |
DC: -40 to -72V; -48V nominal |
85 to 305 Vac 47 to 63 Hz 192 to 400 Vdc |
| Power supply efficiency (nominal) |
80 Plus Silver 85% @ 20% load 89% @ 50% load 85% @ 100% load |
85% @ 20% load 88% @ 50% load 85% @ 100% load |
80 Plus Platinum 90% @ 20% load 94% @ 50% load 91% @ 100% load |
| Input current |
<3A @ 200 Vac <6A @ 100 Vac |
<8A @ -60 Vdc <15A @ -48 Vdc |
<7A @ 100 Vac <2.1A @ 277 Vac <3A @ 240 Vdc <1.5A @ 380 Vdc |
| Output ratings |
400W |
400W |
500W |
| Output holdup time |
T,vout_holdup = 20 ms T,pw_ok_holdup = 5 ms |
T,vout_holdup = 8 ms T,pw_ok_holdup = 2 ms |
T,vout_holdup = 20 ms T,pw_ok_holdup = 20 ms |
| Power supply input receptacles |
IEC 320 Style |
TBD |
Saf-D-Grid, 2006 series |
Table 12. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge Platform acoustics sound power and pressure specifications
| Power supply feature |
C8500-20X6C |
C8500-12X and C8500-12X4QC |
C8500L-8S4X |
| Sound Pressure |
Typical: 63.3 dBA Maximum: 79.3 dBA |
Typical: 61.1 dBA Maximum 69.8 dBA |
Typical: 57 dBA Maximum 76 dBA |
| Sound Power |
Typical: 77.4 dBA Maximum 93.3 dBA |
Typical: 75.1 dBA Maximum 83.8 dBA |
Typical: 64 dBA Maximum 82 dBA |
RFID tags: Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms have an embedded RFID tag that holds Serial Number and Product ID for easy asset and inventory management using commercial RFID readers.
The RFID tag is external and can be easily removed if needed or can be unselected at the time of ordering.
Table 13. Minimum software requirements for Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms
| Part number |
Description |
Minimum software requirement |
| C8500-20X6C |
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 20-port SFP+, 6-port QSFP+ |
Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.10.1 |
| C8500-12X4QC |
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 12-port SFP+, 2-port QSFP+, 2-port QSPF28 |
Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.3.2 |
| C8500-12X |
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 12-port SFP+ |
Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.3.2 |
| C8500L-8S4X |
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 4 port SFP+, 8 port SFP -port SFP+, 8x1GE,4x10GE |
Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.4.1a |
Table 14. ThousandEyes requirements
| Feature |
Description |
| Cisco ThousandEyes |
ThousandEyes is natively integrated with eligible Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms having greater than 8 GB DRAM and 8 GB bootflash/storage. Additional memory and storage may be necessary for concurrently running the ThousandEyes agent with containerized SD-WAN security services. |
Table 15. Software features and protocols for autonomous mode
| Feature |
Description |
| Protocols |
IPv4, Ipv6, static routes, Routing Information Protocol Versions 1 and 2 (RIP and RIPv2), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), BGP Router Reflector, Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS), Multicast Internet Group Management Protocol Version 3 (IGMPv3), Protocol Independent Multicast Sparse Mode (PIM SM), PIM Source-Specific Multicast (SSM), Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP), Cisco Discovery Protocol, Encapsulated Remote Switched Port Analyzer (ERSPAN), Cisco IOS IP Service-Level Agreements (IPSLA), Call Home, Cisco IOS Embedded Event Manager (EEM), Internet Key Exchange (IKE), Access Control Lists (ACL), Ethernet Virtual Connections (EVC), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Frame Relay, DNS, Locator ID Separation Protocol (LISP), Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), RADIUS, Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA), Application Visibility and Control (AVC), Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP), Ipv4-to-Ipv6 Multicast, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPN, Ipsec, WAN MACsec, Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol Version 3 (L2TPv3), Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD), IEEE 802.1ag, and IEEE 802.3ah, *Broadband (BNG, LNS, LAC, and IWAG – L2/IpoE, EoGRE, L3/Routed), EVPN, Segment Routing (MPLS and Ipv6 underlay), VxLAN |
| High Availability |
Software redundancy with dual IOS, Box-to-Box application-level redundancy |
| Encapsulations |
Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), Ethernet, 802.1q VLAN, Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol (MLPPP), High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC), and PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) |
| Traffic management |
Quality of Service (QoS), Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing (CBWFQ), Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED), Hierarchical QoS, Policy-Based Routing (PBR), and Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR) |
| Cryptographic algorithms |
Encryption: DES, 3DES, AES-128, or AES-256 (in CBC and GCM modes) Authentication: RSA (748/1024/2048 bit), ECDSA (256/384 bit) Integrity: MD5, SHA, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512 |
Table 16. Software features and protocols for controller mode
| Feature |
Description |
| Core Features |
Ipv4, Ipv6, static routes, Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Overlay Management Protocol (OMP), Application Aware Routing (AAR), Traffic Engineering, Service Insertion, zero-trust, whitelisting, tamper-proof module, DTLS/TLS, Ipsec, classification, prioritization, low latency queuing, remarking, shaping, scheduling, policing, mirroring, Multicast Ipv4 Support, Service advertisement and insertion policy, SNMP, NTP, DNS client, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), DHCP client, DHCP server, DHCP relay, config archival, syslog, SSH, SCP, Cflowd v10 IPFIX export, Ipv6 for transport-side, VRRP, MPLS, NAT (DIA, Service-side, static, overload/PAT, NAT64, etc), NAT pools, split DNS, Access Control Lists (ACL), Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD), Netconf over SSH, CLI, NTP server support, BFD with service-side BGP, BGP community propagation to OMP, 6 SLA classes for AAR, Trustsec/SDA (Inline SGT propagation), custom app with SD-AVC, multicast AAR, dynamic on-demand tunnels, PIM-SM, OSPFv3, route policies, Multi-VRF support |
| Encapsulations |
Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), Ethernet, 802.1q VLAN |
| Application Experience |
Quality of Service (QoS), Forward Error Correction (FEC), COS Marking, Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED), Hierarchical QoS, Policy-Based Routing (PBR), Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR), Software Defined Application Visibility and Control (SD-AVC), per tunnel QoS, Cloud nramp for SaaS, Enhanced Office 365 traffic steering, Direct Internet Access, Flexible Netflow (FnF) |
| Cryptographic Algorithms |
Encryption: AES-256 (in CBC and GCM modes), Internet Key Exchange (IKE), Cisco PKI Authentication: AAA, RSA (2048 bit), ESP-256-CBC, HMAC-SHA1, ECDSA (256/384 bit) Integrity: SHA-1, SHA-2 |
| Security |
Built-in end-to-end Segmentation (VPNs), ZBFW, PKI, DNS Layer Security, Security Internet Gateway (Umbrella, Zscaler), ALG for ZBFW |
Mechanical specifications
Table 17. Mechanical specifications for the Cisco Catalyst Series 8500 Edge Platforms
| Part number |
C8500-20X6C |
C8500-12X4QC |
C8500-12X |
C8500L-8S4X |
||
| Dimensions (H x W x D) |
26.85 in. L x |
1.73 in. x |
1.73 in. x |
1.73 in.x |
||
| Rack Units (RU) |
3RU |
1RU |
1RU |
1RU |
||
| Chassis weight with 2x AC power supplies and fan tray |
77.5 lbs (4x AC) 75 lbs. (3x AC) |
20.75 lbs |
20.25 lbs |
17 lbs |
||
| Heat Dissipation |
3753 BTU/hr and Max 5118 BTU/hr |
1023.6 BTU/hr and Max 1706.1 BTU/hr |
682.4 BTU/hr and Max 1023.6 BTU/hr |
511 BTU/hr and Max 1057 BTU/hr |
||
| Input voltage |
AC: 90 to 264 VAC DC: -40 to -72VDC |
AC: 85 to 264 VAC DC: -40 to -72VDC |
AC: 85 to 264 VAC DC: -40 to -72 VDC HVAC: 100 to 277 VAC HVDC: 240 to 380 VDC |
|
||
| Operating temperature |
32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C) |
32 to 104°F (0 to 40°C) |
|
|||
| Storage temperature |
-40 to 150°F (-40 to 70°C) |
-40 to 150°F (-40 to 70°C) |
|
|||
| Heat Distribution |
|
|||||
| Relative humidity operating and nonoperating noncondensing |
Ambient (noncondensing) operating: 10 to 85% Ambient (noncondensing) nonoperating and storage: 5 to 95% |
Ambient (noncondensing) operating: 10 to 85% Ambient (noncondensing) nonoperating and storage: 5 to 95% |
|
|||
| NEBS criteria levels |
GR-1089 and GR-63 |
GR-1089 and GR-63 |
|
|||
| Altitude |
-500 to 10,000 feet (-152 to 3048 meters) |
-500 to 10,000 feet (-152 to 3048 meters) |
|
|||
| Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) |
241,225 hours |
146,700 hours |
156,200 hours |
240,200 hours |
|
|
Table 18. Safety and compliance specifications for the Cisco Catalyst Series 8500 Edge Platforms
| Specification |
|
| Safety certifications |
UL 60950-1 CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1 EN 60950-1 IEC 60950-1 AS/NZS 60950-1 GB4943 |
| EMC (Emissions) |
47 CFR Part 15 Class A ICES 003 Class A AS/NZS CISPR 32 Class A CISPR 22/CISPR 32 Class A EN55022/EN55032 Class A VCCI Class A CNS-13438 Class A KN32 Class A IEC/EN 61000-3-2: Power Line Harmonics IEC/EN 61000-3-3: Voltage Fluctuations and Flicker |
| EMC (Immunity) |
IEC/EN-61000-4-2: Electrostatic Discharge Immunity IEC/EN-61000-4-3: Radiated Immunity IEC/EN-61000-4-4: Electrical Fast Transient Immunity IEC/EN-61000-4-5: Surge AC, DC, and Signal Ports IEC/EN-61000-4-6: Immunity to Conducted Disturbances IEC/EN-61000-4-11: Voltage DIPS, Short Interruptions, and Voltage Variations KN35 |
| EMC (ETSI/EN) |
EN300 386: Telecommunications Network Equipment (EMC) EN55022: Information Technology Equipment (Emissions) EN55032: Multimedia Equipment (Emissions) EN55024: Information Technology Equipment (Immunity) EN55035: Multimedia Equipment (Immunity) EN50082-1/EN-61000-6-1: Generic Immunity Standard |
All Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms initially require a Cisco DNA Advantage Software subscription.
For more details, refer to this C8500 ordering guide.
Cisco Smart Licensing
Cisco Smart Licensing is a flexible licensing model that provides you with an easier, faster, and more consistent way to purchase and manage software across the Cisco portfolio and across your organization. And it’s secure – you control what users can access. With Smart Licensing you get:
● Easy Activation: Smart Licensing establishes a pool of software licenses that can be used across the entire organization—no more PAKs (Product Activation Keys).
● Unified Management: My Cisco Entitlements (MCE) provides a complete view into all of your Cisco products and services in an easy-to-use portal, so you always know what you have and what you are using.
● License Flexibility: Your software is not node-locked to your hardware, so you can easily use and transfer licenses as needed.
To use Smart Licensing, you must first set up a Smart Account on Cisco Software Central (software.cisco.com).
For a more detailed overview on Cisco Licensing, go to cisco.com/go/licensingguide.
A valid ThousandEyes agent license is required to activate the ThousandEyes agent. Existing ThousandEyes subscriptions can be leveraged on eligible Catalyst 8500 Series platforms. Additional ThousandEyes subscription information can be found here.
Table 19. Orderable SKUs for the Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms
| Product number |
Product description |
| L-DNA-C8500 |
Cisco C8500 subscription |
| C8500-20X6C |
Cisco C8500-20X6C Edge Platform |
| C8500-12X4QC |
Cisco C8500-12X4QC Edge Platform |
| C8500-12X |
Cisco C8500-12X Edge Platform |
| PWR-CH1-1100WAC |
Cisco C8500 1100W AC Power |
| PWR-CH1-1100WAC= |
Cisco C8500 1100W AC Power, Spare |
| PWR-CH1-750WACR |
Cisco C8500 750W AC Power |
| PWR-CH1-750WACR= |
Cisco C8500 750W AC Power, Spare |
| PWR-CH1-950WDCR |
Cisco C8500 950W DC Power |
| PWR-CH1-950WDCR= |
Cisco C8500 950W DC Power, Spare |
| SSD-M2SATA-480G |
Cisco C8500 SSD M.2 SATA 480GB |
| SSD-M2SATA-480G= |
Cisco C8500 SSD M.2 SATA 480GB, Spare |
| MEM-C8500-16GB= |
Cisco C8500 16GB Memory, Spare |
| MEM-C8500-32GB |
Cisco C8500 32GB Memory |
| MEM-C8500-32GB= |
Cisco C8500 32GB Memory, Spare |
| MEM-C8500-64GB |
Cisco C8500 64GB Memory |
| MEM-C8500-64GB= |
Cisco C8500 64GB Memory, Spare |
| C8500-FAN-3R= |
Cisco C8500 Fan Tray, 3RU, Spare |
| C8500-FAN-1R= |
Cisco C8500 Fan Tray, 1RU, Spare |
| C8500-ACCKIT3R-19 |
Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 19” |
| C8500-ACCKIT3R-19= |
Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 19”, Spare |
| C8500-ACCKIT-19 |
Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 19” |
| C8500-ACCKIT-19= |
Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 19”, Spare |
| C8500-ACCKIT-23 |
Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 23” |
| C8500-ACCKIT-23= |
Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 23”, Spare |
| C8500-4PT-KIT |
Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 4 Post Kit |
| C8500-4PT-KIT= |
Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 4 Post Kit, Spare |
| C8500-FILTER-ASSY |
Cisco C8500 NEBs Level 3 Filter and assembly |
| C8500-NEB3-FILTER= |
Cisco C8500 NEBs Level 3 Filter replacement, Spare |
| C8500-RFID-3R |
Cisco C8500 RFID – 3RU |
| C8500-RFID-1R |
Cisco C8500 RFID – 1RU |
Table 20. Orderable SKUs for the Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform
| Product number |
Product description |
| L-DNA-C8500 |
Cisco C8500 subscription |
| C8500L-8S4X |
Cisco C8500L-8S4X Edge Platform |
| PWR-CH1-400WAC |
Cisco C8500L 400W AC Power |
| PWR-CH1-400WAC= |
Cisco C8500L 400W AC Power, Spare |
| PWR-CH1-400WDCR |
Cisco C8500L 400W DC Power |
| PWR-CH1-400WDC= |
Cisco C8500L 400W DC Power, Spare |
| PWR-CC1-400WHV |
Cisco C8500L 400W HVDC Power |
| PWR-CC1-400WHV= |
Cisco C8500L 400W HVDC Power, Spare |
| MEM-C8500L-16GB= |
Cisco C8500L 16GB Memory, Spare |
| MEM-C8500L-32GB |
Cisco C8500L 32GB Memory |
| MEM-C8500L-32GB= |
Cisco C8500L 32GB Memory, Spare |
| MEM-C8500L-64GB |
Cisco C8500L 64GB Memory |
| MEM-C8500L-64GB= |
Cisco C8500L 64GB Memory, Spare |
| SSD-M2NVME-2T |
Cisco C8500L SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB |
| SSD-M2NVME-2T= |
Cisco C8500L SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB, Spare |
| C8500L-FAN-1R= |
Cisco C8500L Fan Tray, 1RU, Spare |
| C8500L-RM-19-1R |
Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 19” |
| C8500L-RM-19-1R= |
Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 19”, Spare |
| C8500L-RM-23-1R |
Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 23” |
| C8500L-RM-23-1R= |
Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 23”, Spare |
| C8500L-4PT-KIT |
Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 4 Post Kit |
| C8500L-4PT-KIT= |
Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 4 Post Kit, Spare |
| C-RFID-1R |
Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge RFID - 1RU |
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platform come standard with a Cisco Limited 1-Year Return To Factory Hardware Warranty. For more information, refer to: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/warranties/warranty-c99-744450.html.
Cisco Customer Experience Support Services for Catalyst 8000 platforms and Cisco DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing
This section discusses the Cisco Support Services available for Catalyst 8000 platforms and associated Cisco DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing, as well as optional Support Service offers.
● Catalyst 8000 platforms: Cisco Solution Support is the default and recommended Cisco Support Service. However, Cisco Solution Support is not mandatory; it can be removed or replaced with another Cisco support service or partner service per the customer’s preference.
● Cisco DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing: Cisco Solution Support is the default Cisco support service. However, Cisco Solution Support is not mandatory; the customer may choose to use the Cisco Subscription Embedded Software Support included with the purchase of this software.
Note:
● When Solution Support is selected, it must be ordered on both the Catalyst 8000 platform and Cisco DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing for complete customer entitlement to this premium support service.
● SD-WAN and Routing, with both Solution Support or Cisco Subscription Embedded Software Support, customers are entitled to maintenance releases and software updates for Cisco DNA SD-WAN and Routing software only. The support for the Catalyst 8000 platform’s OS and network stack, along with OS updates, is covered by the support contract on the Catalyst 8000 platform.
Cisco Solution Support is a premium support purpose-built for today’s multiproduct, multivendor network environments and provides:
● A primary point of contact centralizing support across a solution deployment.
● Solution, product, and interoperability expertise.
● No requirement for customers to isolate their issue to a product to open a case.
● 30-minute service response objective for Severity 1 and 2 cases.
● Prioritized case handling over product support cases.
● Product support team coordination (Cisco and Solution Support Alliance Partners).
● Accountability for multiproduct, multivendor issue management from first call to resolution, no matter where the issue resides.
Learn more about Cisco Solution Support at https://www.cisco.com/go/solutionsupport.
Cisco Subscription Embedded Software Support includes:
● Access to support and troubleshooting via online tools and web case submission. Case severity or escalation guidelines are not applicable.
● Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) access 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to assist by telephone, or web case submission and online tools with application software use and troubleshooting issues.
● Access to https://www.cisco.com, providing helpful technical and general information on Cisco products, as well as access to Cisco’s online Software Center library.
Note: No additional products or fees are required to receive embedded support for Cisco DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing. However, if using embedded support for this software, hardware support for the Catalyst 8000 platforms must be purchased separately, as Cisco Subscription Embedded Software Support does not cover hardware. In this case, Cisco Smart Net Total Care Service is recommended for Catalyst 8000 platforms.
Table 21. Cisco Environmental Sustainability Information
| Sustainability Topic |
Reference |
|
| General |
Information on product-material-content laws and regulations |
|
| Information on electronic waste laws and regulations, including our products, batteries and packaging |
||
| Information on product takeback and resuse program |
||
| Sustainability Inquiries |
Contact: csr_inquiries@cisco.com |
|
| Material |
Product packaging weight and materials |
Contact: environment@cisco.com |
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| New or Revised Topic |
Described In |
Date |
| Added Cisco C8500L SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB |
December 7, 2021 |
|
| Added Document History |
December 7, 2021 |
|
| Added Product Sustainability |
December 7, 2021 |
|
| Removed MEM-C8500L-16GB as an option, default memory |
December 7, 2021 |
|
| Added reference for ThousandEyes agent hosting support |
December 4, 2022 |
|
| Added C8500-20X6C product |
Throughout document |
November 30, 2022 |
| Updates to data sheet including Table 12 |
Throughout document and Table 12 |
March 4, 2023 |
| Updated IPSec performance for Catalyst 8500L. Updated system scalability for IPv4 and IPv6. Added power efficiency data. Added sound acoustics specifications |
April 24, 2024 |
|
| General Updates to document, including licensing and performance characteristics. |
August 2024 |