Product Overview

The Cisco Nexus C36180YC-R is a high-speed, high-density, 1/10/25/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet switch designed for data center aggregation . With large buffers and extensive routing tables, it is also well-suited for applications like IP storage, DMZ, big data, and edge routing . The switch is a 1-Rack-Unit (1RU) fixed-configuration platform that runs the industry-leading Cisco NX-OS Software, offering comprehensive programmability and automation features .

Key Features & Benefits

High Performance & Scalability: Delivers wire-rate Layer 2 and 3 switching on all ports with a switching capacity of up to 1.8 Tbps and a forwarding rate of up to 1.67 Bpps . It features an 8-GB dynamic buffer and large routing tables (256,000 LPM routes) to handle big data and high-scale environments .
High-Density & Flexible Port Configuration: Provides 48 SFP28 ports supporting 1, 10, or 25 Gigabit Ethernet and 6 QSFP28 ports supporting 40 or 100 Gigabit Ethernet . The QSFP28 ports can also operate in breakout mode (4 x 25G or 4 x 10G) .
Advanced Programmability & Automation: Supports Cisco NX-API, Linux containers, and configuration tools like Python, Puppet, and Chef. It also features PowerOn Auto Provisioning (POAP) for touchless bootup and configuration .
High Availability & Security: Includes dual redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fans. All six QSFP28 ports support wire-rate MACsec encryption (IEEE 802.1ae) . Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) ensures tight access control .

Technical Specifications

General

Specification	Details
Device Type	Switch – L3 – managed
Enclosure Type	Rack-mountable – 1U
Ports	48 x 1/10/25 Gigabit SFP28 + 6 x 40/100 Gigabit QSFP28
Operating System	Cisco NX-OS
Switching Capacity	Up to 1.8 Tbps
Forwarding Rate	Up to 1.67 Bpps
MAC Address Table Size	750,000 entries
Flash Memory	128 GB
System RAM	32 GB

Layer 3 & Routing Protocols

Routing Protocols: OSPF, BGP-4, RIP-2, EIGRP, IGMPv2, VRRP, OSPFv2, PIM-SM, IGMPv3, MSDP, CIDR .
Capacity:
- Longest Prefix Match (LPM) Routes: 256,000 .
- IP Host Entries: 750,000 .
- VLANs Supported: 4096 .

Management & Standards

Remote Management Protocol: SNMP 1, 2, 3, Telnet, TFTP, NETCONF .
Compliant Standards: IEEE 802.3z, 802.1D, 802.1Q, 802.1p, 802.3ad (LACP), 802.1w, 802.3ae, 802.1s, 802.1ae (MACsec), 802.1ab (LLDP) .
Features: ARP support, MACsec support, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Power On Auto Provisioning (POAP), Embedded Event Manager (EEM), DHCP Helper .

Physical & Environmental

Specification	Details
Dimensions (WxDxH)	17.3 x 26.9 x 1.7 in (439.4 x 683.3 x 43.2 mm)
Weight	27.12 lbs (12.3 kg)
Power Supply	Dual redundant, hot-swappable (AC/DC options)
Max Power	Up to 771 W
Min Operating Temp	32°F (0°C)
Max Operating Temp	104°F (40°C)
Humidity Range	10 – 85% (non-condensing)

Software & Licensing

The switch is powered by Cisco NX-OS, which features a modular design for fault tolerance and increased network availability .

Enhanced Layer 3 License: To enable advanced Layer 3 features (such as full OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP), the N3K-LAN1K9 license is required .
Software Compatibility: NX-OS interoperates transparently with Cisco products running any variant of Cisco IOS Software and any other networking OS that conforms to the supported standards .

Reference Documentation

Data Sheet: The official Cisco data sheet is the primary source for detailed technical information .
Transceiver Support: For the latest compatibility matrix of supported optics, please refer to the Cisco Transceiver Modules support page .