Connecting Leaf Switches To Apics - Cisco Nexus 93600CD-GX Hardware Installation Manual

Connecting the Switch to the ACI Fabric
• Do not remove or insert a transceiver more often than necessary. Repeated removals and insertions can
• Keep the transceivers and fiber-optic cables clean and dust free to maintain high signal accuracy and to
• Inspect routinely for dust and damage. If you suspect damage, clean and then inspect fiber ends under a

Connecting Leaf Switches to APICs

You must downlink one or two (recommended for redundancy) Cisco Nexus 9300 platform ACI-mode leaf
switches to each Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) in your ACI fabric. The type of virtual
interface card (VIC) installed on the APIC determines the types of interface cables that you can use to connect
the leaf switches to the APICs.
• The VIC 1225T module supports copper connectors, copper cables, and switches with copper downlink
• The VIC 1225 module supports optical transceivers, optical cables, and switches with optical downlink
• The VIC 1455 module supports optical transceivers, optical cables, and switches with optical downlink
Before you begin
The APIC and leaf switches in the fabric must be fully installed in their racks and grounded.
Step 1
Connect an interface cable to one of the two to four ports on the virtual interface card (VIC) installed on the APIC. If the
cable is not already assembled to its transceivers, insert the transceiver into the VIC port and then connect the optical
interface cable to the transceiver.
• For a VIC 1225T 10GBASE-T copper module, use 10GBASE-T cables with RJ-45 connectors.
• For a VIC 1225 optical module, use one of the following sets of transceivers and cables:
can connect your wrist strap. If you cannot find an ESD port, connect the wrist strap to an earth ground
(such as the grounding connection for the chassis).
shorten its useful life.
prevent damage to the connectors. Attenuation (loss of light) increases with contamination and should
be kept below 0.35 dB.
• Clean these parts before installing them to prevent dust from scratching the fiber-optic cable ends.
• Clean the connectors regularly; the required frequency of cleaning depends upon the environment.
In addition, clean connectors if they are exposed to dust or accidentally touched. Both wet and dry
cleaning techniques can be effective; refer to your site's fiber-optic connection cleaning procedures.
• Do not touch the ends of connectors. Touching the ends can leave fingerprints and cause other
contamination.
microscope to determine if damage has occurred.
ports (such as: Cisco Nexus 93108TC-EX, 93108TC-FX, 93120TX, 93128TX, 9372TX, 9372TX-E, and
9396TX switches).
ports (such as: Cisco Nexus 93180LC-EX, 93180YC-EX, 93180YC-FX, 9332PQ, 9336C-FX2,
9348GC-FXP, 9372PX, 9372PX-E, 9396PX, and 93600CD-GC switches).
ports (such as: Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2, 93180LC-EX, 93180YC-EX, 93180YC-FX, 93240YC=FX2,
and 93600CD-GC switches).
Cisco Nexus 93600CD-GX ACI-Mode Switch Hardware Installation Guide

Connecting Leaf Switches to APICs

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