Features and benefits

The 7700 F3-Series module integrates a broad set of data center switching technologies, including industry standards and Cisco's own innovations. It combines the benefits of classic fabric interface line cards with the advanced routing features of edge interface modules. With this integration, the module provides exceptional investment protection for organizations consolidating their data center environments while migrating to dense, multiservice 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks.

●     The 7700 F3-Series module is powered by the proven and comprehensive NX-OS feature set. This extremely comprehensive set of Layer 2 and Layer 3 functions makes this module excellent for data center networks, in which density, performance, and continuous system operation are critical.

●     The 7700 F3-Series module is a critical enabler of Cisco FabricPath. With FabricPath, organizations can build resilient, flexible, and if needed, massively scalable Layer 2 networks. FabricPath protects enterprises' investments by allowing existing spanning-tree-based deployments to be connected to a FabricPath network.

●     The 7700 F3-Series module can be used in conjunction with the Cisco Nexus 2000 Series Fabric Extenders (FEX). The 2000 Series is designed to simplify data center architecture and operations by dramatically reducing the number of points of management.

●     The 7700 F3-Series module delivers integrated Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), greatly simplifying the network infrastructure and reducing costs by enabling the deployment of unified data center fabrics to consolidate data center traffic onto a single, general-purpose, high-performance, highly available network. With the 7700 F3-Series module, FCoE can be deployed in director-class modular platforms for the access layer and core of converged networks.

●     The 7700 F3-Series module provides support for wire-rate VXLAN, offering the architectural flexibility needed to expand cloud deployments with repeatable pods in different Layer 2 domains. VXLAN can also enable migration of virtual machines between servers across Layer 3 networks.

●     The support of advanced Data Center Interconnect (DCI) protocols such as Cisco OTV and VPLS makes the module excellent for helping customers simplify the extension of applications across geographically dispersed data center sites.

●     The 7700 F3-Series module supports high-performance MPLS for 10 Gigabit Ethernet data center deployments.

●     Support for Cisco LISP enables enterprises and service providers to simplify multihomed routing and facilitates scalable any-to-any WAN connectivity while supporting data center virtual machine mobility.

●     The Virtual Device Context (VDC) feature helps enable the virtualization of a single physical device in one or more logical devices. Each provisioned logical device is configured and managed as if it were a separate physical device.