Cisco Nexus 3172PQ 48-Port 10GbE + 6-Port 40GbE Data Center Switch

The Cisco Nexus 3172PQ (N3K-C3172PQ-10GE) is a high-performance 1U Layer 2 and Layer 3 data center switch from the Cisco Nexus 3000 Series. Designed primarily for top-of-rack (ToR) deployments, it provides dense 10 Gigabit Ethernet server connectivity together with high-speed 40 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks.

With 48 SFP+ ports and 6 QSFP+ ports, the Nexus 3172PQ delivers up to 1.4 Tbps switching capacity and up to 1 billion packets per second forwarding performance, making it suitable for enterprise data centers, virtualization clusters, cloud infrastructure, storage networks, and other high-bandwidth environments.

48 × SFP+ Network Ports

The switch provides 48 SFP+ ports. Each port can operate at 100 Mbps, 1GbE, or 10GbE depending on the supported transceiver and configuration, providing flexible connectivity for servers and network equipment.

6 × 40GbE QSFP+ Ports

Six QSFP+ interfaces provide native 40 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. Each QSFP+ interface can also operate as 4 × 10GbE using supported breakout cables, allowing the switch to provide up to 72 10GbE interfaces when fully configured for breakout operation.

High-Performance Layer 2 & Layer 3 Switching

The Nexus 3172PQ provides wire-rate Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching across all ports. With approximately 1.4 Tbps switching capacity and forwarding performance of up to 1 Bpps, it is designed for demanding data center network workloads.

Cisco NX-OS

The switch runs Cisco NX-OS, providing enterprise-class network management, Layer 2 switching, Layer 3 routing, redundancy, automation, monitoring, and data center networking capabilities.

Top-of-Rack Data Center Design

The compact 1RU form factor makes the Nexus 3172PQ well suited for top-of-rack deployments where multiple 10GbE servers require high-bandwidth 40GbE uplinks to aggregation or spine switches.

High Availability

The platform supports two redundant power supplies and a redundant 3+1 fan architecture. Power supplies and fans are hot-swappable, helping improve availability in enterprise and data center environments.

Key Specifications

• Manufacturer: Cisco
• Series: Cisco Nexus 3000 Series
• Model: Nexus 3172PQ
• Product ID: N3K-C3172PQ-10GE
• Switch Type: Layer 2 / Layer 3 Data Center Switch
• Form Factor: 1RU Rack Mount
• SFP+ Ports: 48
• SFP+ Speeds: 100Mbps / 1GbE / 10GbE
• QSFP+ Ports: 6
• QSFP+ Speed: 40GbE or 4 × 10GbE breakout per port
• Maximum 10GbE Ports: Up to 72
• Switching Capacity: Approximately 1.4 Tbps
• Forwarding Rate: Up to 1 Bpps
• Jumbo Frame MTU: Up to 9216 Bytes
• System Memory: 4GB
• Boot Flash: 2GB
• Shared Buffer: 12MB
• MAC Addresses: Up to 288,000
• VLANs: Up to 4096
• Power Supplies: 2 Redundant PSUs
• Fans: Redundant 3+1, Hot-Swappable
• Typical Operating Power: Approximately 143W depending on configuration
• Maximum Power: 293W
• Operating System: Cisco NX-OS
• Application: Data Center, ToR, Cloud, Virtualization and High-Speed Server Networking