The Cisco Nexus 92160YC-X is a 1RU leaf switch with 48 SFP28 access ports that run at 1, 10 or 25 Gbps and an uplink block of 6 QSFP ports. It supports 3.2 Tbps of switching capacity and over 2.5 billion packets per second, and the uplink block is an either-or choice of uplink capability, delivering up to four 100 Gigabit ports or up to six 40 Gigabit ports.
Ports, capacity and the uplink choice
Uplink configuration on the 92160YC-X is an either-or decision rather than an additive one, and it is the single most misread line on the data sheet. Cisco describes the uplink capability as up to four 100 Gigabit ports or up to six 40 Gigabit ports. A design that assumes six QSFP cages all lit at 100 Gigabit is over-provisioned on paper and will not be delivered by the hardware. Access-side, all 48 SFP28 ports negotiate 1, 10 or 25 Gbps, so a rack mid-way through a 25G server refresh runs mixed speeds without stranding ports.
| Specification | Nexus 92160YC-X |
|---|---|
| Rack height | 1RU |
| Access ports | 48 x SFP28, 1/10/25 Gbps |
| Uplink ports | Up to 4 x 100G or up to 6 x 40G |
| Switching capacity | 3.2 Tbps |
| Forwarding rate | Over 2.5 bpps |
| Shared packet buffer | 20 MB |
| CPU | 2 cores |
| System memory | 16 GB |
| Onboard storage | 64 GB SSD |
| Fans | 4 |
| Typical power draw | 150 W at 10G, 170 W at 25G |
| Maximum power draw | 475 W |
| MTBF | 379,400 hours |
| Weight | 14.12 lb |
Power and thermal envelope
Power draw on this platform is modest for a 25 Gigabit leaf: 150 W typical with the access ports at 10 Gbps and 170 W typical at 25 Gbps, against a 475 W maximum. Four fans handle the cooling and the published mean time between failures is 379,400 hours. At 14.12 lb the chassis is light enough for a single-person rack install, which is not true of every switch in this class.
The gap between the typical and the maximum figure is where rack power planning goes wrong. Size the circuit against the maximum, not the typical, because the maximum is what the supplies will pull under a fault or a full optical load.
Buffering, and why 20 MB matters on a leaf switch
Shared buffer on this switch is 20 MB, and on a leaf that number governs how much incast a rack can absorb before the switch starts dropping. Incast is the ordinary condition in a virtualised rack: many servers answer one request at once and their replies arrive at a single egress port in the same instant. A deeper shared pool holds that burst long enough to drain it; a shallower one discards the overflow and the application sees retransmissions rather than congestion.
Two CPU cores, 16 GB of system memory and a 64 GB solid-state drive handle the control plane and the on-box software image. Those are the figures to check when planning a software upgrade, because control-plane resource is what limits how many features can run concurrently rather than how much traffic the data plane can move.
How the 92160YC-X compares with the 93180YC-EX
These two switches occupy the same slot in a design and are separated by two things: forwarding capacity, and how much Cisco support runway is left. The 92160YC-X carries a smaller buffer, half the CPU cores and slightly lower capacity, and its Cisco support window has already closed.
| Model | Capacity | Forwarding | Buffer | CPU cores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nexus 92160YC-X | 3.2 Tbps | Over 2.5 bpps | 20 MB | 2 |
| Nexus 93180YC-EX | 3.6 Tbps | 2.6 bpps | 40 MB class | 4 |
| Nexus 9372PX | 1.44 Tbps | Over 1150 mpps | 25 MB | 2 |
Where the requirement is a supported platform, the Nexus 93180YC-EX is the correct recommendation and this page says so plainly. Where the requirement is to match, spare or extend an installed 92160YC-X fabric, this switch is the right part and the support position is a known and accepted condition. For 10 Gigabit access rather than 25, the Nexus 9372TX and its fibre sibling are the lower-cost fit. The wider range sits on the Cisco networking hardware page.
Lifecycle and support horizon
Cisco end-of-life notice EOL13356 covers this switch and every milestone in it has now passed. End-of-Sale for the hardware was 5 March 2021 and the Last Ship Date was 4 June 2021. End of Vulnerability and Security Support was 4 March 2024, and the Last Date of Support for the hardware was 31 March 2026.
Stated without softening: Cisco no longer supports this hardware and no longer issues software fixes for it. That does not make the switch useless, and it is precisely why the secondary market exists for it, but it does change what the buyer is buying. A 92160YC-X purchased now is a spare, a stack match or a capacity add for a fabric that already runs this model, supported by the buyer's own spares policy rather than by Cisco.
Condition, testing and what ships
Every unit is refurbished enterprise hardware carrying the original Cisco part number. Testing runs on receipt and again on despatch, with the switch disassembled, cleaned, inventoried, picked, assembled and configured between the two. Whole systems including this switch carry the 2-year Enterasource warranty and ship free FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states.
Power supplies and fan trays are matched to a stated airflow direction at order time. QSFP and SFP28 optics are quoted separately. Cisco software entitlement does not transfer with used hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Nexus 92160YC-X run six 100 Gigabit uplinks?
No. Cisco specifies the uplink capability as up to four 100 Gigabit ports or up to six 40 Gigabit ports, which is an either-or choice rather than a combined total. A topology requiring more than four hundred-Gigabit uplinks from a single leaf needs a different switch. Access ports are unaffected by that choice and all 48 remain available at 1, 10 or 25 Gbps.
What is the difference between the Nexus 92160YC-X and the 93180YC-EX?
Capacity, buffering, processing and support runway. The 92160YC-X carries 3.2 Tbps against 3.6 Tbps, a 20 MB shared buffer, and two CPU cores against four. The access port layout is comparable at 48 SFP28 ports on both. The decisive practical difference for a buyer today is that Cisco support on the 93180YC-EX runs several years further forward.
Is the Cisco Nexus 92160YC-X still supported?
No. Cisco notice EOL13356 sets End-of-Sale on 5 March 2021, the Last Ship Date on 4 June 2021, End of Vulnerability and Security Support on 4 March 2024 and the Last Date of Support for the hardware on 31 March 2026. All four have passed, so neither Cisco hardware service nor Cisco software fixes are available for this platform.
How much power does a Nexus 92160YC-X draw?
Typical draw is 150 W with access ports at 10 Gbps and 170 W with them at 25 Gbps, against a published maximum of 475 W. Rack circuit planning should use the maximum figure rather than the typical one. The chassis is cooled by four fans, has a published mean time between failures of 379,400 hours and weighs 14.12 lb.
How many 25 Gigabit servers will a Nexus 92160YC-X support?
Forty-eight, one per SFP28 access port, with the uplink block reserved separately for the spine. Those same ports will negotiate at 1 or 10 Gbps, so a rack running a mixture of older 10 Gigabit and newer 25 Gigabit network cards is served by one switch without any port being locked to the wrong rate or wasted during the transition.
What condition are your refurbished Nexus 9200 switches in?
They are cleaned, bench tested and configured to the order specification before despatch, having already been tested once on receipt. Cosmetic grading is recorded per chassis rather than described generically, and any physical defect found during either test pass is published on that unit's listing before it is offered rather than disclosed after purchase.
