Data sheet

Cisco public

Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge

Platforms

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Contents
Platform details 3
Foundation for Software-Defined WAN 4
Product overview 4
Overall platform benefits 9
Memory, storage, and accessory options 10
Optics and transceivers modules 11
Resiliency and high availability 11
Power supplies 11
Software requirements 13
Specifications 15
Safety and compliance 16
Licensing 17
Ordering information 18
Warranty 20
Services 20
Product sustainability 21
Cisco Capital 22
Document history 23

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The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are high-performance cloud edge
platforms designed for accelerated services, multi-layer security, cloud-native agility,
and edge intelligence to accelerate your journey to cloud.

Platform details
Platforms and configurations

The C8500-20X6C platform (Figure 1) allows all ports to be enabled simultaneously. It offers:

● 20x 1/10GE ports

● 6x 40/100GE ports

The C8500-12X4QC platform (Figure 2) allows for a maximum of 240GE ports to be enabled simultaneously. It
offers:

● 12x 1/10GE ports (can increase to 24x 1/10GE if using 4x10GE breakout from QSFP 40G ports when not
in SD-WAN mode)
● 3x 40GE ports
● 2x 40/100GE ports

The C8500-12X platform (Figure 3) offers 12x 1/10GE ports.

The C8500L-8S4X platform (Figure 4) offers 4x 1/10GE and 8x 1GE ports.

Figure 1.
C8500-20X6C

Figure 2.
C8500-12X4QC

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 3 of 23

Figure 3.
C8500-12X with 12x 1/10GE ports

Figure 4.
C8500L-8S4X with 4x 1/10GE and 8x 1GE ports

Nomenclature note
Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms refer to C8500-12X, C8500-12X4QC and C8500-20X6C.

Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform refers to C8500L-8S4X.

Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms refer to Catalyst 8500 and Catalyst 8500L Edge Platforms together.

Foundation for Software-Defined WAN

Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms (Catalyst 8500 and Catalyst 8500L) with Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN
Software deliver Cisco’s secure, cloud-scale SD-WAN solution for aggregation sites. The Catalyst 8500 Edge
Platforms feature the all-new third-generation Cisco Quantum Flow Processor (QFP), the Catalyst 8500 Series
Edge Platforms are built for services from the ground up. The Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform features an x86
based platform architecture that is purpose built to continue delivering the same experience as an ASR1000
platform. The Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are compact 1RU or 3RU (Catalyst C8500-20X6C) devices
with flexible interface options, including 1GE, 10GE, 40GE, and 100GE ports. Powered by Cisco IOS XE, fully
programmable software architecture, and API support, these platforms can facilitate automation at scale to
achieve zero-touch IT capability while migrating workloads to the cloud.

Product overview
Catalyst 8500 Edge Platform Product highlights

Table 1. Catalyst 8500 Edge Platform Product highlights

Product feature Benefits and description

All-new third-generation ● Inline hardware-accelerated encryption for high-throughput IPsec and MACsec
Quantum Flow Processor (QFP) ● High-performance routing and SD-WAN with services
ASIC

IPsec ● Up to 5X higher IPsec throughput than 2nd Gen QFP devices

Multicore control processor ● Intel x86 CPU with 16 GB memory default (up to 64 GB memory) for high-speed control
plane processes

Interface flexibility ● Options for 1GE, 10GE, 40GE, and 100GE ports

DRAM ● All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms have 16 GB default DRAM and can be upgraded to 32 GB
and 64 GB for higher scale. C8500-20X6C has 64GB of DRAM by default

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 Product feature Benefits and description
(Maximum possible)

SSD storage ● Default 32-GB eUSB for storage with optional 480-GB SSD upgrade. C8500-20X6C has
480-GB-SSD as default (Maximum available).

Redundancy ● High-efficiency dual power supplies by default for power supply redundancy
● N+1 redundancy (Option N+2 redundancy) High-efficiency power supplies by default for
power supply redundancy on the C8500-20X6C
● All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms support software redundancy with 2 Cisco IOS processes
running on a single device (IOS XE routing mode)

Form factor ● Compact 1RU form factor on the C8500-12X and C8500-12X4QC
● Enhanced 3RU form factor C8500-20X6C

Integrated security ● Hardware-anchored Secure Boot and Secure Unique Device Identification (SUDI) support
for Plug and Play to verify the identity of the hardware and software

Table 2. Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform Product highlights

Product feature Benefits and description

x86 Based Platform Architecture ● Advanced flow based forwarding reduces overhead for stateful features
● Dynamic core allocation architecture that can leverage data plane cores for I/O and service
plane as per-user configuration
● Higher performance routing and SD-WAN with services

IPsec ● Up to 2.5X higher IPsec throughput compared to ASR1001-X/ASR1002-X, 19 Gbps

(1400 bytes, clear text)

High Performance Control Plane ● Intel x86 CPU with multiple cores allocated to control plane with 16 GB memory default
(up to 64 GB memory) for high-speed control plane processes

Interface flexibility ● Includes 1G and flexible 1G/10G interfaces

DRAM ● All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms have 16 GB default DRAM and can be upgraded to 32 GB
or 64 GB for higher scale

Flash storage ● Default 16G eUSB for storage and can be upgraded 32G eUSB for additional storage on the
platform

SSD Storage ● Optional SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB upgrade for additional storage on the platform

Redundancy ● High-efficiency dual power supplies by default for power supply redundancy
● All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms support software redundancy with 2 Cisco IOS processes
running on a single device (IOS XE routing mode)

Form factor ● Compact 1RU form factor

Integrated security ● Hardware-anchored Secure Boot and Secure Unique Device Identification (SUDI) support
for Plug and Play to verify the identity of the hardware and software

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 5 of 23

Table 3 provides details on each platform’s configurations and port density. Table 4 shows the maximum port
configurations for the Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X4QC platform.

Table 3. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series configurations and port density

Platform Description Max 1GE ports Max 10GE ports Max 40GE ports Max 100GE ports

C8500-20X6C* 20-port 1/10GE, 20* 20* 6* 6*

6-port 40/100GE

C8500-12X4QC** 12-port 1/10GE, 12** 12**, *** 4** 2**

2-port 40/100GE,
2-port 40GE

C8500-12X 12-port 1/10GE 12 12 0 0

C8500L-8S4X 4-port 1/10GE, 12 4 0 0

8-port 1GE

*
All interfaces (total of 800 Gbps bandwidth) can be enabled simultaneously
**
Up to 240GE of ports can be enabled simultaneously

***
By using 4x10GE breakout cables for the QSFP 40G ports, a total of 24 10GE interfaces can be configured. This is not supported in SD-
WAN mode.

Table 4. Maximum ports configurations for Cisco Catalyst C8500-20X6C (All ports can be enabled)

Ports type Configuration

Max 1 GE 20x1GE

Max 10 GE 20x10GE

Max 40 GE + 10 GE 6x40GE + 20x10GE

Max 100 GE + 10 GE 6x100GE + 20x10GE

Max 40/100 GE + 10 GE 6x40/100GE + 20x10GE

Max 40/100 GE + 10 GE 6x40/100GE + 20x1/10GE

Table 5. Maximum ports configurations for Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X4QC

Ports type Configuration

Max 1 GE 12x1GE

Max 10 GE ** 12x10GE

Max 40 GE + 10 GE 4x40GE + 8x10GE

Max 100 GE 2x100GE*

Max 100 GE + 40 GE 1x100GE + 3x40GE

Max 100 GE + 40 GE + 10 GE 1x100GE + 1x40GE + 8x10GE

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 6 of 23

 Ports type Configuration

Max 100 GE + 10 GE 1x100GE + 12x10GE

Max 10 GE + 40 GE 12x10GE + 3x40GE

*
When Bay 1 is set up in 100GE mode, no other ports available in Bay 0 or Bay 1.

**
By using 4x10GE breakout cables for the QSFP 40G ports, a total of 24 10GE interfaces can be configured. This is not supported in SD-
WAN mode.

Figures 5 and 6 are a series of images that highlight the Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X4QC platform’s port options
in each of its bays.

Figure 5.
Bay 0 + bay 1 port options

Figure 6.
Bay 2 port options

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Table 5a. Cisco controller mode (SD-WAN) performance specifications

C8500-20X6C C8500-12X4QC C8500-12X C8500L-8S4X

SD-WAN IPsec Throughput (1400Bytes, clear text) Up to 350Gbps UP to 96Gbps Up to 51Gbps Up to 19Gbps

SD-WAN IPsec Throughput (IMIX*, clear text**) Up to 100Gbps Up to 31.9Gbps Up to 22.6Gbps Up to 10Gbps

SD-WAN Overlay Tunnels scale 8000 (10000[2]) 8000 (10000[2]) 8000 (10000[2]) 6000 (8000[1])

[1]
IOS XE 17.12.1, 20.12.1

[2]
IOS XE 17.14.1, 20.14.1

Table 5b. Cisco autonomous mode (non SD-WAN) performance specifications

C8500-20X6C C8500-12X4QC C8500-12X C8500L-8S4X

IPv4 Forwarding Throughput Up to 500Gbps Up to 197Gbps Up to 118Gbps Up to 39Gbps

(1400 bytes)

IPsec Throughput Up to 400Gbps Up to 135Gbps Up to 84Gbps Up to 19Gbps

(1400 bytes, clear text ) **

Number of IPsec SVTI Tunnels 4000 4000 4000 4000

Table 5c. Cisco autonomous mode (non SD-WAN) system scalability

C8500-20X6C C8500-12X4QC C8500-12X C8500L-8S4X

Number of ACLs per system 8000 4000 4000 4000

Number of IPv4 ACEs per system 380K 380K 47K 50K

Number of IPv4 Routes 7M w/ default 64GB 4M w/ default 16GB 4M w/ default 16GB 4M w/ default 16GB
(16M w/ default
64GB [1])

Number of IPv6 Routes 7M w/ default 64GB 4M w/ default 16GB 4M w/ default 16GB 4M w/ default 16GB
(16M w/ default
64GB [1])

Number of Queues 256K 256K 256K 16K

Number of NAT Sessions 32M 16M 12M 2M

Number of Firewall Sessions 32M 6M 6M 2M

Number of VRFs 8000 8000 8000 8000

*
IMIX is average packet size of 352 Bytes packet size.

**
Based on clear text traffic measurement from traffic generator.

[1]
Starting in IOS XE 17.15.1, 20.15.1

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Overall platform benefits
Accelerated services with Cisco Software-Defined WAN

Cisco SD-WAN is a set of intelligent software services that allow you to connect users, devices, and branch
office locations reliably and securely across a diverse set of WAN transport links. Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series
Edge Platforms can dynamically route traffic across the “best” link based on up-to-the-minute application and
network conditions for great application experiences. You get tight control over application performance,
bandwidth usage, data privacy, and availability of your WAN links—control you need as your branches conduct
greater volumes of mission-critical business with both on-premises and cloud controllers.
Application optimization

Ensure that SD-WAN networks meet Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) and maintain strong performance, even
if network problems occur. With multi-cloud access, you can accelerate your SaaS applications with a simple
template push from the SD-WAN controller.
Multi-layer security

You can now move your traditional and complex WAN networks to a more agile software-defined WAN with
integrated security. The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms feature on-premises and cloud-based
security options.
Application visibility

Applications and users are more distributed than ever, and the internet has effectively become the new
enterprise WAN. As organizations continue to embrace internet, cloud, and SaaS, network and IT teams are
challenged to deliver consistent and reliable connectivity and application performance over networks and
services they don’t own or directly control.

The Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are integrated with Cisco ThousandEyes internet and cloud
intelligence. IT managers now have expanded visibility, including hop-by-hop analytics, into network underlay,
proactive monitoring of SD-WAN overlay, and performance measurement of SaaS applications. This granular
visibility ultimately lowers the Mean Time to Identification of Issues (MTTI) and accelerates resolution time.
Cloud-native agility with programmable software architecture

Cisco continues to offer a feature-rich traditional IOS XE routing stack on the Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series Edge
Platforms. IP Routing, IPSec, Quality of Service (QoS), firewall, Network Address Translation (NAT), Network-
Based Application Recognition (NBAR), Flexible NetFlow (FNF), and many other features are part of Cisco IOS
XE, a fully programmable software architecture with API support and a wide variety of protocols and
configurations. With an integrated software image and a single binary file, you can now choose between Cisco
IOS XE SD-WAN and Cisco IOS XE. And easily move from one to the other when you choose to do so.
5G-ready

The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are built for future 5G networks. These platforms support
external cellular gateway modules with LTE/5G capability for improved throughput and latency.
Compact form factor

The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge platforms feature compact 1RU and 3RU platforms with rich interface
options, including 1G, 10G, 40G, and 100G ports. Featuring the highly efficient third-generation QFP, the Cisco
Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are built without compromising on performance and ports.

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Memory, storage, and accessory options
Table 6. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series C8500-20X6C memory, storage, and accessory options

Product number Description

C8500-FILTER-ASSY Cisco NEBs level 3 filter

Note: MEM-C8500-64GB memory, SSD-M2SATA-480G SSD M.2 SATA 480 GB and C8500-ACCKIT3R-
19 Cisco Mounting Brackets/accessory kit – 19 inches come standard as a default SKU.

Table 7. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series C8500-12X and C8500-12X4QC memory, storage, and accessory options

Product number Description

MEM-C8500-32GB Cisco C8500 32 GB memory

MEM-C8500-64GB Cisco C8500 64 GB memory

SSD-M2SATA-480G Cisco C8500 SSD M.2 SATA 480 GB

C8500-ACCKIT-19 Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge accessory kit - 19 inches

C8500-ACCKIT-23 Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge accessory kit - 23 inches

C8500-4PT-KIT Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge accessory kit – 4-post kit

Table 8. Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform memory, storage, and accessory options

Product number Description

MEM-C8500L-32GB Cisco C8500L 32 GB memory

MEM-C8500L-64GB Cisco C8500L 64 GB memory

SSD-M2NVME-2T Cisco C8500L SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB

C8500L-RM-19-1R Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge accessory kit - 19 inches

C8500L-RM-23-1R Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge accessory kit - 23 inches

C8500L-4PT-KIT Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge accessory kit – 4-post kit

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Optics and transceivers modules
A full list of optics and transceivers is available at: https://tmgmatrix.cisco.com/?si=C8500.

Resiliency and high availability

Platform redundancy is critical, as any downtime has direct impact to a customer’s business. The Catalyst 8500
Series Edge Platforms ship with high-efficiency dual power supplies by default for power supply redundancy.
All Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms support software redundancy with two IOS XE processes running on a single
device (IOS XE routing mode) for additional control-plane resiliency.

Power supplies
Table 9. Cisco Catalyst 8500-20X6C Series power supply specifications

Power supply feature PWR-CH1-1100WAC PWR-CH1-950WDC

Power maximum rating 1100W 950W

Input-voltage range and frequency 90-264 V AC DC: -40 to -72V; -48V nominal
50-60 Hz

Power supply efficiency (nominal) 80 Plus Platinum 90% 86%

90% @ 20% load
92% @ 50% load
89% @ 100% load

Power Factor (min) 0.90 N/A

AC Line Inrush (peak) 50A N/A

Input current 13 A (at 100V AC) 27.6 A to 15.3 A (23 A)

7 A (at 200V AC)

Output ratings 12 V 90A 12 V 79 A

Output holdup time 16 ms 4 ms

Power supply input receptacles IEC 320 C14 Amphenol FXTH series 2 terminal block

Power cord rating 10 A #10 wire 30 A

Note: The 8500-20X6C has 4 Power Supply slots maximum and a minimum of 2 power supplies must be
populated/powered.

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Table 10. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series power supply specifications for C8500-12X and C850012X4QC

Power supply feature PWR-CH1-750WACR PWR-CH1-950WDCR

Power maximum rating 750W 950W

Input-voltage range and frequency 85 to 264 VAC DC: -40 to -72V; -48V nominal
47 to 63 Hz

Power supply efficiency (nominal) 80 Plus Platinum 86%

90% @ 20% load
92% @ 50% load
89% @ 100% load

Power Factor (min) 0.90 N/A

AC Line Inrush (peak) 50A N/A

Input current 9.4 A to 3.0 A 27.6 A to 15.3 A (23 A)

Output ratings 12 V 63 A 12 V 79 A

Output holdup time 20 ms 4 ms

Power supply input receptacles IEC 320 C14 Amphenol FXTH series 2 terminal block

Power cord rating 10 A #10 wire 30 A

Table 11. Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform power supply specifications

Power supply feature PWR-CH1-400WAC PWR-CH1-400WDC PWR-CC1-400WHV

Power maximum rating 424W 400W 500W (12V at 42A) output

Input-voltage range and 85 to 264 Vac DC: -40 to -72V; -48V 85 to 305 Vac
frequency nominal
47 to 63 Hz 47 to 63 Hz
192 to 400 Vdc

Power supply efficiency 80 Plus Silver 85% @ 20% load 80 Plus Platinum
(nominal)
85% @ 20% load 88% @ 50% load 90% @ 20% load
89% @ 50% load 85% @ 100% load 94% @ 50% load
85% @ 100% load 91% @ 100% load

Input current <3A @ 200 Vac <8A @ -60 Vdc <7A @ 100 Vac
<6A @ 100 Vac <15A @ -48 Vdc <2.1A @ 277 Vac
<3A @ 240 Vdc
<1.5A @ 380 Vdc

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 12 of 23

 Power supply feature PWR-CH1-400WAC PWR-CH1-400WDC PWR-CC1-400WHV

Output ratings 400W 400W 500W

Output holdup time T,vout_holdup = 20 ms T,vout_holdup = 8 ms T,vout_holdup = 20 ms

T,pw_ok_holdup = 5 ms T,pw_ok_holdup = 2 ms T,pw_ok_holdup = 20 ms

Power supply input IEC 320 Style TBD Saf-D-Grid, 2006 series
receptacles

Table 12. Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge Platform acoustics sound power and pressure specifications

Power supply feature C8500-20X6C C8500-12X and C8500- C8500L-8S4X

12X4QC

Sound Pressure Typical: 63.3 dBA Typical: 61.1 dBA Typical: 57 dBA
Maximum: 79.3 dBA Maximum 69.8 dBA Maximum 76 dBA

Sound Power Typical: 77.4 dBA Typical: 75.1 dBA Typical: 64 dBA
Maximum 93.3 dBA Maximum 83.8 dBA Maximum 82 dBA

RFID tags: Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms have an embedded RFID tag that holds Serial Number and
Product ID for easy asset and inventory management using commercial RFID readers.

The RFID tag is external and can be easily removed if needed or can be unselected at the time of ordering.

Software requirements
Table 13. Minimum software requirements for Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms

Part number Description Minimum software requirement

C8500-20X6C Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 20-port SFP+, 6- Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.10.1
port QSFP+

C8500-12X4QC Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 12-port SFP+, 2- Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.3.2
port QSFP+, 2-port QSPF28

C8500-12X Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 12-port SFP+ Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.3.2

C8500L-8S4X Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series 4 port SFP+, 8 port Cisco IOS XE Software Release 17.4.1a
SFP -port SFP+, 8x1GE,4x10GE

Table 14. ThousandEyes requirements

Feature Description

Cisco ThousandEyes ThousandEyes is natively integrated with eligible Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms having
greater than 8 GB DRAM and 8 GB bootflash/storage. Additional memory and storage may be
necessary for concurrently running the ThousandEyes agent with containerized SD-WAN security
services.

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 13 of 23

Table 15. Software features and protocols for autonomous mode

Feature Description

Protocols IPv4, Ipv6, static routes, Routing Information Protocol Versions 1 and 2 (RIP and RIPv2), Open
Shortest Path First (OSPF), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Border Gateway
Protocol (BGP), BGP Router Reflector, Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS),
Multicast Internet Group Management Protocol Version 3 (IGMPv3), Protocol Independent
Multicast Sparse Mode (PIM SM), PIM Source-Specific Multicast (SSM), Resource Reservation
Protocol (RSVP), Cisco Discovery Protocol, Encapsulated Remote Switched Port Analyzer
(ERSPAN), Cisco IOS IP Service-Level Agreements (IPSLA), Call Home, Cisco IOS Embedded
Event Manager (EEM), Internet Key Exchange (IKE), Access Control Lists (ACL), Ethernet Virtual
Connections (EVC), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Frame Relay, DNS, Locator ID
Separation Protocol (LISP), Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), RADIUS, Authentication,
Authorization, and Accounting (AAA), Application Visibility and Control (AVC), Distance Vector
Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP), Ipv4-to-Ipv6 Multicast, Multiprotocol Label Switching
(MPLS), Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPN, Ipsec, WAN MACsec, Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol Version 3
(L2TPv3), Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD), IEEE 802.1ag, and IEEE 802.3ah, *Broadband
(BNG, LNS, LAC, and IWAG – L2/IpoE, EoGRE, L3/Routed), EVPN, Segment Routing (MPLS and
Ipv6 underlay), VxLAN

High Availability Software redundancy with dual IOS, Box-to-Box application-level redundancy

Encapsulations Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), Ethernet, 802.1q VLAN, Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP),
Multilink Point-to-Point Protocol (MLPPP), High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC), and PPP over
Ethernet (PPPoE)

Traffic management Quality of Service (QoS), Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing (CBWFQ), Weighted Random Early
Detection (WRED), Hierarchical QoS, Policy-Based Routing (PBR), Performance Routing (PfR),
and Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR)

Cryptographic Encryption: DES, 3DES, AES-128, or AES-256 (in CBC and GCM modes)
algorithms
Authentication: RSA (748/1024/2048 bit), ECDSA (256/384 bit)
Integrity: MD5, SHA, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512

Table 16. Software features and protocols for controller mode

Feature Description

Core Features Ipv4, Ipv6, static routes, Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing
Protocol (EIGRP), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Overlay Management Protocol (OMP),
Application Aware Routing (AAR), Traffic Engineering, Service Insertion, zero-trust, whitelisting,
tamper-proof module, DTLS/TLS, Ipsec, classification, prioritization, low latency queuing,
remarking, shaping, scheduling, policing, mirroring, Multicast Ipv4 Support, Service
advertisement and insertion policy, SNMP, NTP, DNS client, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP), DHCP client, DHCP server, DHCP relay, config archival, syslog, SSH, SCP, Cflowd v10
IPFIX export, Ipv6 for transport-side, VRRP, MPLS, NAT (DIA, Service-side, static, overload/PAT,
NAT64, etc), NAT pools, split DNS, Access Control Lists (ACL), Bidirectional Forwarding
Detection (BFD), Netconf over SSH, CLI, NTP server support, BFD with service-side BGP, BGP
community propagation to OMP, 6 SLA classes for AAR, Trustsec/SDA (Inline SGT propagation),
custom app with SD-AVC, multicast AAR, dynamic on-demand tunnels, PIM-SM, OSPFv3, route
policies, Multi-VRF support

Encapsulations Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), Ethernet, 802.1q VLAN

Application Experience Quality of Service (QoS), Forward Error Correction (FEC), COS Marking, Weighted Random Early
Detection (WRED), Hierarchical QoS, Policy-Based Routing (PBR), Network-Based Application
Recognition (NBAR), Software Defined Application Visibility and Control (SD-AVC), per tunnel
QoS, Cloud nramp for SaaS, Enhanced Office 365 traffic steering, Direct Internet Access,

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 Feature Description
Flexible Netflow (FnF)

Cryptographic Encryption: AES-256 (in CBC and GCM modes), Internet Key Exchange (IKE), Cisco PKI
Algorithms
Authentication: AAA, RSA (2048 bit), ESP-256-CBC, HMAC-SHA1, ECDSA (256/384 bit)
Integrity: SHA-1, SHA-2

Security Built-in end-to-end Segmentation (VPNs), ZBFW, PKI, DNS Layer Security, Security Internet
Gateway (Umbrella, Zscaler), ALG for ZBFW

*
Support for C8500-12X and C8500-12X4QC only starting in IOS XE 17.9.3., with support for the C8500-20X6C starting in IOS XE 17.12.
All future release support will only be based on long-lived releases with the next supported release continuing in 17.12.x. IOS XE software
releases 17.7, 17.8. 17.10 17.11 17.13 and 17.14 will not support broadband features.

Specifications
Mechanical specifications

Table 17. Mechanical specifications for the Cisco Catalyst Series 8500 Edge Platforms

Part number C8500-20X6C C8500-12X4QC C8500-12X C8500L-8S4X

Dimensions (H x W x D) 26.85 in. L x 1.73 in. x 1.73 in. x 1.73 in.x

17.25 in. W x 17.50 in. x 17.50 in. x 17.50 in. x
5.22 in. H 18.46 in. 18.46 in. 16.25 in.

Rack Units (RU) 3RU 1RU 1RU 1RU

Chassis weight with 2x AC 77.5 lbs 20.75 lbs 20.25 lbs 17 lbs
power supplies and fan tray

Heat Dissipation 3753 BTU/hr and Max 1023.6 BTU/hr and 682.4 BTU/hr and 511 BTU/hr and
5118 BTU/hr Max 1706.1 BTU/hr Max 1023.6 BTU/hr Max 1057 BTU/hr

Input voltage AC: 90 to 264 VAC AC: 85 to 264 VAC AC: 85 to 264 VAC
DC: -40 to -72VDC DC: -40 to -72VDC DC: -40 to -72 VDC
HVAC: 100 to 277
VAC
HVDC: 240 to 380
VDC

Operating temperature 32 to 104°F 32 to 104°F

(0 to 40°C) (0 to 40°C)

Storage temperature -40 to 150°F -40 to 150°F

(-40 to 70°C) (-40 to 70°C)

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 15 of 23

Part number C8500-20X6C C8500-12X4QC C8500-12X C8500L-8S4X

Heat Distribution

Relative humidity operating Ambient Ambient (noncondensing) operating: 10 to 85%

and nonoperating (noncondensing)
noncondensing operating: 10 to 85% Ambient (noncondensing) nonoperating and storage: 5 to 95%

Ambient
(noncondensing)
nonoperating and
storage: 5 to 95%

NEBS criteria levels GR-1089 and GR-63 GR-1089 and GR-63

Altitude -500 to 10,000 feet -500 to 10,000 feet

(-152 to 3048 (-152 to 3048 meters)
meters)

Mean Time Between Failures Available upon 146,700 hours 156,200 hours 240,200 hours
(MTBF) request

Safety and compliance

Table 18. Safety and compliance specifications for the Cisco Catalyst Series 8500 Edge Platforms

Description Specification

Safety certifications UL 60950-1

CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1
EN 60950-1
IEC 60950-1
AS/NZS 60950-1
GB4943

EMC (Emissions) 47 CFR Part 15 Class A

ICES 003 Class A
AS/NZS CISPR 32 Class A
CISPR 22/CISPR 32 Class A
EN55022/EN55032 Class A
VCCI Class A
CNS-13438 Class A
KN32 Class A
IEC/EN 61000-3-2: Power Line Harmonics
IEC/EN 61000-3-3: Voltage Fluctuations and Flicker

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 16 of 23

Description Specification

EMC (Immunity) IEC/EN-61000-4-2: Electrostatic Discharge Immunity

IEC/EN-61000-4-3: Radiated Immunity
IEC/EN-61000-4-4: Electrical Fast Transient Immunity
IEC/EN-61000-4-5: Surge AC, DC, and Signal Ports
IEC/EN-61000-4-6: Immunity to Conducted Disturbances
IEC/EN-61000-4-11: Voltage DIPS, Short Interruptions, and Voltage
Variations
KN35

EMC (ETSI/EN) EN300 386: Telecommunications Network Equipment (EMC)

EN55022: Information Technology Equipment (Emissions)
EN55032: Multimedia Equipment (Emissions)
EN55024: Information Technology Equipment (Immunity)
EN55035: Multimedia Equipment (Immunity)
EN50082-1/EN-61000-6-1: Generic Immunity Standard

Licensing
All Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms are offered only with a Cisco DNA Software subscription. Only
Cisco DNA Advantage and Cisco DNA Premier are available for the Cisco Catalyst C8500L, C8500-12X and
C8500-12X4QC Series Edge Platforms. Cisco DNA Advantage is only offered on the C8500-20X6C Series
Edge Platform.

For more details, refer to this C8500 ordering guide.

Cisco Smart Licensing

Cisco Smart Licensing is a flexible licensing model that provides you with an easier, faster, and more consistent
way to purchase and manage software across the Cisco portfolio and across your organization. And it’s secure
– you control what users can access. With Smart Licensing you get:

● Easy Activation: Smart Licensing establishes a pool of software licenses that can be used across the
entire organization—no more PAKs (Product Activation Keys).
● Unified Management: My Cisco Entitlements (MCE) provides a complete view into all of your Cisco
products and services in an easy-to-use portal, so you always know what you have and what you are
using.
● License Flexibility: Your software is not node-locked to your hardware, so you can easily use and
transfer licenses as needed.

To use Smart Licensing, you must first set up a Smart Account on Cisco Software Central (software.cisco.com).

For a more detailed overview on Cisco Licensing, go to cisco.com/go/licensingguide.

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 17 of 23

Cisco ThousandEyes

A valid ThousandEyes agent license is required to activate the ThousandEyes agent. Existing ThousandEyes
subscriptions can be leveraged on eligible Catalyst 8500 Series platforms. Additional ThousandEyes
subscription information can be found here.

Ordering information
Table 19. Orderable SKUs for the Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms

Product number Product description

L-DNA-C8500 Cisco C8500 subscription

C8500-20X6C Cisco C8500-20X6C Edge Platform

C8500-12X4QC Cisco C8500-12X4QC Edge Platform

C8500-12X Cisco C8500-12X Edge Platform

PWR-CH1-1100WAC Cisco C8500 1100W AC Power

PWR-CH1-1100WAC= Cisco C8500 1100W AC Power, Spare

PWR-CH1-750WACR Cisco C8500 750W AC Power

PWR-CH1-750WACR= Cisco C8500 750W AC Power, Spare

PWR-CH1-950WDCR Cisco C8500 950W DC Power

PWR-CH1-950WDCR= Cisco C8500 950W DC Power, Spare

SSD-M2SATA-480G Cisco C8500 SSD M.2 SATA 480GB

SSD-M2SATA-480G= Cisco C8500 SSD M.2 SATA 480GB, Spare

MEM-C8500-16GB= Cisco C8500 16GB Memory, Spare

MEM-C8500-32GB Cisco C8500 32GB Memory

MEM-C8500-32GB= Cisco C8500 32GB Memory, Spare

MEM-C8500-64GB Cisco C8500 64GB Memory

MEM-C8500-64GB= Cisco C8500 64GB Memory, Spare

C8500-FAN-3R= Cisco C8500 Fan Tray, 3RU, Spare

C8500-FAN-1R= Cisco C8500 Fan Tray, 1RU, Spare

C8500-ACCKIT3R-19 Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 19”

C8500-ACCKIT3R-19= Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 19”, Spare

C8500-ACCKIT-19 Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 19”

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Product number Product description

C8500-ACCKIT-19= Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 19”, Spare

C8500-ACCKIT-23 Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 23”

C8500-ACCKIT-23= Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 23”, Spare

C8500-4PT-KIT Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 4 Post Kit

C8500-4PT-KIT= Cisco C8500 Accessory Kit – 4 Post Kit, Spare

C8500-FILTER-ASSY Cisco C8500 NEBs Level 3 Filter and assembly

C8500-NEB3-FILTER= Cisco C8500 NEBs Level 3 Filter replacement, Spare

C8500-RFID-3R Cisco C8500 RFID – 3RU

C8500-RFID-1R Cisco C8500 RFID – 1RU

Table 20. Orderable SKUs for the Cisco Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform

Product number Product description

L-DNA-C8500 Cisco C8500 subscription

C8500L-8S4X Cisco C8500L-8S4X Edge Platform

PWR-CH1-400WAC Cisco C8500L 400W AC Power

PWR-CH1-400WAC= Cisco C8500L 400W AC Power, Spare

PWR-CH1-400WDCR Cisco C8500L 400W DC Power

PWR-CH1-400WDC= Cisco C8500L 400W DC Power, Spare

PWR-CC1-400WHV Cisco C8500L 400W HVDC Power

PWR-CC1-400WHV= Cisco C8500L 400W HVDC Power, Spare

MEM-C8500L-16GB= Cisco C8500L 16GB Memory, Spare

MEM-C8500L-32GB Cisco C8500L 32GB Memory

MEM-C8500L-32GB= Cisco C8500L 32GB Memory, Spare

MEM-C8500L-64GB Cisco C8500L 64GB Memory

MEM-C8500L-64GB= Cisco C8500L 64GB Memory, Spare

SSD-M2NVME-2T Cisco C8500L SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB

SSD-M2NVME-2T= Cisco C8500L SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB, Spare

C8500L-FAN-1R= Cisco C8500L Fan Tray, 1RU, Spare

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 Product number Product description

C8500L-RM-19-1R Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 19”

C8500L-RM-19-1R= Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 19”, Spare

C8500L-RM-23-1R Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 23”

C8500L-RM-23-1R= Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 23”, Spare

C8500L-4PT-KIT Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 4 Post Kit

C8500L-4PT-KIT= Cisco C8500L Accessory Kit – 4 Post Kit, Spare

C-RFID-1R Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge RFID - 1RU

Warranty
Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platform come standard with a Cisco Limited 1-Year Return To Factory
Hardware Warranty. For more information, refer to:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/warranties/warranty-c99-744450.html.

Services
Cisco Customer Experience Support Services for Catalyst 8000 platforms and Cisco DNA Software for
SD-WAN and Routing

This section discusses the Cisco Support Services available for Catalyst 8000 platforms and associated Cisco
DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing, as well as optional Support Service offers.

● Catalyst 8000 platforms: Cisco Solution Support is the default and recommended Cisco Support
Service. However, Cisco Solution Support is not mandatory; it can be removed or replaced with another
Cisco support service or partner service per the customer’s preference.
● Cisco DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing: Cisco Solution Support is the default Cisco support
service. However, Cisco Solution Support is not mandatory; the customer may choose to use the Cisco
Subscription Embedded Software Support included with the purchase of this software.

Note:

● When Solution Support is selected, it must be ordered on both the Catalyst 8000 platform and Cisco
DNA Software for SD-WAN and Routing for complete customer entitlement to this premium support
service.
● SD-WAN and Routing, with both Solution Support or Cisco Subscription Embedded Software Support,
customers are entitled to maintenance releases and software updates for Cisco DNA SD-WAN and
Routing software only. The support for the Catalyst 8000 platform’s OS and network stack, along with
OS updates, is covered by the support contract on the Catalyst 8000 platform.

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Cisco Solution Support is a premium support purpose-built for today’s multiproduct, multivendor network
environments and provides:

● A primary point of contact centralizing support across a solution deployment.

● Solution, product, and interoperability expertise.
● No requirement for customers to isolate their issue to a product to open a case.
● 30-minute service response objective for Severity 1 and 2 cases.
● Prioritized case handling over product support cases.
● Product support team coordination (Cisco and Solution Support Alliance Partners).
● Accountability for multiproduct, multivendor issue management from first call to resolution, no matter
where the issue resides.

Learn more about Cisco Solution Support at https://www.cisco.com/go/solutionsupport.

Cisco Subscription Embedded Software Support includes:

● Access to support and troubleshooting via online tools and web case submission. Case severity or
escalation guidelines are not applicable.
● Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) access 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to assist by
telephone, or web case submission and online tools with application software use and troubleshooting
issues.
● Access to https://www.cisco.com, providing helpful technical and general information on Cisco
products, as well as access to Cisco’s online Software Center library.

Note: No additional products or fees are required to receive embedded support for Cisco DNA Software
for SD-WAN and Routing. However, if using embedded support for this software, hardware support for the
Catalyst 8000 platforms must be purchased separately, as Cisco Subscription Embedded Software Support
does not cover hardware. In this case, Cisco Smart Net Total Care Service is recommended for Catalyst
8000 platforms.

Product sustainability
Table 21. Cisco Environmental Sustainability Information

Sustainability Topic Reference

General Information on product-material-

Materials
content laws and regulations

Information on electronic waste

laws and regulations, including our WEEE Compliance
products, batteries and packaging

Information on product takeback

Cisco Takeback and Reuse Program
and resuse program

Sustainability Inquiries Contact: csr_inquiries@cisco.com

Material Product packaging weight and Contact: environment@cisco.com

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 21 of 23

Sustainability Topic Reference
materials

Cisco Capital
Flexible payment solutions to help you achieve your objectives

Cisco Capital® financing makes it easier to get the right technology to achieve your objectives, enable
business transformation, and help you stay competitive. We can help you reduce the total cost of ownership,
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you acquire hardware, software, services, and complementary third-party equipment in easy, predictable
payments. Learn more.

© 2024 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Page 22 of 23

Document history
Table 22. Document history

New or Revised Topic Described In Date

Added Cisco C8500L SSD M.2 NVMe 2TB Table 2, 8 and 18 December 7, 2021

Added Document History Table 21 December 7, 2021

Added Product Sustainability Table 18 December 7, 2021

Removed MEM-C8500L-16GB as an option,

Table 8 and Table 20 December 7, 2021
default memory

Added reference for ThousandEyes agent Platform benefits, Software,

December 4, 2022
hosting support Licensing

Added C8500-20X6C product Throughout document November 30, 2022

Updates to data sheet including Table 12 Throughout document and Table 12 March 4, 2023

Updated IPSec performance for Catalyst Tables 2, 5c, 9-10 and 12 April 24, 2024
8500L. Updated system scalability for IPv4 respectively
and IPv6. Added power efficiency data. Added
sound acoustics specifications

Printed in USA C78-744089-10 04/24

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