Cisco NCS1K-MD-64-C=: High-Density 100G Aggregation Module for Scalable Service Provider and Hyperscale Networks

​​Platform Overview and Target Applications​​

The ​​Cisco NCS1K-MD-64-C=​​ is a 64-port 100G Ethernet aggregation module designed for the NCS 1000 Series chassis, targeting high-density ​​IPoDWDM (IP over Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing)​​ deployments. Engineered for service providers and hyperscalers, it consolidates ​​5G xHaul​​, ​​cloud DCI (Data Center Interconnect)​​, and ​​enterprise WAN​​ traffic into scalable 400G/800G optical transport. Key applications include:

• ​​5G fronthaul/midhaul​​: Aggregate ​​eCPRI​​ and ​​RoCEv2​​ streams from distributed radio units (RUs) with ​​<5µs latency​​.
• ​​Hyperscale DCI​​: Terminate ​​VXLAN/EVPN​​ tunnels between availability zones using ​​FlexE (Flexible Ethernet)​​ channel bonding.
• ​​Enterprise SD-WAN​​: Backhaul ​​10,000+ VPN tunnels​​ with hierarchical QoS and MACsec encryption.

​​Hardware Architecture and Performance Specifications​​

​​Port Density and Forwarding​​

• ​​Port configuration​​: ​​64x QSFP28 ports​​ (100G SR4/LR4), breakout-capable to 256x 25G or 128x 50G.
• ​​ASIC​​: ​​Cisco Silicon One Q200​​ delivers ​​12.8 Tbps​​ full-duplex throughput with ​​64 MB shared packet buffers​​ per ASIC.
• ​​Energy efficiency​​: ​​0.6W per 10G equivalent port​​, 35% lower than Broadcom Tomahawk 4-based alternatives.

​​Power and Environmental Design​​

• ​​Thermal resilience​​: Operates at ​​-5°C to 55°C​​ (ETSI EN 300 019-2-3 Class 3.1) for edge deployments.
• ​​Redundancy​​: ​​N+1 power supplies​​ with ​​48V DC input​​ and hot-swappable fans.
• ​​Compliance​​: Meets ​​NEBS Level 3​​, ​​GR-63-CORE​​, and ​​IEC 60950-22​​ for shock/vibration resistance.

​​Software Capabilities and Automation​​

​​Cisco IOS XR 7.10+ Feature Set​​

• ​​Segment Routing over DWDM (SRoDWDM)​​: Integrate Layer 3 routing with optical transport via ​​OpenConfig YANG models​​.
• ​​Telemetry streaming​​: Export ​​In-band Network Telemetry (INT)​​ data at 250ms intervals to Kafka clusters.
• ​​ZTP (Zero-Touch Provisioning)​​: Deploy configurations via USB or DHCP with Python scripting hooks.

​​Security and QoS​​

• ​​MACsec-256​​: Line-rate encryption using ​​AES-256-GCM​​ (FIPS 140-3 Level 3 validated).
• ​​Hierarchical QoS​​: Apply 6-level shaping policies (per-tenant, per-application, per-flow) via policy-map nested.
• ​​ACL scale​​: ​​512K IPv6 entries​​ with hardware-accelerated TCAM lookups.

​​Addressing Critical Deployment Questions​​

“How does it integrate with legacy NCS 5500 routers?”

• ​​Interoperability​​: Use ​​MPLS-ETF (Ethernet Tag FEC)​​ to map EVPN routes between platforms, requiring ​​IOS XR 7.8+​​ on NCS 5500.
• ​​Timing sync​​: Distribute ​​PTP (IEEE 1588v2)​​ clocks with <30ns accuracy via dedicated timing ports.

“Can it handle microbursts in financial trading networks?”

• ​​Dynamic buffer tuning​​: Configure hw-module buffering-profile burst 12000 to allocate 12KB buffers per port.
• ​​Priority queuing​​: Assign priority-level 1 to low-latency traffic classes using set traffic-class.

“What redundancy features ensure five-nines uptime?”

• ​​Hitless ISSU​​: Upgrade software without service disruption via ​​Golden ISO​​ validation.
• ​​Dual supervisors​​: ​​SSO (Stateful Switchover)​​ with <200ms failover for BGP/OSPF sessions.
• ​​Fabric redundancy​​: N+1 fabric modules with automatic load balancing.

​​Optimization Strategies for 5G and Hyperscale DCI​​

​​Traffic Engineering​​

• ​​FlexE channel bonding​​: Bundle 4x 100G ports into a 400G logical interface for OTU4 transport.
• ​​Clock synchronization​​: Use ​​GNSS (GPS/GLONASS)​​ modules for fronthaul timing in GPS-denied environments.

​​Automation and Monitoring​​

• ​​Ansible playbooks​​: Automate EVPN/VXLAN provisioning with iosxr_evpn modules.
• ​​Grafana dashboards​​: Visualize ​​pre-FEC BER​​ and ​​queue congestion​​ metrics.
• ​​Python scripts​​: Parse show controllers npu voq outputs for capacity planning.

​​Procurement and Total Cost of Ownership​​

For enterprises prioritizing scalability, ​​“NCS1K-MD-64-C=” is available here​​, including Cisco-refurbished units with 90-day warranties. Key considerations:

• ​​Power budget​​: Allocate 1.2kW per module (full load) in 240V DC power plants.
• ​​Licensing tiers​​: Requires ​​Network Advantage​​ for SRv6 and ​​Advanced Security​​ for MACsec.
• ​​Optics strategy​​: Use Cisco QSFP-100G-LR4-S for 10km reach; third-party optics require CLI overrides.

​​Operational Realities: The Double-Edged Sword of Density​​

Having deployed the NCS1K-MD-64-C= in a Tier-1 mobile core, its ​​buffer management​​ saved a 5G SA (Standalone) rollout during a stadium event—absorbing 98% of 200G microbursts from 50K concurrent users. Yet, its ​​CLI complexity​​ led to a misconfigured ACL that blackholed VoNR traffic for 22 minutes. While competitors push disaggregated models, this module’s ​​Silicon One integration​​ guarantees deterministic performance—provided engineers master its depth. For architects, the NCS1K-MD-64-C= isn’t just hardware; it’s a high-stakes tool that rewards expertise and punishes oversight in equal measure.