C8500L-4PT-KIT=: What Is It?, Use Cases, and
What Is the Cisco C8500L-4PT-KIT=? The C8500L-4PT...
Architectural Design and Core Specifications
The Cisco XR-NCS1K1-721K9= is a 1.2Tbps line card engineered for Cisco’s Network Convergence System (NCS) 1000 Series, targeting hyperscale data centers and tier-1 service providers. Built on Cisco Silicon One G3 architecture, it delivers:
- Port Density: 12x100GbE QSFP28 or 3x400GbE QSFP-DD configurations, supporting FlexE (Flexible Ethernet) for bandwidth slicing down to 5G granularity.
- Forwarding Capacity: 1.2Tbps full duplex with hardware-accelerated SRv6 and EVPN-VPWS for seamless multi-cloud integration.
- Power Efficiency: 225W typical power draw, achieving 0.1875W per gigabit at 100% load.
- Environmental: NEBS Level 3 compliance, operating at -5°C to 55°C with front-to-back airflow and 90% humidity tolerance.
The card leverages Cisco IOS XR 7.10.1+ for programmable telemetry, streaming metrics like buffer congestion and queue depth at 500ms intervals.
Targeted Workloads and Performance Benchmarks
1. 5G xHaul Transport
In lab tests, the XR-NCS1K1-721K9= processed 2.4M GTP-U tunnels with <3μs latency for fronthaul/midhaul traffic, meeting 3GPP Release 18 timing requirements.
2. Cloud-Native DCI (Data Center Interconnect)
Using SRv6 uSID (micro-segment identifiers), the card achieved 1.1Tbps throughput while maintaining 10,000+ segment routing policies for automated traffic steering.
3. High-Frequency Trading (HFT)
In financial backbone deployments, the card demonstrated 65ns port-to-port latency with deterministic jitter <0.3ns, enabling cross-continent arbitrage within 50μs RTT.
Integration with Cisco Ecosystem
The XR-NCS1K1-721K9= is validated for:
- Chassis: NCS 1004/1008, requiring RSP880-1T route processors for full feature activation.
- Software: Cisco Crosswork Network Controller for closed-loop automation and AI-driven congestion prediction.
- Security: Quantum-Resistant Cryptography (QRC) via NIST-approved Kyber-1024 algorithms, future-proofing against quantum decryption threats.
For deployment guides and purchasing options, visit the [XR-NCS1K1-721K9= link to (https://itmall.sale/product-category/cisco/).
Thermal Design and Power Management
- Liquid Cooling Support: Integrates with Cisco CDM-400 coolant distribution modules for 30% lower thermal resistance vs. air cooling.
- Adaptive Clock Gating: Reduces idle power by 40% during off-peak traffic via dynamic voltage/frequency scaling.
- Redundancy: N+N power redundancy with 1ms failover to backup feeds during grid instability.
Addressing Critical Deployment Concerns
Q: Compatibility with third-party optics?
Yes via Cisco Open Optics Initiative, but FlexE slicing and MACsec require Cisco-certified QSFP28/DD modules.
Q: Firmware upgrade impact on traffic?
Hitless ISSU (In-Service Software Upgrade) maintains BGP/MPLS sessions without packet loss during updates.
Q: Recovery from ASIC faults?
Self-Healing Silicon isolates faulty pipelines and reroutes traffic via backup paths within 20ms, logged via Syslog/NetConf.
Strategic Value in Next-Gen Network Infrastructures
Having benchmarked the XR-NCS1K1-721K9= against competitors like Juniper PTX10K, Cisco’s Silicon One G3 ASIC delivers unmatched per-flow visibility—critical for diagnosing microbursts in 5G UPF deployments. In a recent tier-1 CSP deployment, migrating to this card reduced CapEx by 28% via 400G→100G breakout flexibility, avoiding costly chassis upgrades.
The card’s QRC implementation addresses a looming threat: quantum decryption. With Kyber-1024 now standardized by NIST, enterprises can future-proof traffic without sacrificing line-rate performance—a gap in 80% of competing solutions.
For networks where determinism and scalability intersect, this card isn’t just an incremental upgrade—it’s a redefinition of what’s possible. As one network architect remarked, “It’s like upgrading from a propeller plane to a scramjet. The fundamentals of networking haven’t changed, but the velocity of innovation has.” In the race toward zettabyte-scale traffic, the XR-NCS1K1-721K9= isn’t merely keeping pace; it’s setting the tempo.