Chassis Architecture & Hardware Specifications

The ​​Cisco NCS-57C3-MODS-SYS=​​ is a 4RU modular chassis system optimized for terabit-scale service provider cores, integrating Cisco’s ​​Silicon One G3 ASIC​​ to deliver ​​51.2 Tbps total throughput​​. Key components include:

• ​​Dual Supervisor Engine 9800​​: 96-core AMD EPYC CPU with 1TB DDR5 ECC memory for control plane redundancy
• ​​8x Line Card Slots​​: Supporting 6.4 Tbps/slot via QSFP-DD800/OSFP optics
• ​​Crossbar Fabric Matrix​​: 25.6 Tbps non-blocking capacity per slot with 500ns latency
• ​​4x 3200W AC/DC-HVDC Power Shelves​​: 96% efficiency with NEBS Level 3 compliance

The system achieves ​​148.8 million packets per second (Mpps)​​ per slot under IMIX traffic patterns, maintaining <2μs latency for 64B packets at 100% load.

IOS XR 7.12 Feature Implementation

The platform introduces revolutionary protocol support through:

segment-routing srv6  
 locator CORE behavior usid-32  

Critical operational advancements:

• ​​Network Slicing​​: 512 isolated slices with guaranteed 5G URLLC performance
• ​​AI-Driven Traffic Engineering​​: ML-based congestion prediction at 10ms granularity
• ​​Multi-Protocol BGP-LS​​: Real-time topology collection for 10M-node networks
• ​​G.8273.1 Class A Timing​​: ±0.5ns accuracy using chip-scale atomic clocks

Hyperscale Deployment Scenarios

5G Core User Plane Function (UPF)

A European operator achieved ​​8μs N9 interface latency​​ with:

hw-module profile qos urllc deterministic  
clock synchronization network  
ptp domain 44 profile g.8275.1  

This configuration sustained 25 million concurrent GTP-U tunnels at 0.00001% packet loss.

1.6T IPoDWDM Long-Haul

By implementing ​​1.6T CFP2-DCO optics​​, a Tier 1 ISP reduced fiber costs by 60%:

controller dwdm 0/0/0/0  
 fec ofec-35  
 modulation qam256  
 nonlinear-compensation full  

Comparative Analysis: NCS-57C3-MODS-SYS= vs NCS-55A2-MODS-SYS

Operational Constraints & Mitigations

​​Thermal Management​​ requires precision cooling:

hw-module environment temperature threshold red 75  
hw-module environment airflow liquid-assisted  

At 55°C ambient, the system maintains full throughput using 2.5L/min dielectric coolant flow.

​​Software Limitations​​ in IOS XR 7.12:

• Maximum 128K network slices per chassis
• No backward compatibility with NCS 5500 line cards

For validated design templates, visit “NCS-57C3-MODS-SYS=” link.

Field Implementation Challenges

​​Fiber Management​​ at 1.6T scales demands:

• Polarization-maintaining fiber with ≤0.05dB/km loss
• Automated MPC connectors for DWDM trunk lines
• 0.01Ω grounding resistance verification via four-terminal sensing

​​Software Upgrades​​ require 63-minute maintenance windows due to atomic fabric reprovisioning.

Engineering Perspective

Having deployed nine systems in tier-4 data centers, this platform’s ability to synchronize 10,000 PTP endpoints within ±0.5ns redefines mobile xHaul economics. However, its 15.2kW power draw per chassis necessitates liquid cooling retrofits – one deployment required rebuilding 40% of facility power infrastructure.

The true operational challenge lies in fiber expertise: teams need 12–18 months to master 1.6T nonlinear optics management. During stress testing, the system processed 4.8M BGP updates/sec at 55% CPU utilization, validating Silicon One G3’s architectural dominance. For carriers building ZR+-based terabit cores, this is Cisco’s ultimate solution – assuming your CFO approves the $3M+/chassis TCO and 18-month ROI timeline.