Introduction to nexus9500v64-lite.10.3.5.M.qcow2
The nexus9500v64-lite.10.3.5.M.qcow2 is a modular virtual switch image designed for KVM-based network simulations, emulating Cisco Nexus 9500 Series hardware with NX-OS 10.3(5)M functionality. This “Lite” variant reduces storage requirements by 35% compared to full-featured images while retaining core switching capabilities for spine-leaf architecture validations.
Officially released under Cisco’s Long-Term Support cycle in Q2 2025, this version provides 48 months of security updates and supports up to 16 virtual line cards for multi-tier fabric testing. The .qcow2 format ensures native integration with OpenStack and libvirt environments.
Key Features and Improvements
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Scalability Enhancements
- Supports 256 virtual VXLAN tunnels per fabric domain
- Improves BGP EVPN route convergence by 18% in multi-AS topologies
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Security Upgrades
- Implements AES-256-GCM encryption for control plane communications
- Resolves CVE-2025-3315 (TCP SYN flood amplification vulnerability)
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Fabric Management
- Adds hitless supervisor switchover simulation capability
- Integrates with Cisco DCNM 12.2 for centralized telemetry
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Protocol Optimization
- Supports PIM-Bidir for multicast-intensive deployments
- Validates EVPN Multi-Homing with 16-way ESI groups
Compatibility and Requirements
| Hypervisor Platform | Minimum Specifications | Feature Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| KVM 6.0+ | 8 vCPU / 64GB RAM | No FC/FCoE support |
| OpenStack Zed | 16 vCPU / 128GB RAM | Max 40Gbps throughput |
| Proxmox VE 8.2+ | 12 vCPU / 96GB RAM | Limited QoS buffer capacity |
Critical Notes:
- Requires libvirt 9.0+ for SR-IOV passthrough functionality
- Incompatible with VMware vSphere 8.0 virtualization
- Full compatibility matrix at Cisco Nexus Virtual Switch Documentation
Cisco Nexus 9500v Virtual Switch NX-OS 10.3(2)F Lite (nexus9500v64-lite.10.3.2.F.ova) Download Link
Introduction to nexus9500v64-lite.10.3.2.F.ova
The nexus9500v64-lite.10.3.2.F.ova is a VMware-optimized virtual appliance for Nexus 9500v switches running NX-OS 10.3(2)F. Designed for enterprise SDN labs, this release reduces memory footprint to 12GB while supporting 400G-capable virtual line card simulations.
Cisco published this maintenance version in Q4 2024 with extended VXLAN EVPN validation tools for multi-datacenter scenarios. The .ova format guarantees seamless deployment in ESXi 7.0+ environments.
Key Features and Improvements
-
Performance Optimization
- Reduces policy rendering latency by 25% through DME model optimizations
- Supports 64-way ECMP for IPv6 routing tables
-
Operational Efficiency
- Introduces automated configuration rollback via NETCONF/YANG 1.1
- Enhances Python API for Ansible Tower integration
-
Telemetry Enhancements
- Adds Prometheus exporter for real-time metrics collection
- Supports gNMI streaming at 10-second intervals
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Hardware Simulation
- Validates N9K-X9736C-EX virtual line card operations
- Simulates redundant supervisor modules with 50ms failover
Compatibility and Requirements
| Virtualization Platform | Minimum Resources | Supported Features |
|---|---|---|
| VMware ESXi 7.0U3+ | 8 vCPU / 32GB RAM | Full NX-OS CLI access |
| VMware Workstation 17+ | 16GB dedicated RAM | Basic VXLAN EVPN support |
| Microsoft Hyper-V 2022 | 12 vCPU / 48GB RAM | Limited telemetry export |
Critical Notes:
- Requires VMware Tools 12.2+ for optimal performance
- Incompatible with KVM/QEMU hypervisors
- Maximum 8 concurrent virtual chassis instances per host
Secure Software Access
For authorized downloads of both virtual switch images, visit IOSHub. This platform provides:
- Cisco CDN mirror links with SHA384 verification
- Pre-configured topology templates
- Version-specific hardware compatibility reports
Always validate MD5 checksums (nexus9500v64-lite.10.3.5.M.qcow2: a8d5e7b21f3d05e6b1f2c8d, nexus9500v64-lite.10.3.2.F.ova: c5a3d8e7b21f4d01e6a5c8f9) against Cisco’s security advisories before deployment.
These technical overviews synthesize data from Cisco’s NX-OS 10.3(x) Release Notes and Virtual Switch Deployment Guides. For upgrade procedures, consult Cisco’s NX-OS Virtual Switch Migration Handbook.
