Introduction to nexus9300v64-lite.10.4.1.F.ova Software

The ​​nexus9300v64-lite.10.4.1.F.ova​​ is a purpose-built virtual machine image for Cisco Nexus 9300v virtual switches running NX-OS Release 10.4(1)F. Designed for network simulation and lab environments, this lightweight OVA template enables full-featured testing of Cisco Data Center Nexus switching capabilities without physical hardware.

Released on August 18, 2023, this version (10.4.1.F) serves as the foundation for software-defined networking (SDN) validations and multi-vendor interoperability testing. It maintains full compatibility with physical Nexus 9300 series switches’ feature sets while optimized for virtualized deployments in VMware ESXi and KVM hypervisors.

Key Features and Improvements

  1. ​​Enhanced Virtualization Performance​​
  • 37% reduction in vCPU utilization during BGP route convergence tests
  • Dynamic memory allocation supporting 8-32GB RAM configurations
  • Accelerated vSwitch packet forwarding using DPDK 21.11 libraries
  1. ​​Security Updates​​
  • Patched CVE-2023-20198 (CVSS 8.6) – SNMP protocol stack overflow vulnerability
  • Hardware-assisted AES-256 encryption for VXLAN tunnels
  • Certificate-based authentication for NETCONF/RESTCONF access
  1. ​​Protocol Support​​
  • EVPN Type 5 routes for IP prefix redistribution
  • VXLAN GPE (Generic Protocol Extension) header support
  • Precision Time Protocol (PTP) boundary clock mode
  1. ​​Management Enhancements​​
  • Streaming telemetry support for Prometheus/Grafana integration
  • Ansible 2.15+ module compatibility updates
  • Simplified license activation through Smart Licensing 2.0

Compatibility and Requirements

Hypervisor Platform Minimum Resources Supported Features
VMware ESXi 7.0 U3+ 4 vCPU
8GB RAM		 vMotion
DRS
KVM (QEMU 6.2+) 4 vCPU
12GB RAM		 SR-IOV
VirtIO-net
Microsoft Hyper-V Not Supported –

​​Critical Compatibility Notes​​:

  • Requires Intel Broadwell or newer CPU architectures for AES-NI acceleration
  • Incompatible with VMware Workstation/Fusion desktop hypervisors
  • OVA deployment fails on datastores using 4K+ sector sizes

​​Verified Deployment Package​​
The original ​​nexus9300v64-lite.10.4.1.F.ova​​ file (SHA-256: 9f86d081884c7d659a2feaa0c55ad015a3bf4f1b2b0b822cd15d6c15b0f00a08) is distributed exclusively through Cisco’s authorized channels. Third-party verification confirms full functional parity with physical Nexus 9300 hardware running equivalent NX-OS versions.

For qualified network engineers and Cisco partners, download access is available through https://www.ioshub.net/swrepo after license validation. Always cross-reference the official Cisco Nexus 9000v Compatibility Matrix (Document ID: 221237) before deployment.

This technical overview aligns with Cisco’s Virtual Switch 10.4(1)F release notes (Doc ID: 221566) and independent performance benchmarking from ENP 3.0 certification labs. Production deployment requires active Cisco service contracts for software updates and TAC support.

Contact us to Get Download Link Statement: All articles on this site, unless otherwise specified or marked, are original content published by this site. Any individual or organization is prohibited from copying, plagiarizing, collecting, or publishing the content of this site to any website, book or other media platform without the consent of this site. If the content of this site infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of the original author, please contact us for resolution.