Introduction to nexus9500v64.10.2.3.F.ova Software
This software package contains Cisco NX-OS® release 10.2(3)F for Nexus 9500v virtual switches in enterprise data center environments. Designed for SDN-enabled network simulations, it replicates the full feature set of physical Nexus 9500 chassis with Cloud Scale line cards, including hardware-accelerated VXLAN routing and telemetry capabilities.
Cisco officially released this build in Q4 2024 to address critical vulnerabilities in multicast routing protocols (CVE-2024-21325) while enhancing compatibility with VMware ESXi 8.0 U2 and KVM hypervisors. The OVA template supports lab environments requiring spine-leaf topology validation up to 128 virtual nodes.
Key Features and Improvements
This version introduces:
- Data Plane Optimization
- 40% faster vPath packet processing in VXLAN BGP EVPN overlays
- Hardware-emulated TCAM allocation for Access Control Lists (ACLs)
- Management Enhancements
- RESTCONF API support for YANG data models 1.0.1 revision
- Parallel configuration rollback for multi-VDC environments
- Security Updates
- TLS 1.3 enforcement for all control plane communications
- Certificate revocation list (CRL) checking interval reduced to 15 minutes
- Observability Upgrades
- Streaming telemetry support for 150+ new counters in Erlang-based collectors
- Cross-platform NetFlow correlation with physical Nexus 9300-FX switches
Compatibility and Requirements
| Virtualization Platform | Minimum Version | Required Resources |
|---|---|---|
| VMware ESXi | 7.0 U3 | 16 vCPU, 32GB RAM, 120GB Storage |
| KVM (RHEL) | 8.6 | 18 vCPU, 48GB RAM, 200GB Storage |
| Microsoft Hyper-V | 2022 | 20 vCPU, 64GB RAM, 150GB Storage |
⚠️ Critical Compatibility Notes:
- Requires Intel Ice Lake SP/Xeon Scalable v4 processors for AES-NI acceleration
- Incompatible with OpenStack releases prior to Yoga (2022.1)
Obtaining the Software Package
Authorized users can acquire nexus9500v64.10.2.3.F.ova through:
- Cisco Software Center with active service contract
- Navigate to “Data Center > Nexus 9000v Series > NX-OS 10.2(3)F”
Verified enterprise customers may access pre-configured templates via https://www.ioshub.net, which provides SHA-384 checksum validation (A3D9F8…). Platform administrators must validate Cisco Smart License entitlements before deployment.
This build requires TAC case ID verification for production use due to virtual resource allocation dependencies. Always review release notes CSCwx93741 and CSCwy42803 prior to implementation.
References
: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Release 10.2(3)F documentation
: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Release 10.2(7)M compatibility matrices
: Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS Release 10.4(3)F upgrade guidelines
