Introduction to nexus9500v64.10.3.2.F.qcow2
The nexus9500v64.10.3.2.F.qcow2 provides virtualized NX-OS 10.3(2)F for emulating Cisco Nexus 9500 modular switches in cloud-native environments. Released under Cisco’s Long-Term Support (LTS) program in Q1 2025, this image supports advanced VXLAN EVPN topologies and hyperscale network simulations with 64 virtual 100G interfaces. Compatible with KVM 5.0+/QEMU 6.2+, it replicates the hardware capabilities of physical Nexus 9736C-FX2 line cards including MACsec-enabled 100G QSFP28 ports.
Key Features and Improvements
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Cloud-Native Integration
- Azure Arc-enabled policy synchronization through Cisco Nexus Dashboard
- Native Kubernetes CNI plugin support for OpenShift 5.4+
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Security Enhancements
- TLS 1.3 enforcement with FIPS 140-3 compliant cipher suites
- Hardware-accelerated MACsec encryption on virtual 100G ports
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Performance Optimization
- 40% faster VXLAN BGP-EVPN convergence via ML-driven routing prediction
- Support for 256-way ECMP routing tables
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Observability Upgrades
- Streaming telemetry expansion to 78 health metrics
- Integration with Splunk HEC for real-time log analysis
Compatibility and Requirements
| Virtualization Platform | Minimum Specifications | Network Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| KVM 5.0+ (RHEL 9.4+) | 12 vCPU, 48GB RAM | SR-IOV enabled NIC |
| QEMU 6.2+ (Ubuntu 24.04) | 200GB NVMe SSD | Open vSwitch 3.2+ |
| Proxmox VE 8.2+ | AMD EPYC Genoa/Intel Sapphire | VLAN Trunking Configuration |
Critical Notes:
- Requires PCI passthrough for full MACsec functionality
- Incompatible with VMware ESXi <8.0U3
nexus9500v64-lite.10.2.4.M.qcow2 – Cisco Nexus 9500v Lite NX-OS 10.2(4)M Virtual Switch for Lab Environments Download Link
Introduction to nexus9500v64-lite.10.2.4.M.qcow2
This lightweight QCOW2 image delivers NX-OS 10.2(4)M for cost-effective testing of Nexus 9500v configurations. Optimized for resource-constrained environments, it maintains full NX-OS CLI parity while reducing memory footprint by 35% compared to standard images. Released in December 2024, it supports up to 32 virtual 100G ports for entry-level SDN prototyping.
Key Features and Improvements
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Resource Efficiency
- Dynamic memory allocation scaling from 16GB to 64GB
- NUMA-aware thread scheduling for multi-socket hosts
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Protocol Support
- VXLAN EVPN with 128-way ECMP routing
- BGP-LU for segment routing over IPv6
-
Security Architecture
- Software-based MACsec emulation
- Automated CVE-2024-20301 mitigation
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Monitoring Capabilities
- Prometheus exporter with 45+ predefined metrics
- NetFlow v9 support with 8 custom fields
Compatibility and Requirements
| Hypervisor Platform | Minimum Specifications | Storage Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| KVM 4.5+ (CentOS 8.5+) | 8 vCPU, 24GB RAM | 120GB SSD |
| QEMU 5.2+ (Debian 11) | 10Gbps virtio-net adapter | XFS filesystem recommended |
| oVirt 4.5+ | Hardware virtualization extensions | RAID 1 configuration |
Deployment Notes:
- Requires Intel Ice Lake/AMD Milan CPUs for AES-NI acceleration
- Limited to 50% port density in nested virtualization scenarios
Obtaining the Software
Both images are available through Cisco’s Enterprise Software Center for validated customers. Third-party verification platforms like iOSHub provide:
- SHA-512 checksum validation
- Historical version archiving
- Compatibility matrix cross-referencing
Technical Specifications:
- nexus9500v64.10.3.2.F.qcow2: 3.8GB | QCOW2 format | KVM/QEMU
- nexus9500v64-lite.10.2.4.M.qcow2: 2.1GB | QCOW2 format | Lab environments
These virtualized solutions demonstrate Cisco’s commitment to hybrid cloud infrastructure development. Always validate configurations in isolated testbeds before production deployment.
