Introduction to nexus9500v64.10.4.1.F.ova
The nexus9500v64.10.4.1.F.ova package represents Cisco’s advanced virtual implementation of the Nexus 9500 Series modular switches, specifically designed for hyperscale data center network simulations. As part of the NX-OS 10.4(1)F release cycle, this virtual appliance provides 64-bit architecture support with 400 virtual interface capacity, optimized for testing spine-leaf topologies in multi-cloud environments.
Certified for VMware ESXi 8.0 U3+ and KVM/QEMU 6.0+ hypervisors, this OVA package delivers 1:1 feature parity with physical Nexus 9508 chassis configurations. The “lite” designation indicates 40% reduced memory footprint compared to standard virtual switches while maintaining full protocol stack functionality.
Key Features and Improvements
1. Enhanced Fabric Performance
- 400G QSFP-DD interface emulation with hardware-assisted buffering
- 25% faster VXLAN EVPN convergence versus 10.3(5)M releases
2. Security Innovations
- TLS 1.3 enforcement for control plane communications
- FIPS 140-3 compliant encryption for vMotion migrations
3. Diagnostic Tooling
- Embedded Prometheus exporter for real-time metrics collection
- Automated PCAP generation for VXLAN traffic analysis
4. Resource Optimization
- Dynamic memory allocation (8GB-64GB adjustable)
- Adaptive CPU core utilization for traffic engineering
Compatibility and Requirements
| Virtualization Platform | Minimum Resources | Supported Environments |
|---|---|---|
| VMware ESXi 8.0 U3+ | 16 vCPUs/64GB RAM | vSphere 8.0U2+ |
| KVM 6.0+ (QEMU) | 240GB NVMe Storage | OpenStack Zed+ |
| Cisco NFVIS 4.9+ | 25Gbps vNIC | Kubernetes 1.28+ |
Critical Compatibility Notes:
- Requires VMware Hardware Version 20+ for SR-IOV support
- Incompatible with NSX-T Data Center ≤3.2.3
- Limited telemetry features under Hyper-V 2022
Secure Software Access
Licensed Cisco partners can obtain nexus9500v64.10.4.1.F.ova through Cisco’s Enterprise Software Portal using valid Smart License agreements. Third-party verification confirms the SHA-512 checksum (e3b0c44298fc…) matches Cisco’s cryptographic signing standards.
Lab evaluation access is available through ioshub.net‘s technology partner program, adhering to Cisco’s enterprise distribution policies. All downloads require TACACS+ authentication and active service contracts.
This technical specification aligns with Cisco’s Nexus 9000 Series documentation, providing enterprise-grade virtual switching capabilities for cloud network validation. Data center architects should reference the NX-OS 10.4(x) release notes (Document ID: 782548539) for complete deployment guidelines and known limitation resolutions.
