cisco Catalyst 6500 Catalyst 6503-E
The Cisco Catalyst 6503-E is a compact 3-slot enterprise chassis delivering the carrier-class feature set of the Catalyst 6500 series in a 4U rack profile. Designed for secure enterprise WAN edge, core aggregation, and metro distribution, the 6503-E supports Supervisor 720 and Supervisor 2T engines, delivering multi-gigabit hardware forwarding and robust MPLS/VPLS services.
Specifications
| Brand | cisco |
|---|---|
| Family | Catalyst 6500 |
| Form factor | modular chassis |
| Released | May 2005 |
| End of sale | Oct 2017 |
| End of support | Oct 2022 |
| Chassis slots | 3 |
| Supervisor slots | Slot 1 or 2 (dedicated supervisor) |
| Line card slots | 2 payload slots |
| Chassis height | 4U rack mount |
| Backplane capacity | Up to 80 Gbps per slot with modern fabric modules |
| Power supplies | Dual redundant hot-swappable AC or DC power supplies |
Generations
- Next generation: cisco Catalyst 9600 Catalyst 9606R
Check compatibility with Cisco
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that Cisco has tested with the cisco Catalyst 6500 Catalyst 6503-E.
- Compatibility Cisco UCS Hardware Compatibility List
- Compatibility Cisco Optics-to-Device Compatibility Matrix
- Support Cisco Support and Downloads
Equivalent models from other brands
FAQ
Can the 6503-E accommodate high-performance Supervisor 2T modules?
Yes, Supervisor 2T (VS-S2T-10G) is supported in Slot 1 or 2, providing 2 Tbps crossbar switching capacity.
Is the 6503-E used for WAN aggregation?
Yes, when paired with SIP/SPA optical port adapters or high-density Ethernet line cards, it frequently serves as a rugged WAN edge router.
Buying or selling Catalyst 6503-E?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- Cisco Catalyst 6503-E Product Documentation, checked 2026-10-27
- Cisco Catalyst 6503-E Data Sheet and Technical Specifications, checked 2026-10-27