cisco Nexus 3000 Nexus 3232C
The Cisco Nexus 3232C is a high-density 1U 100GbE datacenter switch delivering 32 ports of wire-speed 40G/100G QSFP28. Built for enterprise private clouds, big data analytics clusters, and scale-out leaf-spine architectures, the 3232C provides up to 6.4 Tbps of switching throughput with low power consumption and full NX-OS software programmability.
Specifications
| Brand | cisco |
|---|---|
| Family | Nexus 3000 |
| Form factor | 1U fixed switch |
| Released | Sep 2015 |
| End of sale | Apr 2021 |
| End of support | Apr 2026 |
| Ports | 32x 40G/100G QSFP28 ports |
| Switching capacity | 6.4 Tbps / 3.3 Bpps forwarding throughput |
| Form factor | 1U rack mount |
| Latency | Cut-through switching with sub-microsecond port-to-port latency |
| Features | VXLAN EVPN, OpenFlow, Puppet, Chef, and Ansible automation |
Generations
- Next generation: cisco Nexus 9000 Nexus 9336C-FX2
Works together
How the cisco Nexus 3000 Nexus 3232C connects to servers, storage and the network: 3 ways, with the parts and products on each path.
iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet
Keep the speed the same at all three points: a 25GbE server, a 25GbE switch port and a 25GbE array port. Mixed speeds work but the slowest link sets the pace.
Servers
HPE Apollo 4200 Gen9 2U rack
HPE ProLiant DL20 Gen9 1U rack
HPE ProLiant DL560 Gen9 2U rack
HPE ProLiant DL580 Gen9 4U rack
HPE Edgeline EL1000 1U converged edge system
HPE Edgeline EL4000 1U converged edge system
Adapters for the server
BCM957504A5041CC Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57504 Quad-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
540-BDBX Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Adapter
540-BDCF Dell Intel E810-CQDA2 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
540-BDCP Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
Storage
Dell PowerStore 7000T 2U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DM7100H 4U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DM5100F 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 1200T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 3200T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 5200T 2U rack
Optics
QSFP-100G-SR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Servers
- HPE Apollo 4200 Gen9 2U rack
- HPE ProLiant DL20 Gen9 1U rack
- HPE ProLiant DL560 Gen9 2U rack
- HPE ProLiant DL580 Gen9 4U rack
- HPE Edgeline EL1000 1U converged edge system
- HPE Edgeline EL4000 1U converged edge system
Adapters for the server
- BCM957504A5041CC Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57504 Quad-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
- 540-BDBX Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Adapter
- 540-BDCF Dell Intel E810-CQDA2 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
- 540-BDCP Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
Storage
- Dell PowerStore 7000T 2U rack
Dell PowerScale F600 1U rack- Lenovo ThinkSystem DM7100H 4U rack
- Lenovo ThinkSystem DM5100F 2U rack
Dell PowerScale F900 2U rack
Dell PowerScale H700 4U
Optics
- QSFP-100G-SR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
- QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
- 407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)
Hyperconverged cluster
Plan at least two 25GbE ports per node to two switches; all-NVMe clusters often move to 100GbE.
HCI nodes
HPE SimpliVity 380 Gen10 2U rack
HPE SimpliVity 380 Gen9 2U rack
HPE SimpliVity 325 Gen10 1U rack
HPE SimpliVity 380 Gen10 G 2U rack
Adapters for the server
- BCM957504A5041CC Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57504 Quad-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
- 540-BDBX Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Adapter
- 540-BDCF Dell Intel E810-CQDA2 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
- 540-BDCP Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
Optics
- QSFP-100G-SR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
- QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
- 407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- iSCSI explained mrplanb.com
- Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
- Network monitoring tools compared mrplanb.com
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 Nexus 3000 Nexus 3232C.
- 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 3232C break out ports into 25GbE connections?
Yes, each 100G port can break out into 4x 25GbE connections, supporting up to 128 ports of 25GbE in 1U.
What is the direct successor to the 3232C?
The Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2 serves as the direct successor, providing 36 ports of 100GbE and MACsec encryption.
Buying or selling Nexus 3232C?
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 Nexus 3232C Product Documentation, checked 2026-10-27
- Cisco Nexus 3232C Data Sheet and Technical Specifications, checked 2026-10-27