Cisco Catalyst 9500: Specifications

April 15, 2026·4 min read·653 words

The Cisco Catalyst 9500 is the distribution and core/aggregation switch in the Catalyst 9000 portfolio. It targets medium to large campuses, entry-level data centers, and SD-Access deployments. With 10/25/40/100G speeds and a UADP 2.0/3.0 architecture, it replaces the end-of-life Catalyst 6500 and 4500X. Complete specifications and sizing guidance.

Positioning and use cases

The C9500 is not an access switch. It serves as:

Campus core (collapsed core or 3-tier)
Distribution switch for Catalyst 9300 stacks with 40G/100G uplinks
Fabric edge/border for Cisco SD-Access
Entry-level data center switch for SMBs (up to 32 servers)
WAN aggregation with MPLS/BGP (Network Advantage license)

Complete product range and part numbers

C9500 fixed configurations (24-48 ports)

C9500-24Y4C: 24×25G SFP28 + 4×100G QSFP28 — €29,500 excl. VAT
C9500-32C: 32×100G QSFP28 — €52,000 excl. VAT
C9500-32QC: 32×40G QSFP+ or 16×100G — €38,000 excl. VAT
C9500-48Y4C: 48×25G SFP28 + 4×100G — €42,500 excl. VAT
C9500-16X-A: 16×10G SFP+ (entry-level) — €8,900 excl. VAT
C9500-24X-A: 24×10G SFP+ — €12,500 excl. VAT
C9500-40X-A: 40×10G SFP+ — €18,900 excl. VAT

C9500 High Performance (UADP 3.0)

Switching fabric: 6.4 Tbps (C9500-32C) to 12.8 Tbps (high-end models)
Forwarding rate: up to 4 Bpps
Latency: <1 µs (cut-through mode)
MAC table: 128,000 entries
IPv4 routing: 256,000 routes

Detailed technical specifications

CPU: Intel x86 octa-core 2.0-2.4 GHz
Memory: 16 GB DRAM, 16 GB flash
VXLAN bridging and routing (hardware): yes
MPLS: L2VPN, L3VPN (with Network Advantage license)
BGP: full table (850K+ routes) on C9500 High Performance
MACsec: 256-bit AES-GCM
StackWise Virtual (SSO): 2 C9500 chassis operating as 1 logical entity
Modules: redundant 650W/930W/1600W AC/DC power supplies
Airflow: front-to-back or back-to-front (depending on the data center)

Mandatory licenses

The C9500 operates only with Network Advantage (Network Essentials is not available) plus DNA Advantage/Premier for SDN features.

Network Advantage included for 3 years: €0
DNA Advantage for 3 years (required for SD-Access): €4,890 excl. VAT
DNA Premier for 3 years: €6,790 excl. VAT
DNA Advantage renewal/year: €1,890 excl. VAT

StackWise Virtual: high availability for the core

StackWise Virtual combines 2 C9500 switches into a single logical switch. How it works:

SVL (StackWise Virtual Link) connections: 40G or 100G between the 2 chassis
Dual Active Detection (DAD): out-of-band link to prevent split-brain
Failover: <50 ms with no BGP/OSPF session loss (NSF/SSO)
LACP MEC: cross-chassis LAG for downlinks to C9300 switches
No STP required: everything is managed by LACP

Sizing by deployment scale

Campus with 500-1500 users

2× C9500-24X-A in StackWise Virtual, with 4×40G connections to C9300 stacks. Core budget: 2×12500 + DNA = ~€30,000 excl. VAT.

Multi-building campus with 2000-5000 users

2× C9500-40X-A in StackWise Virtual + 8× 40G uplinks to distribution switches in separate buildings. Core budget: 2×18900 + cabling + DNA = ~€50,000 excl. VAT.

Entry-level data center

2× C9500-32C in StackWise Virtual: 32 100G ports for top-of-rack switches + 100G uplinks to the spine. Budget: 2×52,000 + licenses = ~€120,000 excl. VAT. Alternative: the less expensive Nexus 9300-EX.

Recommended transceivers and cables

QSFP-40G-SR4: 40G multimode OM3/OM4 up to 100m — €890 excl. VAT
QSFP-40G-LR4: 40G single-mode up to 10 km — €2,490 excl. VAT
QSFP-100G-SR4: 100G multimode up to 100m — €1,190 excl. VAT
QSFP-100G-LR4: 100G single-mode up to 10 km — €3,890 excl. VAT
SFP-10G-SR: 10G multimode 300m — €195 excl. VAT
QSFP-100G-AOC1M to 30M: 100G active optical cable (4×25G breakout supported) — €450-890 excl. VAT

Warranty and support

LLW limited lifetime warranty
SmartNet SNTC 8x5xNBD: ~12% of the price excl. VAT/year (required for firmware updates)
Solution Support for SD-Access (24/7 TAC): +30%

Comparison with alternatives

Arista 7280R3: better suited to dedicated data center deployments, with fewer campus SD-Access features
Juniper QFX5120: equivalent performance, with simpler EVPN-VXLAN deployment
HPE Aruba CX 8360: 20-30% less expensive, with Aruba Fabric Composer orchestration

Order from OPTINOC

OPTINOC provides consulting and supplies the Catalyst 9500 with a preconfigured StackWise Virtual architecture, genuine Cisco or 100% OPTINOC-certified compatible transceivers, and DNA and SmartNet licenses. Core + distribution + SD-Access quotations provided within 48 hours.