N9K-C93180YC-EX-24 - Cisco Nexus 9000 Series

N9K-C93180YC-EX-24 Licensed-Port and Lifecycle Review

N9K-C93180YC-EX-24 is Cisco's 24-port-license version of the Nexus 93180YC-EX. Its 1RU chassis exposes 48 physical SFP28 downlinks, while the base entitlement enables any 24 at 1/10/25GbE. Six QSFP28 uplinks support 40/100GbE and supported breakout combinations. It is not a 48-port-entitled switch unless the separate upgrade license is present.

Entitlement and software evidence

Inventory the active-port license and retain output showing which 24 downlinks are enabled. Cisco identifies N9K-EX-24P-UPG= as the separate 48-port upgrade. The 24-port EX platform requires NX-OS 9.3(2) or later in Cisco's data sheet; verify the selected NX-OS or ACI release, feature licenses and supported optics before migration.

EX hardware acceptance

Test the chosen downlinks at their contracted speeds, all six uplinks, redundant power and fan telemetry, temperature sensors and port-side airflow. Record PSU, fan, accessory and optics PIDs separately. Do not transfer FX-only Fibre Channel convergence or MACsec claims to this EX SKU.

Retirement planning

Cisco ended sale August 9, 2022, ended scheduled vulnerability support August 8, 2025 and lists August 31, 2027 as the last support date. Cisco names N9K-C93180YC-FX3 as the replacement, so a refresh must account for optics, cabling, software mode, licensing and current feature requirements.

Official evidence: Cisco exact EX-24 port and upgrade-license data and Cisco exact EX-24 lifecycle and replacement row.