Software / Apps Services
Verified Scalability Guide for Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller 12.0.2f
A technical guide detailing verified scalability limits and server resource requirements for Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller release 12.0.2f, including hardware specifications for virtual and physical node deployments.
Table of contents
Quick Guide to Scalability and Requirements
This document provides verified scalability values and server resource requirements for Cisco Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller (NDFC) Release 12.0.2f. These values are validated on testbeds and represent practical limits rather than theoretical maximums. Note that scaling multiple features simultaneously may result in performance differences compared to the listed values.
Server Resource Requirements
To run NDFC on top of Nexus Dashboard, ensure your hardware meets the following specifications based on your deployment type:
Fabric Discovery and Fabric Controller
- Virtual Node (vND) - app OVA: 16vCPUs, 64GB Memory, 550GB SSD.
- Physical Node (pND) (PID: SE-NODE-G2): 2x 10-core 2.2G Intel Xeon Silver CPU, 256GB RAM, 4x 2.4TB HDDs, 400GB SSD, 1.2TB NVME drive.
SAN Controller
- Virtual Node (vND) - app OVA (without SAN Insights): 16vCPUs, 64GB Memory, 550GB SSD.
- Data Node (vND) - Data OVA (with SAN Insights): 32vCPUs, 128GB Memory, 3TB SSD.
- Physical Node (pND) (PID: SE-NODE-G2): 2x 10-core 2.2G Intel Xeon Silver CPU, 256GB RAM, 4x 2.4TB HDDs, 400GB SSD, 1.2TB NVME drive.
Scale Limits for Fabric Controller and Discovery
The NDFC Release 12.0.2f supports 150 switches per fabric and 350 switches across the entire NDFC service.
Fabric Controller Deployment Limits
- 1-Node vND (app OVA): <= 25 switches (Non-Production).
- 3-Node vND (app OVA): 80 switches.
- 3-Node pND (SE): 350 switches.
- 5-Node vND (app OVA): 350 switches.
Fabric Discovery Deployment Limits
- 1-Node vND (app OVA): <= 25 switches (Non-Production).
- 3-Node vND (app OVA): 80 switches.
- 3-Node pND (SE): 350 switches.
- 5-Node vND (app OVA): 350 switches.
Additional Scale Limits
VXLAN EVPN Fabrics (Greenfield)
- Switches per fabric: 150.
- Physical Interfaces: 30,000.
- Layer-3 Networks: 1,000.
- Layer-2 Networks: 1,500.
- Endpoints: 50,000.
SAN Controller Limits
- Without SAN Insights: 80 switches, 20K ports (for 1-Node and 3-Node vND).
- With SAN Insights: Ranges from 120K ITLs/ITNs (1-Node vND/pND) up to 250K ITLs/ITNs (3-Node pND).
Manufacturer information
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Practical help
Before use
- Identify your deployment type (Fabric Discovery, Fabric Controller, or SAN Controller).
- Determine if you are using a Virtual Node (vND) or Physical Node (pND).
- Verify that your server hardware meets the specific CPU, Memory, and Storage requirements for your node type.
- Check if your deployment requires SAN Insights, as this significantly changes resource requirements.
- Confirm the switch count limits for your specific deployment profile.
Specs in practice
- vND (Virtual Node)
- A virtual machine deployment using OVA files.
- pND (Physical Node)
- A physical server deployment, specifically using the SE-NODE-G2 hardware.
- Greenfield Deployment
- Provisioning new VXLAN EVPN fabrics.
- Brownfield Migration
- Transitioning existing fabric management (NFM or CLI configured) to NDFC.
Model compatibility
- Release 12.0.2f supports a maximum of 150 switches per fabric.
- Release 12.0.2f supports a maximum of 350 switches across the entire NDFC service.
- Maximum scalability results may differ when scaling multiple features simultaneously.
Manual page author
Michael Turner
Technical manual editor
Reviews PDF manuals for structure, safety notes, and practical product details so readers can find the right information quickly.