Connecting the Switch to the ACI Fabric
When running power and data cables in overhead or subfloor cable trays, we strongly recommend that
Note
you locate power cables and other potential noise sources as far away as practical from network cabling
that terminates on Cisco equipment. In situations where long parallel cable runs cannot be separated by
at least 3.3 feet (1 meter), we recommend that you shield any potential noise sources by housing them in
a grounded metallic conduit.
The optical transceivers that are not already assembled to their cables come separate from their cables. To
prevent these transceivers and their cables from being damaged, we recommend that you keep the transceivers
disconnected from their cables when installing them in ports and then insert the optical cable into the transceiver.
When removing transceivers from ports, remove their cables before removing the transceivers.
To maximize the effectiveness and life of your transceivers and optical cables, do the following:
• Wear an ESD-preventative wrist strap that is connected to an earth ground whenever handling transceivers.
• Do not remove or insert a transceiver more often than necessary. Repeated removals and insertions can
• Keep the transceivers and fiber-optic cables clean and dust free to maintain high signal accuracy and to
• Inspect routinely for dust and damage. If you suspect damage, clean and then inspect fiber ends under
Connecting a Leaf Switch to an APIC
You must downlink one or two (recommended for redundancy) Cisco Nexus 93120TX, 93128TX, 9332PQ,
9372PX, 9372PX-E, 9372TX, 9396PX, or 9396TX leaf switches running in ACI mode to each Application
Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) in your ACI fabric (each leaf switch can be connected to multiple
APICs). The type of interface cables and leaf switches that you connect to are determined by the type of virtual
interface card (VIC) installed on the APIC as follows:
• The VIC1225 module supports optical transceivers, optical cables, and the Cisco Nexus 9396PX leaf
• The VIC1225T module supports copper connectors, copper cables, and the Cisco Nexus 93128TX and
The switch is typically grounded when you install transceivers and provides an ESD port to which you
can connect your wrist strap. If you cannot find an ESD port, connect the wrist strap to an earth ground
(such as the grounding connection for the chassis).
shorten its useful life.
prevent damage to the connectors. Attenuation (loss of light) increases with contamination and should
be kept below 0.35 dB.
◦ Clean these parts before installing them to prevent dust from scratching the fiber-optic cable ends.
◦ Clean the connectors regularly; the required frequency of cleaning depends upon the environment.
In addition, clean connectors if they are exposed to dust or accidentally touched. Both wet and dry
cleaning techniques can be effective; refer to your site's fiber-optic connection cleaning procedures.
◦ Do not touch the ends of connectors. Touching the ends can leave fingerprints and cause other
contamination.
a microscope to determine if damage has occurred.
switch.
9396TX leaf switches.
Cisco Nexus 9336PQ ACI-Mode Switch Hardware Installation Guide
Connecting a Leaf Switch to an APIC
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