Description
Cisco N77-C7710-FAN – 10-Slot Fan Tray for Nexus 7700 Series Switches | High-Capacity Cooling with Port-Side Exhaust
The Cisco N77-C7710-FAN is a high-performance, 10-slot fan tray engineered exclusively for the Cisco Nexus 7700 Series modular switches, specifically the Nexus 7710 chassis. As a critical thermal management component, this fan tray delivers robust, redundant, and intelligent cooling to maintain optimal operating temperatures across the entire system—even under maximum load in demanding data center environments.
Designed with port-side exhaust airflow, the N77-C7710-FAN aligns with modern hot-aisle/cold-aisle data center cooling architectures, ensuring efficient heat dissipation and long-term hardware reliability. Its modular, hot-swappable design enables seamless maintenance without service interruption, making it essential for mission-critical network infrastructures requiring 99.999% uptime.
Key Features & Specifications
- Model: N77-C7710-FAN
- Compatible Chassis: Cisco Nexus 7710 (10-slot modular switch)
- Airflow Direction: Port-side exhaust (hot air expelled through the front/port side)
- Fan Configuration: Integrated 10-fan array (exact count may vary by revision; designed to fill the full fan tray bay)
- Redundancy: Supports N+1 fan redundancy—system remains operational even if one or more fans fail
- Hot-Swappable: Yes—allows replacement without powering down the chassis
- Intelligent Control: Fan speeds dynamically adjusted via NX-OS based on real-time thermal sensors
- Monitoring: Full visibility through NX-OS CLI (
show environment fan) and Cisco DCNM - Cisco Certified: Fully validated for acoustic, thermal, and mechanical compliance
Note: Always confirm airflow direction (exhaust vs. intake) matches your data center layout and other components (e.g., power supplies). Mixing airflow types can cause overheating and system shutdowns.
Role in the Nexus 7700 Architecture
The Nexus 7710 is a high-density, carrier-grade switch used in core, data center, and service provider networks. With support for up to 10 line cards, high-speed fabric modules, and redundant supervisors, it generates significant thermal load that must be managed continuously.
The N77-C7710-FAN installs into the dedicated fan tray bay (typically at the rear or side of the chassis, depending on orientation) and works in concert with:
- Power supplies (which also contribute to airflow)
- Line cards with internal airflow channels
- Fabric and supervisor modules
This creates a consistent front-to-back or back-to-front cooling path—in this case, port-side exhaust, meaning cool air is drawn from the rear (power side) and hot air is expelled through the front (port side).
Why Port-Side Exhaust Matters
In data centers where switches are installed facing away from cold aisles (e.g., in back-to-back racks or non-standard layouts), port-side exhaust becomes necessary to:
- Prevent hot air recirculation into intake paths
- Comply with localized cooling strategies
- Maintain hardware within thermal specifications
Cisco clearly labels airflow variants:
- PE = Port-side Exhaust
- PI = Port-side Intake
The N77-C7710-FAN is a PE (exhaust) model—critical information when ordering replacements or spares.
High Availability & Operational Resilience
- N+1 Redundancy: The fan tray includes more fans than minimally required, allowing graceful degradation during failures.
- Real-Time Monitoring: Administrators receive alerts for fan speed deviations, failures, or overheating via SNMP, syslog, or Cisco DCNM.
- Zero Downtime Maintenance: Hot-swap capability ensures cooling continuity during fan replacement—vital for financial, healthcare, and cloud environments.
Genuine Cisco Quality & Support
Using Cisco-original N77-C7710-FAN modules ensures:
- Full compatibility with Nexus 7700 hardware and NX-OS software
- Accurate telemetry and failure diagnostics
- Eligibility for Cisco TAC support and warranty coverage
- Compliance with Cisco Validated Designs (CVDs)
Third-party or refurbished fan trays may lack firmware integration, thermal calibration, or fail silently—posing hidden risks to system stability.
Ideal Use Cases
- Core network deployments in enterprise or service provider data centers
- High-availability aggregation layers handling 10G/40G/100G traffic
- Environments requiring strict thermal compliance (e.g., telco central offices)
- Spare parts inventory for organizations managing multiple Nexus 7700 chassis
Technical Summary
Best Practices for Deployment
- Verify Airflow Consistency: Ensure all components (power supplies, line cards, fan trays) use the same airflow direction.
- Monitor Fan Health Regularly: Use
show environment fanto detect early signs of wear or failure. - Maintain Spare Units: Given the critical role of cooling, keep at least one spare N77-C7710-FAN on hand.
- Follow Cisco Installation Guides: Improper seating can trigger chassis alarms or airflow faults.
Conclusion
The Cisco N77-C7710-FAN 10-slot fan tray is far more than a cooling accessory—it’s a foundational element of the Nexus 7700’s high-availability architecture. With its port-side exhaust design, redundant fan array, and seamless integration into Cisco’s ecosystem, it ensures your Nexus 7710 switch operates reliably, efficiently, and safely under the most demanding conditions. For network teams managing core infrastructure, this genuine Cisco fan tray is a non-negotiable component of operational excellence.
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