Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms

The Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platforms empowers from Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN Software which is fully programmable software architecture, and API support, these platforms can facilitate automation at scale to achieve zero-touch IT capability while migrating workloads to the cloud. This IOS provides secure, cloud-scale SD-WAN solution for aggregation sites. Catalyst 8500 features the newest 3^rd-gen Cisco Quantum Flow Processor (QFP) ASIC chip. The Catalyst 8500L Edge Platform features an x86 based platform architecture that is purpose built to continue delivering the same experience as an ASR1000 platform.

Cisco Catalyst 8000 License

Models and Specifications

The Cisco Catalyst 8500L is a 1RU SD-WAN platform which supports 4 x 1/10GE with Built-in interface flexibility, up to 20-Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate throughput and vManage, Cisco DNA Center, programmable APIs. It also provides double the IPsec throughput compared to ASR1001-X. It also provides up to 51Gbps SD-WAN IPsec throughput.

The C8500 is a 1RU SD-WAN platform which supports up to 120-Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate throughput, 12 x 1/10GE with built-in interface flexibility and vManage, Cisco DNA Center, programmable APIs. It also provides up to 19Gbps SD-WAN IPsec throughput.

The Cisco Catalyst 8500-4QC is 1RU SD-WAN platform which supports up to 200-Gbps Cisco Express Forwarding aggregate throughput, vManage, Cisco DNA Center, programmable APIs and 1/10/40/100GE interfaces with built-in interface flexibility. It also provides up to 68Gbps SD-WAN IPsec throughput.

Note that all Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms have 16 GB default DRAM and can be upgraded to 32 GB and 64 GB for higher scale and support software redundancy with 2 Cisco IOS processes running on a single device (IOS XE routing mode).

Cisco Catalyst 8500 License

The Cisco Catalyst 8500 license can be purchased and applied on the device, which is running on the Cisco autonomous mode (non SD-WAN), on the Cisco smart software management website. All Catalyst 8000 family support Cisco's smart licensing. Also, like other IOS-XE-based products, devices can be registered by the Cisco Catalyst 8500 PLR license to activate all premium features on the device permanently and without any Internet connection.

For platforms running on Cisco controller mode (SD-WAN), customers need to use Cisco PnP and DNA licenses to enable the needed crypto bandwidth for their devices.

Note: Smart licenses are not supported in SD-WAN architecture.