Cisco MDS 9700 Series Replacement — What Cisco Recommends
Cisco support for the Cisco MDS 9700 Series ends Sep 2026 — the migration window is now. Cisco's own end-of-life bulletin names the successor below — quoted from the source, with the successor's live support status where EOSL.ai tracks it.
The Cisco-named replacement
per-model mapping in the bulletin — named in the Cisco EOL bulletin ↗ as the migration path.
Cisco MDS 9700 Series lifecycle dates
| SKU group | End of sale | EOSL / last support | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switch hardware | Sep 2021 | Sep 2026 | bulletin ↗ |
Per-part-number replacement mapping (7)
As listed in the Cisco bulletin's migration table for each part number.
| End-of-life part | Description | Bulletin-listed replacement |
|---|---|---|
| DS-C9706-1EK9 | DS-C9706-V3K9 | |
| DS-C9706-1K9 | DS-C9706-V2K9 | |
| DS-C9718-1K9 | DS-C9718-V3K9 | |
| DS-X9706-FAB1 | DS-X9706-FAB3 | |
| DS-X9710-FAB1 | DS-X9710-FAB3 | |
| DS-X9718-FAB1 | DS-X9718-FAB3 | |
| DS-C9710-1K9 | DS-C9710-V2K9 or DS-C9710-V3K9 |
Migration questions
What is the replacement for the Cisco MDS 9700 Series?
Cisco's end-of-life bulletin names Cisco MDS 9700 V2/V3 configurations (Fabric-3) as the recommended migration path for the Cisco MDS 9700 Series. The exact wording and any per-part-number mapping are in the linked bulletin.
Is the Cisco MDS 9700 Series end of life?
Cisco support for the Cisco MDS 9700 Series ends Sep 2026 — the migration window is now. Full lifecycle dates by part number: https://eosl.ai/system/cisco-mds-9700/.
Is there a per-part-number replacement mapping for the 9700 Series?
Yes — the bulletin maps replacements at the part-number level for 7 SKUs (for example DS-C9706-1EK9 → DS-C9706-V3K9). The full table is on this page.
Do I have to buy the Cisco-recommended replacement?
No. The bulletin's named successor is Cisco's suggested path, not an obligation. Teams also keep 9700 Series units running under third-party maintenance after the support cutoff, migrate to a different vendor, or run low-criticality units to failure with the risk documented. See the support-options guide for the trade-offs.