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Migration guide · Cisco

Cisco Nexus 9500 Series Replacement — What Cisco Recommends

Cisco support for the Cisco Nexus 9500 Series ended Nov 2025 — unsupported units need a plan. 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

N9K-X9736Q-FX

named as the replacement part number in the Cisco EOL bulletin — named in the Cisco EOL bulletin ↗ as the migration path.

N9K-X9788TC-FX

named as the replacement part number in the Cisco EOL bulletin — named in the Cisco EOL bulletin ↗ as the migration path.

N9K-X97160YC-EX

named as the replacement part number in the Cisco EOL bulletin — named in the Cisco EOL bulletin ↗ as the migration path.

N9K-X9736Q-FX and N9K-X9788TC-FX and N9K-X97160YC-EX are not yet tracked on EOSL.ai — no vendor end-of-life notice has been captured for them, which is typical of current products.

Cisco Nexus 9500 Series lifecycle dates

SKU groupEnd of saleEOSL / last supportSource
Switch hardwareNov 2020Nov 2025bulletin ↗
Switch hardwareNov 2020Nov 2025bulletin ↗
Switch hardwareNov 2020Nov 2025bulletin ↗
Switch hardwareNov 2020Nov 2025bulletin ↗
Switch hardwareNov 2020Nov 2025bulletin ↗

Per-part-number replacement mapping (4)

As listed in the Cisco bulletin's migration table for each part number.

End-of-life partDescriptionBulletin-listed replacement
N9K-SUP-BN9K-SUP-B+
N9K-X9432PQN9K-X9736Q-FX
N9K-X9464TX2N9K-X9788TC-FX
N9K-X9464PXN9K-X97160YC-EX
Replacement guidance on this page is quoted from Cisco's official end-of-life bulletin (linked above). EOSL.ai sells no hardware and lists no paid placements — this is the manufacturer's stated path, and third-party maintenance past the cutoff is also an option.

Migration questions

What is the replacement for the Cisco Nexus 9500 Series?

Cisco's end-of-life bulletin names N9K-X9736Q-FX and N9K-X9788TC-FX and N9K-X97160YC-EX as the recommended migration path for the Cisco Nexus 9500 Series. The exact wording and any per-part-number mapping are in the linked bulletin.

Is the Cisco Nexus 9500 Series end of life?

Cisco support for the Cisco Nexus 9500 Series ended Nov 2025 — unsupported units need a plan. Full lifecycle dates by part number: https://eosl.ai/system/cisco-nexus-9500/.

Is there a per-part-number replacement mapping for the 9500 Series?

Yes — the bulletin maps replacements at the part-number level for 4 SKUs (for example N9K-SUP-B → N9K-SUP-B+). 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 9500 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.

Other Cisco Nexus migration guides