Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X 16GB 12-Port 1/10G SFP+ SD-WAN Edge Platform

High-Performance Enterprise Edge Platform

The Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X is a compact 1RU cloud edge platform designed for high-performance enterprise routing, WAN aggregation, secure connectivity and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN deployments. It combines Cisco's third-generation QuantumFlow Processor architecture with Cisco IOS XE software to provide high-throughput routing and advanced network services.

With 12 integrated 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ ports, the C8500-12X provides flexible fiber connectivity for enterprise WAN, aggregation and cloud-edge environments.

12-Port 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet Connectivity

The C8500-12X features 12 × 1/10GE SFP+ ports, allowing organizations to connect high-speed fiber-based WAN and aggregation links while maintaining flexible 1G and 10G interface deployment options.

High-Performance Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN

The C8500-12X is designed to operate as a high-performance aggregation platform within Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN environments. It provides hardware-accelerated IPsec processing and supports large-scale encrypted WAN deployments.

• Up to 51Gbps SD-WAN IPsec throughput at 1400-byte clear text traffic.
• Up to 22.6Gbps SD-WAN IPsec IMIX throughput.
• Up to 8,000 SD-WAN overlay tunnels.
• Application-aware routing and traffic engineering support.
• Integrated QoS, NAT, ACL and security capabilities.

Enterprise Routing and IPsec Performance

In autonomous routing mode, the Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X can deliver up to 118Gbps of IPv4 forwarding throughput and up to 84Gbps of IPsec throughput. This makes the platform suitable for demanding enterprise WAN, secure routing and cloud-edge applications.

Cisco QuantumFlow Processor 3.0

Cisco Catalyst 8500 Edge Platforms use the third-generation Cisco QuantumFlow Processor architecture for high-performance routing, IPsec encryption and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN services. The platform also uses a multicore Intel x86 control processor for control-plane operations.

The C8500-12X includes 16GB of default DRAM and supports memory upgrades to 32GB or 64GB for environments requiring increased scale.

Integrated Enterprise Security

The C8500-12X provides hardware-accelerated security capabilities and Cisco IOS XE security features for enterprise networks. Supported technologies include IPsec, ACLs, firewall services, NAT, VPN segmentation, PKI and secure connectivity.

• Hardware-accelerated IPsec encryption.
• Access Control Lists (ACLs).
• Network Address Translation (NAT).
• VPN and network segmentation.
• Zone-Based Firewall support.
• Secure Boot and Secure Unique Device Identification (SUDI).

Cisco IOS XE Software

Cisco IOS XE provides a programmable software architecture with routing, security, QoS, automation and API capabilities. The platform supports enterprise routing protocols including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, IS-IS, IPv4, IPv6, MPLS, IPsec, NAT and multiple VPN technologies.

Cisco specifies IOS XE 17.3.2 as the minimum software requirement for the C8500-12X.

Memory and Storage

The C8500-12X comes with 16GB of default DRAM and supports optional 32GB and 64GB memory configurations. Cisco specifies 32GB eUSB storage as the default storage configuration, with an optional 480GB M.2 SATA SSD upgrade.

Ideal Applications

• Enterprise WAN aggregation
• Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN deployments
• Cloud edge connectivity
• Data center edge routing
• Secure enterprise WAN
• High-performance IPsec VPN infrastructure
• Large-scale enterprise routing
• Service-provider and aggregation environments

Product Lifecycle Notice

Why Choose Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X?

The Cisco Catalyst C8500-12X combines high-density 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, powerful routing performance, hardware- accelerated IPsec and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN capabilities in a compact 1RU platform. Its scalable memory architecture, programmable Cisco IOS XE software and advanced security features make it suitable for demanding enterprise edge deployments.