Cisco recommends using Nexus 5k/7k/9k switches for Fabric Interconnect northbound network connectivity because of the features such as virtual PortChannel (vPC). It is, however, possible to connect Fabric Interconnect to other Ethernet switches as well, including Cisco Catalyst series switches and even switches from Cisco competitors, as long as those switches use the industry standard protocols.

The majority of UCS field deployments are designed using Nexus 5k/7k switches. Therefore, we will explain the upstream configuration using Cisco Nexus 5k switches. However, with the introduction of the Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), Cisco supports UCS connectivity with the latest spin/leaf architecture with Nexus 9k and provides tight integration with the Application Programming Interface Controller (APIC).