IP Infusion vs Cisco Nexus, NCS and 8000: a technical comparison
Platform by platform, silicon by silicon: how IP Infusion routers and switches line up against Cisco Nexus, NCS, the Cisco 8000 series and ACI, and what changes in licensing, CLI and operations if you move.
How the two are put together
Both are commercial and carrier-grade, both run the same standards, and both come with SLAs and a global support organization. A router is four layers either way. What differs is who supplies each layer, and whether you can change one of them without changing the rest.
Different suppliers per layer, qualified together by IP Infusion and delivered as one product on one support contract and one RMA path.
One supplier for every layer, delivered and renewed under one contract.
At a glance
| Dimension | IP Infusion (OcNOS) | Cisco (IOS-XR / NX-OS) |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The finished router or switch: open hardware, OcNOS, optics and support as one system. Or OcNOS on its own, for hardware you already run. | The finished router or switch: Cisco hardware, the NOS and support from one vendor. |
| Hardware | Open platforms from Edgecore, UfiSpace and Celestica. One OcNOS operating model across all of them. | Cisco-branded systems. |
| Silicon | Broadcom merchant: Qumran and Jericho for routing, Trident and Tomahawk for switching. | Cisco Silicon One and Cloud Scale, plus Broadcom merchant silicon in lines such as the NCS 5700 and the Nexus 9500 R-Series. |
| Operating system | OcNOS-SP for service-provider routing, OcNOS-DC for the data center. | IOS-XR for SP and core, NX-OS for the data center, IOS-XE for enterprise. |
| Licensing | Licensed separately from the hardware. Perpetual and term, with feature tiers unlocked by software upgrade. | Smart Licensing Using Policy, subscription and term. Some lines retain perpetual options. |
| Sourcing | Hardware and software are bought separately, so platforms can be competed across ODMs. | Hardware, software and support are sourced from Cisco. |
| Protocols | BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, MPLS, SR-MPLS, SRv6, EVPN-VXLAN, RSVP-TE, IEEE 1588v2. Per-platform detail in the Feature Matrix. | Comparable standards-based suite across IOS-XR and NX-OS. |
| Optics | Multi-vendor pluggables with proven interoperability, including 400G ZR and ZR+ coherent. | Cisco optics. |
| Management | Industry-standard transactional CLI with explicit commit. NETCONF, OpenConfig, gNMI/gRPC, YANG, RESTCONF, Ansible, IP Maestro EMS. | IOS-XR and NX-OS CLI. Cisco model-driven telemetry and the Cisco automation stack. |
| Support | One support contract and one RMA path from IP Infusion, across software and hardware. | Single-vendor TAC for hardware and software. |
Which one fits your network
The protocol sets overlap heavily, so the decision usually comes down to how you want to buy and operate the network.
- Licensing you own. Perpetual and term options, licensed separately from the hardware, so the features you depend on stay a cost you own rather than one you renegotiate at every renewal.
- Hardware you can compete. The same OcNOS image runs on merchant-silicon platforms from Edgecore, UfiSpace and Celestica, so the box can go out to bid without changing the network OS.
- Layers that stay separable. Hardware, software and optics are bought on their own merits, so a change of supplier in one does not force a change in the others.
- Multi-vendor optics. Pluggables with proven interoperability from several suppliers, including 400G ZR and ZR+ coherent for IPoDWDM and DCI.
- Support from one team. One responsive IP Infusion team backs both the software and the hardware, under a single contract and one RMA path, so a problem does not bounce between suppliers.
- A single vendor across hardware, software and support, with one TAC relationship.
- Operations already standardized on IOS-XR or NX-OS, with Cisco tooling, automation and processes you intend to keep.
- Features that live in the Cisco stack specifically, such as an APIC policy model or Cisco-proprietary silicon behavior your design depends on.
One operating model across service provider, data center and AI fabric
OcNOS carries the same industry-standard command line and operational model across three roles that Cisco runs on two separate operating systems. Service-provider routing, the data-center EVPN-VXLAN fabric and the RoCEv2 AI-fabric spine are configured and operated the same way, across the OcNOS-SP and OcNOS-DC editions.
Service provider routing
OcNOS-SP carries BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, SR-MPLS, SRv6 and EVPN-MPLS with IEEE 1588v2 timing on Broadcom Qumran and Jericho platforms. On Cisco this role runs IOS-XR.
Data-center fabric
OcNOS-DC runs a BGP-EVPN-VXLAN leaf-spine with the standard overlay primitives on Broadcom Trident and Tomahawk hardware. On Cisco this role runs NX-OS.
AI fabric
OcNOS-DC adds RoCEv2 lossless queueing on Broadcom Tomahawk-5 800G spines for GPU-cluster fabrics. On Cisco this role runs on Nexus (NX-OS) or Cisco 8000 (IOS-XR).
The same command line and configuration patterns carry across all three roles on IP Infusion. On Cisco, service-provider and core routing run IOS-XR and the data center runs NX-OS, each with its own command line and configuration model, so a team moving between the two roles works in a different syntax and operational model.
Platform-by-platform: Service Provider Routers
Rows are matched on role, port profile and capacity, not SKU for SKU. Each row pairs a Cisco platform with its IP Infusion equivalent, the port profile, the capacity comparison and the verdict. Where one platform does not carry the capacity, the row says so and names the combination that does.
| Cisco platform | IP Infusion equivalent | Ports | Capacity | Match | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco NCS 540Access / aggregation · IOS-XR | S9510-28DC / AS7535-28XBOcNOS-SP | 24×10G + 8×25G + 2×100G → 24×25G + 2×100G + 2×400G | ~640G → 800G | Role and capacity match | Cisco does not publish the forwarding ASIC for the NCS 540, so this row is matched on role, port profile and capacity rather than on silicon. |
| Cisco NCS 5500 / 5700Aggregation / provider edge · IOS-XR | S9600-64X / 56DX / AS9947-36XKBOcNOS-SP | 24×100G + 6×400G → 48×100G + 8×400G | 3.6T-4.8T → 4.8T-7.2T | Same capacity class | Route scale, buffer depth and port mix are compared per deployment. |
| Cisco 8000 (8201 / 8202)Core / peering · IOS-XR · Cisco Silicon One Q100 | S9610-36DOcNOS-SP | 12×100G + 24×400G → 36×400G | 10.8T → 14.4T | Different silicon | The silicon architectures differ, so buffer depth, FIB/RIB scale and label-stack depth are compared per deployment rather than assumed. |
| Cisco ASR 9902 / 9903PE / BNG edge · IOS-XR | S9600-56DX / AS9947-36XKBOcNOS-SP | 48×100G + 8×400G | By configuration | BNG to confirm | Advanced subscriber-management workloads are scoped as a design review rather than a datasheet swap. |
Platform-by-platform: Data Center Switches
The same OcNOS-DC image, the same standards-based EVPN-VXLAN fabric, on open Broadcom Trident and Tomahawk hardware.
| Cisco platform | IP Infusion equivalent | Ports | Capacity | Match | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX25G leaf · NX-OS · Cloud Scale | AS7326-56XOcNOS-DC | 48×25G + 6×100G → 48×25G + 8×100G | 1.8T → 2.0T (one way) | Port-for-port match | BGP-EVPN-VXLAN, MAC-VRF and the standard overlay primitives are supported natively. |
| Cisco Nexus 9336C-FX2100G leaf / spine · NX-OS · Cloud Scale | AS7726-32X / S9110-32XOcNOS-DC | 36×100G → 32×100G | 3.6T → 3.2T (one way) | Same 100G class | Where 400G uplinks are wanted instead, the AS9716-32D row below is the better starting point. |
| Cisco Nexus 9332D-GX2B400G leaf / spine · NX-OS · Cloud Scale | AS9716-32D / AS9736-64DOcNOS-DC | 32×400G → 32 or 64×400G | 12.8T → 12.8 or 25.6T | Same 400G class | Both carry BGP-EVPN-VXLAN with the standard overlay primitives. |
| Cisco 800G spine51.2T tier · Cisco Silicon One G200 | AIS800-64D / S9321-64EOcNOS-DC | 64×800G → 64×800G | 51.2T → 51.2T | Different vendor silicon | RoCEv2 lossless queueing for AI fabric is available on the Tomahawk-5 platforms. |
| Cisco Nexus 9500 R-SeriesDeep-buffer spine · NX-OS · Broadcom ASICs | S9610-36D / AS9947-36XKBOcNOS-SP | 36×400G / 24×100G + 12×400G | By chassis → 14.4T / 7.2T | Deep buffer sits in SP | On the IP Infusion side the GB-scale buffer platforms are the Jericho2c+ routers (16 GB on the S9610-36D, 8 GB HBM on the AS9947-36XKB), and those run OcNOS-SP. A deep-buffer aggregation role is therefore scoped as an SP-family design rather than a like-for-like DC switch swap. |
| Cisco ACI / APICController-based DC fabric | EVPN-VXLAN leaf-spineOcNOS-DC | — | Per fabric design | Design review | The APIC controller and its policy model do not port one-to-one, so a move is scoped as a design review rather than a swap. |
How to read these. Rows are matched on role, port profile and capacity. Capacity is stated one way on both sides: Cisco publishes Nexus switching capacity bidirectionally, so those figures are halved here to compare against the unidirectional figures Edgecore and UfiSpace publish. Silicon is named only where the vendor names it; Cisco does not publish the forwarding ASIC for the NCS 540, and describes the Nexus 9500 R-Series as Broadcom ASICs without naming the part. No SKU is presented as a guaranteed one-to-one replacement, and the right platform for your network still depends on its port mix, scale and feature set. Specs reflect publicly documented information as of July 2026.
Platforms IP Infusion ships for these roles
A representative set for the roles above. Open any card for the platform datasheet:
Browse the full validated set: Hardware Compatibility List.
Where IP Infusion replaces Cisco well
SP metro & edge aggregation
SR-MPLS, EVPN-MPLS and G.8273.2 Class C timing on Broadcom Qumran and Jericho platforms, covering the access and aggregation roles the Cisco NCS 540 and NCS 5500 serve.
Data-center EVPN-VXLAN leaf-spine
A BGP-EVPN-VXLAN fabric on open Trident and Tomahawk hardware, with the standard overlay primitives (MAC-VRF, type-2/type-5 routes) and no central controller dependency.
400G & 800G data-center spine
High-radix spines on Broadcom Tomahawk-4 (400G) and Tomahawk-5 (800G), with RoCEv2 lossless queueing for AI fabric.
IPoDWDM & 400G coherent DCI
OpenZR+ 400G coherent pluggables managed directly from OcNOS-SP: transponder-free DCI on open hardware, with proven multi-vendor optics interoperability.
Operators who made the move
Published customer stories where Cisco equipment was replaced, and the reason each operator gave:
A phased migration path
Assessment & lab
Capture the current IOS-XR / NX-OS config, port mix, and feature usage; map platforms against the classes above and select OcNOS editions and HCL hardware.
Pilot & parity
Run a dual-homed pilot, verify protocol and timing parity, translate route-policy and EVPN config, and stream OpenConfig telemetry to your existing collector.
Rolling cutover
Cut over region by region with a clear rollback path, retaining the same standards-based data plane and operational model throughout.
Where IP Infusion fits
Cisco is a mature incumbent with a deep portfolio and a support organization to match. IP Infusion competes on procurement: merchant-silicon hardware you can compete across ODMs, software licensed separately from the box and available perpetually, and optics from more than one supplier, delivered as a finished router or switch validated on the HCL. Where your requirement is the standards-based protocol set, that is the trade worth pricing.
Cisco, IOS-XR, IOS-XE, NX-OS, Silicon One, Nexus, Catalyst, NCS, Cisco 8000, ACI, and APIC are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. Broadcom and its product names are trademarks of Broadcom Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. IP Infusion is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cisco Systems. Comparisons reflect publicly documented specifications as of July 2026 and are provided for evaluation purposes only.