Cisco Nexus 3048 (N3K-C3048TP-1GE) to Nexus 9200 Migration

If you still have Cisco Nexus 3048TP-1GE switches (PID N3K-C3048TP-1GE) carrying production traffic, the clock has already run out. This 1RU, 48-port Gigabit Ethernet top-of-rack switch hit its Last Day of Support (LDoS) on August 31, 2025. After that date Cisco TAC will not open new cases, RMA hardware replacement ends, and Cisco PSIRT issues no further NX-OS security fixes for the platform. For data center, server-access, and out-of-band management roles — exactly where the 3048 was deployed — running unsupported, unpatched switching is now an active risk, not a deferred one.

What the Nexus 3048TP-1GE was, and why it aged out

The Nexus 3048 was Cisco's low-latency, low-cost 1GbE aggregation and ToR switch: 48 fixed 100M/1000BASE-T (RJ45) host ports plus 4 SFP+ uplinks (1/10G), in a compact 1RU chassis with front-to-back or back-to-front airflow options for hot/cold-aisle data centers. It ran NX-OS and was popular for 1G server access, lab fabrics, and management networks. The problem is architectural: it tops out at 1G on the access ports and 10G on the uplinks, with merchant silicon and a buffer/feature set from the early-2010s Nexus 3000 generation. It cannot do 25G server attach, 100G spine uplinks, VXLAN EVPN at modern scale, or current telemetry — all of which are now table stakes in the data center.

What each milestone date actually means

• End of Sale (Aug 3, 2020): Cisco stopped taking new orders for the N3K-C3048TP-1GE. Any unit deployed after this came from existing channel stock or the secondary market.
• End of SW Maintenance (Aug 3, 2021): the last date Cisco delivered NX-OS maintenance releases and routine bug fixes. From here, only critical/security fixes were considered, under contract.
• Last Day of Support — LDoS (Aug 31, 2025): the hard cliff. No TAC, no RMA, no PSIRT patches, no entitlement to software. The hardware can keep forwarding packets, but it is now unsupported and unpatchable.

The compliance angle is what makes inaction expensive. Frameworks that federal, DoD, SLED, and healthcare buyers live under — FISMA/RMF, FedRAMP, CMMC, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS — all require that infrastructure receive vendor security updates and remain on a supported lifecycle. An unsupported switch in scope is a documented finding waiting to happen at the next audit or ATO renewal. See the full lifecycle record on our Nexus 3048TP-1GE end-of-life page.

The recommended replacement: Nexus 9200 (N9K-C92348GC-X)

Cisco maps the 3048 forward to the Nexus 9200 series, specifically the N9K-C92348GC-X. This is the natural successor because it keeps the same role — high-density copper host access in 1RU — while moving the whole platform a generation forward on speed, silicon, and software.

Concretely better, port by port

• Host density and speed: 48 ports of 100M/1G copper (RJ45) — same cabling and host attach as the 3048, so existing Cat5e/Cat6 server runs land directly. No re-cabling of the access layer.
• Real uplink headroom: 4 ports of 1/10/25G SFP28 plus 2 ports of 40/100G QSFP28. The 3048 capped at 4x10G; the 92348GC-X gives you 25G leaf uplinks and 100G spine attach in the same 1RU. That is the difference between a dead-end ToR and one that fits a modern VXLAN EVPN leaf-spine fabric.
• Cloud Scale ASIC: the 9200 runs on Cisco's Cloud Scale silicon (the same family behind the 9300-EX/FX), bringing larger forwarding tables, intelligent buffering, and line-rate Layer 2/Layer 3.
• VXLAN BGP EVPN: native overlay support for spine-leaf, multi-tenancy, and stretched Layer 2 — something the original Nexus 3000 generation could not do at this scale.
• Streaming telemetry and programmability: model-driven telemetry, NX-API, gRPC/gNMI, and Python/Ansible-friendly NX-OS, replacing SNMP-era polling on the 3048.
• ACI-ready: the 9200 can run standalone NX-OS today and be converted to ACI spine/leaf mode later if you adopt Application Centric Infrastructure — protecting the investment.

Licensing: from feature-locked to NX-OS tiers

This is the single most common migration surprise, so plan for it. The Nexus 9000 family uses Cisco's tiered NX-OS subscription model (Essentials, Advantage, and add-ons such as the Day-2 Operations / Nexus Dashboard Insights package) under Smart Licensing Using Policy (SLUP). Base Layer 2/Layer 3 functions are covered by the lower tier; VXLAN EVPN, advanced segmentation, and telemetry-driven assurance pull in higher tiers. Unlike the perpetual, feature-on-box model of the 3048 era, you size a subscription term (typically 3 or 5 years) up front. Match the tier to the features you actually intend to enable — paying for Advantage on a switch you only use as a flat Layer 2 ToR is wasted budget, and under-licensing will block the EVPN config you planned for.

A practical migration plan

1. Assess and inventory

Pull show inventory, show module, and show running-config from every 3048. Capture serial numbers, NX-OS version, port maps, VLAN/STP topology, port-channels, and any features in use (e.g., FEX, if these were acting as a parent or were paired with a 2000-series fabric extender). Confirm contract status and document which switches are in an audited/regulated scope. Map physical placement, airflow direction, and PDU/circuit per rack.

2. Config and feature parity

Most Layer 2/Layer 3 config translates cleanly NX-OS to NX-OS, but do not assume a copy/paste. Validate interface naming (Ethernet1/x persists), STP mode, VRFs, and any spanning-tree/port-channel hashing differences. If you are adopting VXLAN EVPN as part of the refresh, treat that as a redesign step, not a parity step — build the overlay deliberately rather than lifting the old flat design. Re-baseline your NX-OS version against Cisco's current recommended release for the 9200 before cutover.

3. Physical: rack, power, optics, uplinks

• Airflow: order the 92348GC-X in the airflow direction matching your aisle layout (port-side exhaust vs. intake). A mismatched fan/PSU SKU will fight your cooling.
• Power: budget for dual PSUs and confirm circuit capacity; the 9200 draws more than the 1G-era 3048 under load.
• Copper host ports: existing RJ45 server cabling reuses directly — no optics needed on the access side.
• Uplink optics: this is the real change. Plan SFP28 (25G) for leaf uplinks and QSFP28 (100G) for spine — SR/LR or DAC/AOC per distance. Your old 10G SFP+ optics do not satisfy the new 25G/100G uplink design; budget new transceivers explicitly. Browse compatible Nexus optics and switches on our catalog.

4. Phased cutover

Avoid a forklift. Stage the 9200 alongside the 3048, build and validate config out-of-band, then migrate rack-by-rack or server-group-by-server-group during change windows. For dual-homed servers, move one NIC at a time. Keep the old switch powered and reachable until the new path is proven, so rollback is a cable move, not a re-config.

5. Secure decommission

Once retired, wipe configuration and credentials from each 3048 (clear startup-config, remove keys/certs), record serials for asset/CMDB closure, and dispose through a process that meets your data-handling policy — NIST 800-88 media sanitization for regulated environments. Do not let decommissioned switches with live configs and SNMP/TACACS secrets sit on a shelf.

Procurement notes for regulated buyers

For federal, DoD, and SLED purchases, confirm TAA compliance and country-of-origin on the 92348GC-X and optics, and route the buy through GPC or your established contract vehicle. New-generation Nexus and 25G/100G optics can carry real lead times, so place orders ahead of your change windows rather than after. Buying through an authorized Cisco partner protects warranty, Smart Licensing entitlement, and the upgrade path to ACI or Nexus Dashboard later. uniqcli can scope the exact SKU mix — switch, airflow, PSU, optics, and NX-OS tier — to your topology and compliance posture. Compare other retired platforms on our Cisco end-of-life hub.