Cisco Switch Catalyst 9400

About the Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series

The Cisco Catalyst 9400 is a modular access-layer switch — the chassis-and-line-card member of the Catalyst 9000 family, positioned above the fixed-configuration Catalyst 9300. Where a 9300 is bought as a complete switch, a 9400 is bought as three separate things: a chassis with a slot count, one or two supervisor engines, and as many line cards as the slot budget allows. Power supplies, fan trays and blanks are separate line items as well.

Three chassis sizes make up the range:

• C9404R — 4 slot chassis, the compact end. Suits a large wiring closet or a small distribution position.
• C9407R — 7 slot chassis, the mainstream choice for a building distribution layer.
• C9410R — 10 slot chassis, for a campus core or a high-density distribution position.

Two things distinguish the platform from a fixed switch. First, slot economy: the supervisor occupies slots of its own, so a 7-slot chassis with redundant supervisors leaves five slots for line cards. Second, pay-as-you-grow: capacity is added by inserting a line card rather than by replacing the whole switch, which is what makes the chassis worth its premium in a wiring closet that will grow.

The 9400 line cards in this catalogue are the C9400-LC-48U — 48 ports of 10/100/1000 with UPOE, meaning a single port can deliver up to 60 W, which is what wave-2 access points, pan-tilt-zoom cameras and high-power endpoints require. Cisco DNA licensing applies to the platform in two tiers: DNA Advantage (A) and DNA Essentials (E). Both are sold as part of the pre-configured bundles below, and the tier determines which assurance and automation features are licensed.

How to Choose a Cisco Catalyst 9400

1. Size the chassis by slot budget, not by port count

Work backwards from the number of line cards you will eventually need, then add the supervisor:

• 1 line card + 1 supervisor → a 4-slot chassis is enough, with room for a second supervisor later.
• Up to 5 line cards → the 7-slot chassis.
• Up to 8 line cards → the 10-slot chassis.

Running redundant supervisors costs you a slot in every case. On a 4-slot chassis that is half the chassis; on a 10-slot it is a fifth. This is the single most common sizing mistake on the platform.

2. Bare chassis or a bundle?

The bare chassis part numbers — C9404R, C9407R, C9410R — are chassis only. They ship without line cards, without a supervisor and without power supplies, and the chassis alone will not pass traffic. The BNDL part numbers package the chassis together with a supervisor, two 48-port UPOE line cards and a Cisco DNA licence tier, and they are substantially cheaper than assembling the same configuration from separate line items:

• C9404R-48U-BNDL-A / -E — 4-slot, 1 x C9400-LC-48U
• C9407R-96U-BNDL-A / -E — 7-slot, 2 x C9400-LC-48U
• C9410R-96U-BNDL-A / -E — 10-slot, 2 x C9400-LC-48U

The trailing -A or -E is the Cisco DNA tier: Advantage or Essentials. If your requirement is a working switch rather than an empty chassis, start from a bundle and add line cards.

3. Which DNA tier?

DNA Essentials covers the basics of device management and assurance. DNA Advantage adds the full automation and analytics set. If the network is managed through Cisco DNA Center with policy-based automation, you need Advantage; if it is managed conventionally with CLI and SNMP, Essentials is usually sufficient. On this platform the two tiers carry the same hardware price in the bundles, so the decision is a licensing one rather than a budget one.

4. Check whether you need a Fed Only variant

Several part numbers in this category carry a "Fed Only" designation — the -1A and -1E suffixes. These are the Federal-compliant variants (FedRAMP authorisation) and are sold under different terms from the standard commercial SKUs. They are quoted on request rather than listed at a price. If you are not buying against a US federal requirement, the standard commercial part numbers are the ones you want.

Cisco Catalyst 9400 Model Comparison

Chassis and bundles

Power supplies and blanks

Prices are our current selling prices in US dollars, excluding shipping. Click a model number for the full specification table and availability. The Fed Only variants (C9407R-1A, C9407R-96U-BNDL-1A, C9410R-1A and their -1E counterparts) and the PSU blank are quoted on request.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the C9407R chassis come with line cards?

No. The bare C9407R, C9404R and C9410R part numbers are chassis only — no line cards, no supervisor engine and no power supplies. A bare chassis will not forward traffic until those items are added. If you want a working configuration, order a BNDL part number, which includes a supervisor and 48-port UPOE line cards.

What is the difference between the -A and -E bundles?

Only the Cisco DNA licence tier. -A is DNA Advantage, which includes the full automation and analytics feature set for networks managed through Cisco DNA Center. -E is DNA Essentials, which covers device management and assurance without the advanced automation. The hardware in the two bundles is identical, and they are priced the same here — so choose on how the network will be operated, not on cost.

What does "Fed Only" mean on these part numbers?

It marks the Federal-compliant variants (-1A, -1E), which are the SKUs sold against US federal procurement requirements under FedRAMP authorisation. They are not a different piece of hardware in any way that matters commercially, but they are sold under separate terms and are quoted individually rather than listed at a price.

How many line-card slots will I actually have?

Fewer than the model number suggests, because the supervisor engine takes a slot. A 4-slot chassis with one supervisor leaves three line-card slots; with redundant supervisors it leaves two. A 7-slot chassis leaves five or four, and a 10-slot leaves eight or seven. Size the chassis against the line-card count you expect at the end of its life, not on day one.

Do the 9400 line cards support UPOE?

Yes — C9400-LC-48U provides 48 ports of 10/100/1000 with UPOE, so a single port can deliver up to 60 W. That is the line card supplied in every bundle listed above, and it is what makes the platform suitable for wave-2 access points and powered cameras without a separate midspan injector.

Can I add cards and power supplies later?

Yes, and that is the main reason to buy a chassis platform. Line cards, supervisor engines and 2100 W AC power supplies can all be added to an installed chassis. Tell us the chassis model and the configuration you are aiming for and we will quote the expansion as a set, so the slot count, power budget and supervisor placement are checked together.

Which chassis should I choose for a campus core?

The 10-slot C9410R — it has the slot budget for redundant supervisors plus a full complement of line cards, which is what a core position requires. The 7-slot C9407R is the usual choice for a building distribution layer, and the 4-slot C9404R for a large wiring closet or a small distribution position.