Cisco FabricPath Reviews

Name: Cisco FabricPath
Brand: Cisco
Rating: 4.1 (26 reviews)

Vendor: Cisco

4.1 out of 5

26 reviews
95% willing to recommend

850 followers

What is Cisco FabricPath?

Cisco FabricPath is a Cisco NX-OS software innovation combining the plug-and-play simplicity of Ethernet with the reliability and scalability of Layer 3 routing. Using FabricPath, you can build highly scalable Layer 2 multipath networks without the Spanning Tree Protocol. Such networks are particularly suitable for large virtualization deployments, private clouds, and high-performance computing (HPC) environments. The benefits of Cisco FabricPath include: Minimal commands per switch ease configuration and operation, Autodiscovery simplifies addition of new links and switches, Provision additional network bandwidth without impacting network, Supports one-, two-, or three-tier architectures, VLAN extensibility across the data center.

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Cisco FabricPath is the #6 ranked solution in top LAN Switching solutions. PeerSpot users give Cisco FabricPath an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. Cisco FabricPath is most commonly compared to Cisco Nexus: Cisco FabricPath vs Cisco Nexus. Cisco FabricPath is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 63% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 32% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

LAN Switching

December 2024

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Featured reviews

OusaidAbaz

Security Network Architect at Inmac

Cisco FabricPath is very fast, stable, extendable, and scalable. It doesn't have issues with patches or problems because it's built on the stable NXOS operating system. In a scenario using FabricPath, the spin and leaf architecture is beneficial. For example, we can use two separate spine switches like 9980s and multiple leaf switches as access switches. These leaf switches are connected using VPC between them, with each switch separated and not directly connected to the spine. This setup improves data center architecture by allowing two ways to arrange destinations, connecting the first connection to the first spine and the second to the second spine. The spines are configured as a virtual chassis. In FabricPath, we can enhance VXLANs, VPNs, and integrate with Cisco ISE for user authentication. It can also be configured with WLC to manage wireless technology, depending on the client's architecture.

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Wajid Khattak

Procurement Officer at Emerging Systems

The tool makes it easy to manage multi-layer networking and increases network efficiency. I haven't faced any challenges in integrating it into our existing infrastructure. Cisco FabricPath's pricing is expensive. I have been using the product for eight years. I rate the solution's stability…

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BratislavPetkovic

System Engineer for core infrastructure at JP Posta Srbije

Cisco FabricPath has room for improvement in areas like technical support and design. There has been no progress on updates. Some extra features like artificial intelligence would be beneficial. We partnered to create a design but had to change the environment to fit our needs. The pricing of the solution can also be improved.

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Cisco FabricPath mindshare

As of January 2025, the mindshare of Cisco FabricPath in the LAN Switching category stands at 1.6%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

LAN Switching

Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

"Cisco FabricPath is very fast, stable, extendable, and scalable. It doesn't have issues with patches or problems because it's built on the stable NXOS operating system. In a scenario using FabricPath, the spin and leaf architecture is beneficial. For example, we can use two separate spine switches like 9980s and multiple leaf switches as access switches. These leaf switches are connected using VPC between them, with each switch separated and not directly connected to the spine. This setup improves data center architecture by allowing two ways to arrange destinations, connecting the first connection to the first spine and the second to the second spine. The spines are configured as a virtual chassis. In FabricPath, we can enhance VXLANs, VPNs, and integrate with Cisco ISE for user authentication. It can also be configured with WLC to manage wireless technology, depending on the client's architecture."
"The product's most valuable feature is its ports."
"The most beneficial feature of Cisco FabricPath for network performance is its reliability."

Room for Improvement

"Cisco FabricPath can be integrated into data centers and remote sites. For example, in a bank, we can extend the architecture to remote branches by implementing switches connected to the first and second spine for redundancy. This setup allows for VXLAN, VLAN, and SGT for user authentication. We can also use wireless technology through the data plane and route it on L3. This setup provides scalability and visibility. This technology is deployed in the USA, France, and Europe. For instance, BNP Paribas in France uses this technology."
"They should consider upgrading the memory feature of the product."
"Cisco FabricPath has room for improvement in areas like technical support and design."

Pricing

"The pricing of Cisco FabricPath can be quite high depending on the architecture, but it's justified by the stability it offers."
"Cisco is expensive but offers good-quality features, so I would rate it high on the pricing scale."
"I rate it seven out of ten on pricing as it's a bit expensive. It would be better if the price were lower, but we prioritize quality over cost."

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

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