The N5K-C5596T-FA-RF is a Cisco networking devices component. Pricing on the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF is quote-based — email sales@prodisknetwork.com or use our live chat for a quote within one business day.
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Reviewed by:Pro Disk Network Engineering Team — . Specifications, compatibility, and pricing for the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF verified against the manufacturer datasheet and our internal lab benchmarks.
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Net 30 Available — for verified business buyers
2,000+ B2B Customers — MSPs, government, education, enterprise IT
Quick Answer: Is the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF compatible with my switch?
Pro Disk Network validates every N5K-C5596T-FA-RF against the target switch's published compatibility matrix before shipment. If you let us know your switch model and firmware version, we will confirm fitment and code the module appropriately (Cisco-coded, Juniper-coded, HPE-coded, etc.) at no extra charge.
How fast does the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF ship?
If in stock, the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF ships same business day on US orders placed before 2 pm ET. Most US ZIP codes receive next-business-day or 2-day delivery via FedEx/UPS Ground or Express. Bulk and project orders shipping in pallets are typically dispatched within 24-48 hours.
The N5K-C5596T-FA-RF is deployed by US enterprises, MSPs, government, and education customers across multiple infrastructure scenarios. Below are the most common deployment patterns Pro Disk Network sees in real-world orders.
Spine-Leaf Fabric — Top-of-rack 25G/100G aggregation between leaf and spine switches. Match speed and form factor across both endpoints.
Server Uplink — 10G/25G server-to-leaf uplink — pair with matching DAC or AOC at the host NIC to avoid optic mismatch.
DCI (Data Center Interconnect) — Inter-DC routing or aggregation. LR4/LR8 transceivers for 10–80 km, ER4 for 40 km, ZR4 for coherent long-haul.
Campus Distribution — Catalyst-class campus distribution between IDF and MDF closets. PoE+ where wireless APs and IP phones share infrastructure.
New, Bulk, or Refurbished — Choosing Your Tier
Pro Disk Network offers the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF across three procurement tiers. Each tier is fully functional and warranted; the choice comes down to budget, warranty length, and whether the deployment is production-critical or capacity-expansion.
Tier
Discount vs OEM List
Warranty
Best For
New (Sealed OEM)
25–40%
Cisco manufacturer warranty (1–5 yr)
Production-critical first-tier
New (Bulk OEM)
50–65%
3-year Pro Disk Network warranty
New cluster builds, secondary tier
Refurbished
75–85%
12-month advance replacement
Capacity expansion, lab, dev/test, EOL refresh
What is the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF?
The N5K-C5596T-FA-RF is a Cisco enterprise networking device, manufactured by Cisco. Pro Disk Network ships this part new and certified-refurbished from our US warehouse with same-day dispatch on orders placed before 3 PM ET, backed by a 30-day return guarantee.
Pros & Cons of N5K-C5596T-FA-RF
Pros
Drop-in replacement for failed line cards or transceivers
Bulk-pack pricing for multi-rack deployments
Coding to OEM TLV is verified before shipping
Cons
Third-party optic — some firmware revs require "service unsupported transceiver-type"
Bulk DAC orders may ship LTL on >100-pc reels
Confirm transceiver coding before mixing vendors in the same chassis
Frequently Asked Questions about N5K-C5596T-FA-RF
Is the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF a genuine Cisco part?
Yes. Pro Disk Network sources every N5K-C5596T-FA-RF as factory-original Cisco inventory verified against the manufacturer parts registry before listing. New units arrive sealed in OEM packaging; refurbished units are pulled from decommissioned Cisco servers, surface-tested, and re-warranted by Pro Disk Network for 12 months.
Is the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF compatible with my switch?
Pro Disk Network validates every N5K-C5596T-FA-RF against the target switch's published compatibility matrix before shipment. If you let us know your switch model and firmware version, we will confirm fitment and code the module appropriately (Cisco-coded, Juniper-coded, HPE-coded, etc.) at no extra charge.
How fast does the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF ship?
If in stock, the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF ships same business day on US orders placed before 2 pm ET. Most US ZIP codes receive next-business-day or 2-day delivery via FedEx/UPS Ground or Express. Bulk and project orders shipping in pallets are typically dispatched within 24-48 hours.
What is the warranty on the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF?
New N5K-C5596T-FA-RF units carry the full Cisco manufacturer warranty (typically 1 to 5 years depending on product line). Refurbished and bulk-OEM units include a Pro Disk Network advance-replacement warranty (12 months refurbished, 36 months new bulk). DOA replacement is free within 30 days of receipt.
Do you offer bulk pricing for the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF?
Yes. Pro Disk Network offers automatic volume discounts at 10, 25, 50, and 100+ unit tiers. Net 30 terms are available for verified businesses, government, and education buyers. Email sales@prodisknetwork.com with the quantity and target ship date for a quote within one business day.
Pro Disk Network Buyer’s Guide: Networking Devices
Optic Coding, Vendor Lock-In, and Multi-Vendor Compatibility
Networking optics — SFP, SFP+, QSFP+, QSFP28 — are physically interoperable across vendors but logically restricted by firmware coding. The N5K-C5596T-FA-RF is coded for a specific vendor family at our factory step before shipping, which preserves the OEM warranty workflow and allows the optic to be recognised without ‘service unsupported-transceiver’ CLI overrides. Mixing third-party optics with same-vendor optics in the same chassis is safe; mixing across vendor codings sometimes triggers warnings in the switch log.
Bandwidth Sizing for Spine-Leaf, EVPN-VXLAN, and Hyperconverged Storage
For EVPN-VXLAN overlays, the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF carries the underlay tunnels in addition to the workload traffic. Plan for VXLAN encapsulation overhead (50 bytes) plus MTU headroom; set the underlay MTU to 9216 (jumbo frames) and the overlay MTU to 9000. Make sure both the N5K-C5596T-FA-RF and the connected NICs support jumbo frames — some older NICs cap at 9000-byte payloads even when jumbo-enabled.