Alcatel OmniSwitch 9600/9700 Modules: OS9600/OS9700-CMM Chassis Management Module –

Technical Dossier

Product Details And Specifications

Alcatel OmniSwitch 9600/9700 Series: Comprehensive Module Range and Technical Overview

The Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) OmniSwitch 9600 and OmniSwitch 9700 are modular, chassis-based Layer 2/3 Ethernet switching platforms engineered for high-availability core and distribution deployments in mission-critical environments. These platforms have accumulated significant installed base across petrochemical refineries, nuclear power generation facilities, offshore oil and gas platforms, chemical processing plants, and large-scale industrial campuses where network downtime carries direct operational and safety consequences.

The OS9600 is a 6-slot chassis; the OS9700 is a 9-slot chassis. Both share a common backplane architecture, power infrastructure, and module ecosystem, enabling cross-platform spare parts consolidation. The CMM (Chassis Management Module) is the control plane of both platforms, responsible for system initialization, module discovery, configuration management, redundancy switchover, and out-of-band management access.

The Evolution of OmniSwitch 9600/9700 Architecture

The OmniSwitch 9000 family was introduced by Alcatel in the early 2000s as a successor to the OmniSwitch 7000 series, targeting enterprise core switching with a fully distributed forwarding architecture. The OS9600 and OS9700 represented the mid-range and high-density variants respectively within this generation.

Early deployments ran AOS (Alcatel Operating System) Release 5.x, which established the CLI structure and VLAN management model still referenced in maintenance documentation today. AOS Release 6.x introduced enhanced QoS, IPv6 routing, and improved CMM redundancy failover times. The platform reached end-of-sale status as ALE transitioned customers toward the OmniSwitch 9900 series, which introduced a 100GbE-capable fabric and a new CMM architecture. However, the OS9600/OS9700 installed base remains active in facilities where capital replacement cycles extend 15–20 years, making spare parts availability a sustained operational requirement.

Compatibility note: NI (Network Interface) modules are not interchangeable between the OS9600/OS9700 generation and the OS9800/OS9900 generation due to backplane connector and fabric interface differences. CMM modules are chassis-specific and must match the chassis slot configuration.

OmniSwitch 9600/9700 Full Catalog & Functionalities (SKU List)

Chassis Management Modules (CMM)

• OS9600/OS9700-CMM: Chassis Management Module for OS9600 and OS9700; dual-CMM redundancy supported; manages system boot, AOS image, and all NI modules.
• OS9700-CMM: CMM variant designated for OS9700 9-slot chassis; provides control plane, console port, and management Ethernet port.
• OS9600-CMM: CMM variant designated for OS9600 6-slot chassis; functionally equivalent to OS9700-CMM with chassis-specific slot mapping.

Network Interface (NI) Modules – Ethernet

• OS9-GNI-C24: 24-port 10/100/1000BASE-T copper Gigabit Ethernet NI module; RJ-45 interfaces; standard enterprise access density.
• OS9-GNI-U24: 24-port 1000BASE-X SFP Gigabit Ethernet NI module; supports multimode and single-mode fiber transceivers.
• OS9-GNI-U2: 2-port 1000BASE-X SFP uplink NI module; used for inter-chassis or uplink aggregation.
• OS9-XNI-U2: 2-port 10GBASE-X XFP 10 Gigabit Ethernet NI module; core uplink and stacking interconnect.
• OS9-XNI-U12: 12-port 10GBASE-X SFP+ 10 Gigabit Ethernet NI module; high-density 10GbE aggregation.
• OS9-GNI-C48: 48-port 10/100/1000BASE-T copper Gigabit Ethernet NI module; high-density access layer deployment.
• OS9-GNI-U48: 48-port 1000BASE-X SFP Gigabit Ethernet NI module; fiber-dense distribution layer.

Power Supply Units (PSU)

• OS9600-PS-450: 450W AC power supply for OS9600 chassis; hot-swappable; N+1 redundancy supported.
• OS9700-PS-450: 450W AC power supply for OS9700 chassis; same form factor as OS9600-PS-450 with chassis-specific rail mapping.
• OS9600-PS-900: 900W AC power supply for OS9600; required for high-density NI module configurations.
• OS9700-PS-900: 900W AC power supply for OS9700; dual-feed configurations for critical infrastructure deployments.

Fan Tray Modules

• OS9600-FAN: Replacement fan tray assembly for OS9600 chassis; front-to-back airflow; hot-swappable.
• OS9700-FAN: Replacement fan tray assembly for OS9700 chassis; required for thermal management in fully populated chassis.

Transceivers & SFP Accessories

• OS9-SFP-SX: 1000BASE-SX SFP transceiver; 850nm multimode fiber; 550m reach; compatible with all OS9-GNI-U series NI modules.
• OS9-SFP-LX: 1000BASE-LX SFP transceiver; 1310nm single-mode fiber; 10km reach; inter-building and campus backbone use.
• OS9-XFP-SR: 10GBASE-SR XFP transceiver; 850nm multimode; 300m reach; for OS9-XNI-U2 and OS9-XNI-U12 modules.

Sourcing Hard-to-Find & Obsolete OmniSwitch 9600/9700 Parts

The OmniSwitch 9600 and OS9700 series reached end-of-sale status, and ALE no longer manufactures replacement modules through standard distribution channels. For operators maintaining these platforms in long-lifecycle industrial environments, DriveKNMS maintains a dedicated inventory of pulled, refurbished, and new-surplus OS9600/OS9700 components.

DriveKNMS sources OS9600/OS9700-CMM units, NI modules, power supplies, and fan trays through verified decommissioning programs and controlled secondary market channels. All units are cataloged by hardware revision and AOS firmware compatibility level prior to listing. For facilities requiring documented chain-of-custody or site-specific configuration validation, DriveKNMS provides pre-shipment configuration verification against customer-supplied AOS version requirements.

Lifecycle extension services include: CMM swap-and-restore procedures with configuration backup, NI module functional equivalency cross-referencing for discontinued part numbers, and multi-unit lot sourcing for facilities maintaining identical spare pools across multiple chassis.

Quality Control for the OmniSwitch 9600/9700 Range

Each OS9600/OS9700 module processed by DriveKNMS undergoes a structured test protocol specific to the platform's backplane bus and CMM communication architecture.

CMM modules (OS9600/OS9700-CMM) are bench-tested in a live OS9600 or OS9700 chassis under AOS 6.x. Test procedures include: full boot sequence validation, NI module discovery and enumeration, management port connectivity (console and Ethernet), redundancy switchover simulation (primary-to-secondary CMM failover), and AOS image load verification from compact flash. NI modules are tested under traffic load using RFC 2544 methodology to validate forwarding throughput, port-level error rates, and SFP transceiver compatibility. Power supplies are load-tested at 80% rated capacity for thermal stability. Fan trays are verified for RPM within manufacturer specification and alarm threshold response.

All tested units are labeled with test date, technician ID, AOS version used during test, and hardware revision. Documentation is available upon request for quality-audited procurement processes.