Key Features and Benefits

The Catalyst 3900 has the following features:

∙Twenty shielded Token Ring ports for 150−ohm shielded twisted pair (STP) or 100−ohm unshielded twisted pair (UTP) connectivity

∙FlexSlot accommodating two expansion modules or one double−wide module for future expansion

∙Nine−pin EIA/TIA−232 interface for local console or modem connectivity

∙Automatic 4−, 16−, and 32Mbps speed adaptation

∙TokenChannel switch interconnect

∙MAC address and protocol (DSAP/SNAP) filters

∙IEEE and IBM Spanning−Tree Protocol

The Catalyst 3920 provides the following features:

∙Twenty−four shielded Token Ring ports for 150−ohm STP or 100−ohm UTP connectivity

∙Nine−pin EIA/TIA−232 interface for local console or modem connectivity

∙Automatic 4−, 16− and 32Mbps speed adaptation

∙TokenChannel switch interconnect

∙MAC address and protocol (DSAP/SNAP) filters

∙Spanning−Tree Protocol

When you need to upgrade the Catalyst 3900 or 3920 IOS, you can do so by using the same serial port that is used for configuration. You can upgrade code by using Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) from a TFTP server or uploaded through the workstation using HyperTerminal. Table E.7 shows key features of the Catalyst 3900 series.

Table E.7: The key features of the Cisco Catalyst 3900 series.

Distribution Layer Switches

The Distribution layer is the demarcation point between the Access and Core layers. This level terminates the traffic that originates in the Access layer connections and summarizes the traffic before passing it along to the Core layer. It can best be described as the layer that provides policy−based connectivity.

The main focus of the Distribution layer is to define the boundaries for the network and to provide packet manipulation of the network traffic. It provides isolation from topology changes, manages the size of the routing table, and aggregates network traffic.

In addition, interdomain traffic is redistributed at the Distribution layer, and static and dynamic route redistribution occurs at this point. This layer is also commonly used as the point at which remote sites connect to the network. Let’s take a look at the different switches typically found at this layer.

In this section we’ll be looking at the following switches:

364

∙Catalyst 4000 series

∙Catalyst 5000 series

∙Catalyst 6000 series

Cisco Catalyst 4000 Series

The Catalyst 4000 series provides very fast and intelligent Layer 2 switching services using a 24Gbps switching fabric. It is used in Ethernet networks utilizing 10−, 100−, and 100Mbps switching. Let’s take a look at the features of each of the Catalyst 4000 series switches in Table E.8.

Table E.8: Catalyst 4000 series key features.

Catalyst 5000 Series

With the introduction of applications such as video, audio, and interactive programs, a new set of challenges were introduced in the intranet world. They can be summarized as follows:

∙Scalability—The new intranet client/server model inverses the old 80/20 rule because most intranet traffic crosses workgroup boundaries to reach servers located all across the campus. This traffic flow requires network scalability and performance for both Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching.

∙Performance—Usage of the network through network−enabled applications is causing an increase in network traffic, requiring faster devices and media in the network.

∙Critical application integrity—With the convergence of mission−critical business and multimedia applications on the common intranet, there is an increasing need for QoS and support for multicast−intensive applications.

The Catalyst 5002 delivers features in a small package for the needs of smaller wiring closets, but still switches 1 million pps. The 5000 continues to address the needs of switched wiring closets with 1 to 3 million pps performance. The 5505 has a five−slot chassis like the Catalyst 5000, and is made for the high−end wiring closet with performance from 1 to 25 million pps. The 5509 supports 10/100 Ethernet, or Gigabit Ethernet for backbone applications, with over 25 million pps switching performance. The 5500 is the most versatile switch in the Catalyst series, with the ability to support LightStream 1010 ATM switching or Catalyst 8500 Layer 3 switching line cards as well as all the Catalyst 5000 series line cards. The Catalyst 5500 is positioned as a high−capacity wiring closet or data center switch, with over 25 million pps of switching performance.

Key Features

Key features of the Catalyst 5000 series of switches are as follows:

∙High−speed connectivity using standard Fast Ethernet, FDDI, or ATM interfaces

∙Fast EtherChannel supported on Supervisor Engine II ports and Fast Ethernet line cards, providing up to 800Mbps of load sharing, redundant point−to−point connections

∙Support for all Supervisor Engines, including the NetFlow Switching feature card option on Supervisor Engine II, which scales to multimillion pps forwarding across campus

∙Dual redundant switching engines, power supplies, and a passive backplane design that ensures full system redundancy for mission−critical environments

∙Cisco’s Virtual Trunking Protocol (VTP), which supports dynamic VLANs and dynamic trunk

365

configuration across all switches

∙Support for all advanced switching features of the Cisco IOS software

∙Support for advanced multicasting with CGMP

The Catalyst 5000 series of switches uses an architecture based on Supervisor Engines I, II, and III. The Supervisor Engine provides network management and uplink ports. The Supervisor Engine II uses a fixed configuration, but it supports Fast EtherChannel technology on all uplink ports. The Supervisor Engine III module can be deployed in any Catalyst chassis. In a Catalyst 5500, 5505, or 5509, the Supervisor Engine III enables the 3.6Gbps crossbar fabric. The Supervisor Engine III also has modular uplinks, with Fast EtherChannel and Gigabit Ethernet support.

NetFlow LAN Switching provides multilayer switching for the Catalyst 5000 series. It is supported through the NetFlow feature card, an upgrade that is available for Supervisor Engine III. Table E.9 shows the key features of the Catalyst 5000 family of switches.

Table E.9: The key features of the Catalyst 5000 family of switches.

Table E.10 shows the switching modules, the ports available for each module, and the maximum allowable ports on each switch chassis.

Table E.10: Catalyst 5000 family port densities for each switch chassis.

The Catalyst 5000 series has many switching modules that have made it popular for high−density wiring closets and data center connectivity. These switching modules provide the ability to have a high port density for connectivity to the desktop, in addition to a high−speed uplink.

Catalyst 6000 Series

The Catalyst 6000 series has become the popular choice for those upgrading from the Catalyst 5000 series. These switches are designed to address the needs for gigabit scalability, high availability, and multilayer

366