switching in distribution and server−aggregation environments. The Catalyst 6000 family complements the Catalyst 5000 series and 8500 series switches.

The Catalyst 6000 family is capable of scaling bandwidth from T1 to OC−192 in the WAN/MAN, and from Ethernet to 10 Gigabit Ethernet in the LAN. The Catalyst 6000 series uses a Cisco IOS software base with ASICs to deliver wire−speed traffic management services end−to−end. The Catalyst 6000 series also offers a range of WAN/MAN protocols and media, as well as future scalability for direct analog and digital connectivity to existing voice infrastructures, to allow easy migration from existing networks to high−speed converged LAN/WAN/MAN networks and Voice Over IP architectures.

The Catalyst 6000 and 6500 series switches offer multilayer services using interchangeable line cards. The first of these cards is the PFC, which is an integral part of the CiscoAssure end−to−end QoS and policy−based security solution. The PFC can identify user applications and classify traffic with the appropriate priority level. For example, a video conferencing packet can be given higher priority than, say, a Web page request.

The second of these services is the MSFC, which, in combination with the PFC, provides 15 million pps of forwarding performance for IP, IPX, and IP Multicast traffic. The MSFC also supports Hot Standby Routing Protocol (HSRP) for routing redundancy between MSFCs in the same chassis, across Catalyst 6000 family switches, or between a Catalyst 6000 series switch and a standalone Cisco router.

The MSFC also supports traffic−statistics collection and accounting with no impact on switching performance.

In addition, Cisco offers the FlexWAN module, which accepts up to two Cisco 7200/7500 series WAN port adapters, supporting asynchronous and synchronous serial interfaces at speeds from 56Kbps to 155Mbps. The FlexWAN module provides native support of the Frame Relay, ATM, Packet over SONET (PoS), Point−to−Point Protocol (PPP), and High−Level Data Link Control (HDLC) protocols along with a range of interfaces, including T1/E1, T3/E3, High−Speed Serial Interface (HSSI), and OC−3. Up to eight FlexWAN modules are supported in a Catalyst 6000 family switch. However, this module does not support modules for Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, channel port adapters, encryption service modules, compression service modules, and doublewide port adapters.

Table E.11 shows the key features of the Catalyst 6000 series.

Table E.11: The key features of the Cisco Catalyst 6000 family.

Core Layer/WAN Switches

The Core layer and WAN switches are used for high−speed switching backbones and WAN implementations to switch packets as quickly as possible. The Core layer is usually designed with optimal redundancy, because it must be highly reliable. Fast convergence is also a requirement of the Core layer.

In this section we’ll be discussing the following switches:

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∙Catalyst 8400 series

∙Catalyst 8500 series

∙BPX 8600 series

∙MGX 8800 series

∙Catalyst 12000 series

Cisco Catalyst 8400 Series

The Catalyst 8400 series wide−area switches provide the backbone services to deliver data, voice, fax, and video applications. The IGX 8400 series integrates with other Cisco WAN products to offer end−to−end solutions. The Catalyst 8400 series integrates several QoS features, including:

∙Automatic routing management—The switches perform a connection admission control (CAC) function on all types of connections in the network. Distributed network intelligence enables the CAC function to automatically route connections over optimal paths while guaranteeing QoS.

∙Dynamic buffer management—The switch dynamically assigns buffers to individual virtual circuits based on the amount of traffic and service−level agreements.

∙Optimized bandwidth management—The 8400 switch guarantees fair and cost−efficient bandwidth utilization using various techniques such as voice compression and Voice Activity Detection (VAD) for voice, and Repetitive Pattern Suppression (RPS) for circuit−switching data traffic.

Catalyst 8400 Modules

The Catalyst 8400 series is available with 8 slots on the 8410, 16 slots on the 8420, and 32 slots on the 8430. These switches use a 1.2Gbps redundant cell bus. They support a wide array of modules for OC−3/STM−1 ATM interfaces, T3/E3 ATM interfaces, T1/E1 Frame Relay interfaces, V.35 Frame Relay interfaces, X.21 Frame Relay interfaces, HSSI Frame Relay interfaces, EIA/TIA−232 circuit data interfaces, and one− or two−port voice modules using either T1, E1, or J1.

Catalyst 8400 Services

The Catalyst 8400 series offers standards−compliant ATM user−to−network interface/network−to−network interface on a variety of interfaces. All ATM interfaces support per−VC queuing, rate scheduling, and multiple classes of service including those defined by the ATM forum, such as constant bit rate (CBR), variable bit rate real time (VBR−RT), variable bit rate non real time (VBR−NRT), available bit rate (ABR), and unspecified bit rate (UBR). It also offers ATM interfaces that can be customized to meet performance requirements.

The advanced traffic management features of the Catalyst 8400 series enable built−in congestion avoidance mechanisms for Frame Relay traffic. Standards−based messaging on the user−network interface (UNI)

enables the Catalyst switch to extend traffic management features to Cisco routers, delivering high QoS across the entire Frame Relay network. Enhanced Local Management Interface (ELMI) also enables automatic Frame Relay traffic−shaping parameter configuration on Cisco routers.

Cisco’s Tag Switching technology provides you with a highly scalable, reliable means of integrating IP traffic with ATM traffic.

The Catalyst 8400 switch offers efficient, high−quality voice connectivity across the wide−area backbone. All voice interfaces can be directly attached to voice switches for voice or fax/data connectivity via a T1/E1 interface. The Catalyst 8400 series voice interfaces support standards−based voice compression schemes and onboard echo cancellation. Voice compression reduces the amount of bandwidth required for voice connections across the WAN. The Catalyst switch supports the following voice compression techniques:

∙ Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM) at 16Kbps, 24Kbps, and 32Kbps

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∙Low−Delay, Code−Excited Linear Prediction (LD−CELP) at 16Kbps

∙Conjugate−Structured, Algebraic Code−Excited Linear Prediction (CS−ACELP) at 8Kbps

The IGX voice interfaces also support the VAD silence suppression technique, which sends cells on the trunk only when there is something to send. With most voice connections consisting of up to 60 percent silence, VAD technology enables the IGX 8400 series to achieve an average two−to−one compression ratio, thus saving additional bandwidth. When combined with ADPCM, LD−CELP, or CS−ACELP compression schemes, VAD enables you to achieve compression ratios beyond eight to one.

In addition, the voice interfaces support fax and modem data transport. For Group 3 fax, the Universal Voice Module supports Fax Relay, whereby it demodulates and remodulates the signal and transports a fax across the network using only 9.6Kbps of network capacity.

The Catalyst 8400 series also supports voice switching capabilities using the Voice Network Switching (VNS) system. VNS enables a Catalyst 8400 network to function as a tandem voice network that receives signaling, interprets it, and dynamically establishes voice connections between the source and destination ports. The network routes each voice channel on a per−call basis and extends advanced voice features (such as transfer, caller ID, and camp−on) across the wide−area network. With VNS, available trunk capacity can be dynamically used by bandwidth−hungry data applications, thus maximizing the efficiency of available network resources. The network ensures an optimal connection for each call, reducing delay and improving voice quality by minimizing compression cycles.

IGX 8400 series circuit data capabilities enable synchronous or asynchronous legacy data or video to be transported across the WAN through a fixed−delay, fixed−throughput, zero discard, or point−to−point data connection. Available speeds range from 1.2Kbps to T1/E1 for synchronous data and from 1.2Kbps to 19.2Kbps for asynchronous data using standard serial interfaces such as V.28/RS−232, V.11/X.21, V.35, EIA/TIA−449, and T1/E1.

A network of Catalyst multiservice ATM switches can be deployed with a variety of trunk interfaces and speeds ranging from 64Kbps to OC−3/STM−1.

Network Management

The Catalyst 8400 can be managed using the CiscoView GUI management tool or Cisco Strata View Plus for integration with NetView or HP OpenView. The Strata View Plus software also provides management applications using SNMP, application programming interfaces (APIs), and SQL−based API for database inquiries.

Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series

The Catalyst 8500 series multiservice switch routers integrate multiservice ATM switching with wire−speed multiprotocol routing and Layer 3 switching into a single platform that supports Cisco IOS services for QoS and security. The Catalyst 8500 family delivers campus and metropolitan network solutions with scalable performance and lower cost of ownership.

Large−scale deployment of server farms and the continued growth of intranet applications are driving the substantial increase of traffic volumes in enterprise networks. The traffic volumes are coupled with shifts in traffic patterns that do not conform to traditional network design principles such as the 80/20 rule. Common applications for the Catalyst 8500 series switches include centralized server farms, transport of mission−critical applications, and intranets.

The Catalyst 8500 series consists of the Catalyst 8510 and 8540, which are 5− and 13−slot modular chassis−based implementations of the Catalyst 8500 technology. Table E.12 lists key features of the Catalyst 8500 series switches.

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Table E.12: The key features of the Cisco Catalyst 8510 and 8540.

BPX 8600 Series

The BPX 8600 series provides a scalable set of solutions delivering ATM, Frame Relay, SNA, voice, and circuit emulation services, plus Voice Over IP, IP−based Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), managed intranets, and Internet services.

The BPX 8650 IP+ATM switch provides ATM−based broadband services, and supports MPLS to deliver IP services. The BPX 8680 Universal Service Node offers broadband, narrowband, and MPLS, and can be upgraded to OC−48c speeds.

The BPX 8600 series can be configured to support broadband, narrowband, and IP services, depending on specific needs. The switch supports the following interfaces: T3/E3 ATM, OC−3/STM−1, ATMOC−12/STM−4 ATM, T1/E1 ATM, n x T1/E1 IMA, Frame Relay, high−speed Frame Relay, SNA, circuit emulation, ATM UNI 3.0/3.1, and SMDS.

The switches also supports IP VPNs, Voice Over IP, managed intranets, premium Internet services, and IP Fax Relay.

The BPX 8600 series switch includes a 20Gbps crosspoint switching fabric in a 15−slot chassis. Three slots are reserved for common control modules, and 12 slots are provided for interface modules.

The broadband control card (BCC) is usually configured redundantly; it supports ATM cell switching, internal and remote−node communication, node synchronization, network−management communication, and shelf−management communication. The alarm status monitor card (ASM) monitors the power supply voltage and shelf temperature of the BPX 8600. The ASM card also includes telco−standard relays, which can

activate switch alarm indicators. The switch also supports BXM cards that enable you to configure both PVCs and SVCs for ATM services.

The Cisco BPX 8600 series switch enables video on demand, IP Multicasting, distance learning, and videoconferencing. Multicast functionality ensures that latency−sensitive video traffic is delivered with the required bandwidth.

BPX 8680 Universal Service Node

The BPX 8680 Universal Service Node is a scalable IP+ATM WAN edge switch that combines the benefits of Cisco IOS IP with the extensive queuing, buffering, scalability, and QoS capabilities provided by the BPX 8600 series.

The BPX 8680 consists of one or more MGX 8850s connected as feeders to a BPX 8620. Designed for very large installations, the BPX 8680 can scale to 16,000 DS1s by adding up to 16 MGX 8850 concentrator shelves while still being managed as a single node.

This switch supports a Crosspoint Switch Fabric with a peak switching capacity of 19.2Gbps. It does this with twelve 800 or 1600Mbps switch ports that support up to OC−12/STM−4 cell rates. The arbiter establishes up to 20 million cell connections per second, making this a very fast WAN solution. This switch supports many WAN speeds including OC−12c/STM−4, OC−3c/STM−1, T3, E3, Channelized T3 (down to DS0), n x T1/E1, T1/E1, Channelized T1 (DS0 and DS0A), Channelized E1, HSSI, X.21, V.35, and LAN solutions including Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and FDDI.

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