Table of Contents

Product Overview
Key Features and Benefits
Specifications
Ordering Information

Catalyst 6000 Family — Multilayer Switches

Product Overview

The Catalyst 6000 Family delivers high-performance, multilayer switching solutions for Enterprise and Service Provider networks. Designed to address the increased requirements for gigabit scalability, high-availability, and multilayer switching in backbone/distribution and server-aggregation environments, the Catalyst 6000 Family complements the Catalyst 5000 Family and 8500 Series switches, which continue to provide premier wiring closet and network-core solutions, respectively. Together, the Catalyst Family delivers a wide range of intelligent solutions, enabling internet/intranets for multicast, mission-critical, and voice applications.

The Catalyst 6000 Family delivers exceptional scalability and price/performance, supporting a wide range of interface densities, performance, and high-availability options. Its application intelligence and quality-of-service mechanisms enable customers to effectively leverage their network for increased mission-critical applications, such as multicast and ERP, without sacrificing network performance. Coupled with the extensive network services of Cisco IOS, the Catalyst 6000 Family delivers powerful management, user mobility, security, high-availability, and multimedia support required for today`s networks.

The Catalyst 6000 Family consists of the Catalyst 6000 Series and the Catalyst 6500 Series. Both series support 6- and 9-slot versions, providing a wide range of configuration and price/performance options. Both Catalyst 6000 and 6500 Series switches support a wide range of interface types and densities, to include support for up to 384 10/100 Ethernet, 192 100FX Fast Ethernet, 8 OC12 ATM, and up to 130 Gigabit Ethernet ports - the highest in the industry. The architecture of the Catalyst 6500 Series supports scalable switching bandwidth up to 256 Gbps and scalable multilayer switching up to 150 Mpps. For customers not requiring the performance of the Catalyst 6500 Series, the Catalyst 6000 Series provides a more cost-effective solution, delivering backplane bandwidth of 32 Gbps and multilayer switching up to 30 Mpps. For investment protection, both series support the same suite of supervisors, interface line cards, and common equipment providing a wide range of price/performance options.

Key Features and Benefits

• Scalable platforms, ranging from the Catalyst 6000 Series which offers 32 Gbps of switching capacity and scalable multilayer switching up to 30 Mpps, to the Catalyst 6500 Series offering scalable switching capacity up to 256 Gbps and multilayer switching up to 150 Mpps

• Modular chassis within both Catalyst 6000 and 6500 Series, offering slot densities of 6- and 9-slot systems. Catalyst 6006, 6009, 6506, and 6509 support a wide range of configuration and price/performance options. Both switches series support the same suite of supervisors, interface line cards, and common equipment, easing sparing requirements and protecting investments with upward performance migration

• Supports a wide range of interface types and densities, to include support for up to 384 10/100 Ethernet, 192 100FX Fast Ethernet, and up to 130 gigabit Ethernet ports

• MultiLayer Switch Feature Card (MSFC) available for wire-rate IP, IPX and IP-multicast routing support, as well as support for AppleTalk, DecNet, and Vines; MSFC also supports web-caching techniques for cost-effective web-scaling

• Transceiver flexibility is supported on all gigabit Ethernet ports, such that interface requirement changes do not require a new module, but can be satisfied by a simple GBIC change

• Supports up to 8 physical Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet links using either Fast EtherChannel (FEC) or Gigabit EtherChannel (GEC), respectively, for logical connections up to 16 Gbps. EtherChannel ports can also be aggregated across modules for even higher-availability connectivity.

• Leverages the software and management infrastructure of the Catalyst Family, providing industry-leading services based upon Cisco Internetwork Operating System (Cisco IOS). Cisco IOS delivers a full suite of software services responsible for managing network security, allocating and enforcing quality of service, and providing value-added services enabling high network resiliency. Cisco IOS also provides the management framework for CiscoWorks2000 and Cisco Resource Essentials.

• Efficient intranet multimedia and multicast support through Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM), Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP), Cisco Group Management Protocol (CGMP), and GARP Multicast Registration Protocol (GMRP) deliver end-to-end, scalable bandwidth for multimedia and multicast applications

• Policy Feature Card (PFC) available for wire-rate traffic detection and classification, admission control, and access list; also supports Accelerated Server Load-Balancing in conjunction with Cisco Local Director intelligence.

• Extensive Quality of Service (QoS) support through use of Layer-2/3/4 information such as precedence bits from IP, Cisco`s ISL, and 802.1p frames or Layer-4 port numbers. Support for multiple queues with configurable thresholds, and ToS/CoS-mapping mechanisms to insure that QoS is maintained as packets traverse Layer-2/Layer-3 boundaries. Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) priority mapping also used, ensuring timely delivery of time-sensitive intranet applications

• Support for a broad range of Cisco IOS-based security mechanisms such as port filtering, enabling individual ports to allow access only to certain workstations. TACACS+ and IP permit lists prevent unauthorized access to the switch in secure management environments. Access control lists (ACLs) secure networks from unauthorized users. MD5 Route Authentication is also used to prevent fraudulent routing updates

• Support for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name System (DNS), and dynamic VLAN services for optimal, scalable performance, and easing moves, adds and changes

• Support for multiple levels of network resiliency and serviceability. Device-level fault tolerance, to include the following options:

  • Redundant Supervisors

  • Redundant Load-Sharing Power Supplies (AC & DC)

  • Redundant Load-Sharing Fans

  • Redundant System Clocks

  • Redundant Uplinks

  • Redundant Switch Fabrics (Catalyst 6500 Series only)

All system elements including power supplies, fans, supervisors, line-card modules, and switch fabrics are hot-swappable such that elements can be added, removed or replaced without service interruption of unrelated traffic flows. In dual-Supervisor configurations, Cisco`s Fast-Switchover will transfer switch control to the redundant Supervisor within seconds for mission-critical applications requiring maximum network availability. All system elements are also field replaceable units (FRUs) for maximizing serviceability and minimizing network downtime

For network-level resilience, Catalyst 6000 Family switches also support automatic recovery from failure using Spanning Tree per VLAN, and support load-sharing for faster link convergence using Fast EtherChannel or Gigabit EtherChannel technologies. Load balancing with even higher availability can also be accommodated using Cisco`s MultiModule Channeling, where ports from different line cards can be aggregated into higher-bandwidth links. Catalyst 6000 Family switches are also capable of load balancing across Layer-3 paths.

For maximum availability, the Catalyst 6000 Family switches support Hot Standby Routing Protocol (HSRP), providing fast cutover to a backup system in the event of a catastrophic failure.

• Supervisor Engine supports hardware-based, wire-rate switching

  • Scalable support for multiprotocol routing

  • Address table for up to 32,000 MAC addresses

  • Wire-rate learning

  • Support for protocol filtering

• Support for both AC and DC power-supply options; also supports dual power-supply configurations

• Rack-mount hardware and cable guide available

• Console/Auxiliary port via RJ-45 (female) data terminal equipment (DTE) for local or remote connectivity

Specifications

Ordering Information

Posted: Wed Sep 27 05:15:12 PDT 2000
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