cc/td/doc/product/lan/cat5000/rel_4_3
hometocprevnextglossaryfeedbacksearchhelp
PDF

Table of Contents

Product Overview

Product Overview

Catalyst  5000 series switches facilitate the migration from traditional shared-hub LANs to large-scale, fully integrated internetworks. Catalyst  5000 series switches provide switched connections to individual workstations, servers, LAN segments, backbones, or other Catalyst  5000 series switches using a variety of media.

For descriptions of the Catalyst  5000 series switch hardware, refer to the Catalyst  5000 Series Installation Guide, the Catalyst  5000 Series Supervisor Engine Installation Guide, and the Catalyst  5000 Series Module Installation Guide.


Note Throughout this guide and all Catalyst  5000 series documents, the term "Catalyst  5000 series switches" refers to all of the Catalyst  5000 series switches---Catalyst  5002, Catalyst  5000, Catalyst  5505, Catalyst 5509, and Catalyst  5500---unless otherwise noted.

This chapter consists of these sections:

Catalyst  5000 Series Switches

Table 1-1 describes the Catalyst  5000 series switches.


Table 1-1: Catalyst  5000 Series Switch Models
Switch Model Description Features

Catalyst  5002

2-slot switch

  • Supports one supervisor module (Supervisor Engine I or II)

  • Supports one additional switching module (Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, FDDI/CDDI1, ATM, and Token Ring)

  • Supports standard redundant AC- or DC-input power supplies

Catalyst  5000

5-slot switch

  • Supports one supervisor module (Supervisor Engine I, II, III, III  FSX, or III FLX)

  • Supports up to four additional switching modules (Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, FDDI/CDDI, ATM, and Token Ring)

  • Supports the RSM2

  • Supports optional redundant AC- or DC-input power supplies

Catalyst  5505

5-slot switch

  • Supports one supervisor module (Supervisor Engine II, III, III  FSX, or III FLX)

  • Supports one optional redundant supervisor engine (redundancy is supported only with supervisor engines of the same type)

  • Supports up to four additional switching modules (Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, FDDI/CDDI, ATM, and Token Ring)

  • Supports the RSM

  • Supports optional redundant AC- or DC-input power supplies

Catalyst  5509

9-slot switch

  • Supports one supervisor module (Supervisor Engine II, III, III  FSX, or III FLX)

  • Supports one optional redundant supervisor engine (redundancy is supported only with supervisor engines of the same type)

  • Supports up to eight additional switching modules (Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, FDDI/CDDI, ATM, and Token Ring)

  • Supports the RSM

  • Supports optional redundant AC- or DC-input power supplies

Catalyst  5500

13-slot switch

  • Supports one supervisor module (Supervisor Engines II, III, III  FSX, or III FLX)

  • Supports one optional redundant supervisor engine (redundancy is supported only with supervisor engines of the same type)

  • Supports up to 12 additional switching modules (Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, FDDI/CDDI, ATM, Token Ring, Catalyst 8510 CSR3, and LightStream  1010)

  • Supports the RSM

  • Supports optional redundant AC- or DC-input power supplies

1FDDI/CDDI = Fiber Distributed Data Interface/Copper Distributed Data Interface
2RSM = Route Switch Module
3CSR=campus switch router

High-Performance Switching Backplanes

The Catalyst  5002 and Catalyst  5000 switches have a single, integrated 1.2-Gbps switching backplane; the Catalyst  5505, 5509, and 5500 switches have a 3.6-Gbps switching backplane. All Catalyst  5000 series switches support switched 10/100-Mbps Ethernet/Fast Ethernet, Token Ring, and Ethernet repeater connections, with backbone connections to Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, ATM, FDDI, and CDDI.

Slot 1 in all Catalyst  5000 series switches is dedicated to the supervisor engine module. The Catalyst  5505, 5509, and 5500 switches support a redundant supervisor engine module in slot 2. The Catalyst 5500 switch supports Catalyst 5000 series modules in slots 2-12. In slots 9-12, Catalyst  8510 CSR modules are supported with a Catalyst 8510 CSR switch route processor (SRP) installed in slot 13. LightStream  1010 ATM port adapters are supported in slots  9-12 with a LightStream 1010 ATM switch processor (ASP) installed in slot 13.

For more information on the Catalyst  5000 series supervisor engines, see the "Supervisor Engine Modules" section and "Configuring the Supervisor Engine Software."

All Catalyst  5000 series switches support wire-speed, single-stream, 10-Mbps Ethernet, 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet, and 1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet packet transmission for packet sizes from 64 to
1500 bytes. When 100 interface pairs are configured, the switches also support wire-speed, multiple-stream 10-Mbps Ethernet traffic with no packet loss.

Three priority levels are available on the switching bus to handle an oversubscribed interface: backplane-based, high priority, and low priority.

Supervisor Engine Modules

Five supervisor engine module types are available on Catalyst  5000 series switches: Supervisor Engine I, Supervisor Engine II, Supervisor Engine III FSX, Supervisor Engine III FLX, and Supervisor Engine III. Supervisor Engines II, III FSX, III FLX, and III support the redundant supervisor engine option available in the Catalyst  5505, 5509, and 5500 switches.

Table 1-2 shows the supervisor engine module types and which Catalyst  5000 series switch supports each type.


Table 1-2: Supervisor Engine Matrix
Switch Supervisor Engine I Supervisor Engine II Supervisor Engine III FSX Supervisor Engine III FLX Supervisor Engine III

Catalyst  5002

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Catalyst  5000

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Catalyst  5505

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Catalyst  5509

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Catalyst  5500

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Supervisor Engine Software

Catalyst  5000 series supervisor engine software is factory installed on every supervisor engine module. Ethernet and Fast Ethernet modules also use this software. However, FDDI, Token Ring, ATM, RSM, and Network Analysis modules require additional software images, which are also factory installed onto the modules. The three-port Gigabit Ethernet module (WS-X5403) and the Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports on the supervisor engine use the supervisor engine software. The nine-port Gigabit EtherChannel switching module (WS-X5410) uses a separate factory-installed software image.

Catalyst  5000 series supervisor engine software has a command-line interface (CLI) with which you can configure Catalyst  5000 series modules. For more information, see "Command-Line Interfaces." For descriptions of the available CLI commands, refer to the Catalyst  5000 Series Command Reference publication.

Catalyst  5000 series supervisor engine software uses the Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) to create fault-tolerant internetworks that ensure an active, loop-free data path between all nodes in the network. STP uses an algorithm to calculate the best loop-free path throughout a Catalyst  5000 series switched network. For more information, see "Configuring Spanning Tree."

Supported Modules

Catalyst  5000 series switches support these switching modules:

Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet Modules

Catalyst  5000 series Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet switching modules provide high-density switching for both wiring closet and data-center applications.

Catalyst  5000 series Ethernet modules connect workstations and repeaters at 10-Mbps port connection speeds; the Fast Ethernet modules connect workstations, servers, switches, and routers at up to 100-Mbps port connection speeds. The 10/100BaseTX Fast Ethernet switching modules support autosensing and autonegotiation, allowing Catalyst  5000 series switches to automatically sense and negotiate the correct port connection speed (10 or 100 Mbps) and duplex mode (half or full duplex) with an attached device. Fast Ethernet connections can interconnect multiple Catalyst  5000 series switches on multiple floors in different buildings of a campus. Fast Ethernet connections can act as redundant backup links between switches, and can expand existing Ethernet networks that need additional capacity.

Fast EtherChannel modules provide up to 800-Mbps (400-Mbps full-duplex) parallel bandwidth between a Catalyst  5000 series switch and another switch or host by grouping multiple Fast Ethernet interfaces into a single logical transmission path. The Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP) provides automated configuration of Fast EtherChannel.

The Gigabit Ethernet module provides high-performance gigabit switching backbone interfaces. The Gigabit EtherChannel module increases bandwidth in the backbone, providing 8-Gbps (4-Gbps full-duplex) parallel bandwidth on a single logical link. The Gigabit uplink ports on the Supervisor Engine III FSX and III  FLX, and the Supervisor Engine III Gigabit Ethernet uplink modules serve to aggregate traffic from high-density 10/100-Mbps wiring closets.

The Catalyst  5000 series switch employs VLANs and STP on all Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet ports.

For information on configuring the Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet modules, see "Configuring Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, and Gigabit Ethernet Switching." For information on configuring STP, see "Configuring Spanning Tree." For information on configuring VLANs, see "Configuring VTP and Virtual LANs."

Token Ring Modules

Catalyst  5000 series switches support Token Ring switching modules, which have 16 shielded RJ-45 connectors (or 16 Volition VF-45 connectors) for Token Ring connections. These ports allow full- or half-duplex connections to other switches, hubs, or end nodes. Catalyst  5000 series Token Ring modules provide the following features:

For information on configuring the Token Ring modules, see "Configuring Token Ring Switching." For information on configuring STP, see "Configuring Spanning Tree." For information on configuring VLANs, see "Configuring VTP and Virtual LANs."

ATM Modules

Catalyst  5000 series ATM switching modules support ATM connectivity by using LAN Emulation (LANE) technology. LANE allows you to use an ATM backbone network in a traditional Ethernet LAN environment. LANE, which is defined by the ATM Forum specification "LAN Emulation over ATM," ATM_FORUM 94-0035, makes an ATM interface look like one or more Ethernet interfaces. It also allows upper-layer protocols that expect connectionless service to use connection-oriented ATM switches. LANE extends VLANs throughout the network by establishing point-to-point ATM virtual-circuit connections between switches on the same VLAN.

The Catalyst  5000 series ATM modules include:

For information on configuring ATM modules, see "Configuring ATM LAN Emulation." For information on configuring PVC-Supported VLANs on ATM modules, see "Configuring ATM PVCs and PVCs with Traffic Shaping." For information on configuring MPOA on ATM modules, see Chapter 10, "Configuring Multiprotocol Over ATM."

FDDI/CDDI Modules

Catalyst  5000 series switches support FDDI/CDDI switching modules. A/B port cards---which support single-mode optic fiber, multimode optic fiber, and CDDI/MLT-3 copper cabling---provide connectivity from the FDDI/CDDI interface to a variety of wiring plants. All A/B port cards allow you to configure the switch for single-attached, dual-attached, or dual-homed operation.

When configured as a single-attached station (SAS), you can connect either Port  A or Port  B on the FDDI module to an M port on a FDDI/CDDI concentrator. You can also connect the concentrator to the FDDI/CDDI rings through the A/B ports of the concentrator. When configured as a dual-attached station (DAS), you must attach both Ports  A and  B of the FDDI/CDDI module to the FDDI/CDDI ring cabling.

For information on configuring the FDDI/CDDI modules, see "Configuring FDDI/CDDI Switching."

Route Switch Module

The Catalyst  5000 series Route Switch Module (RSM) is a Route/Switch Processor-2 (RSP2)-based router module running Cisco IOS router software that connects directly into the Catalyst  5000 series switch backplane.

The RSM functions as a module with a single trunk port and one Media Access Control (MAC) address. When the RSM receives traffic on this trunk port, it can route between VLANs and between port adapter interfaces in the optional Versatile Interface Processor 2 (VIP2) module.

The RSM also supports MPOA, and can function as an MPOA server (MPS) or MPOA client (MPC).

For information on configuring the RSM, see "Configuring InterVLAN Routing on the RSM."

Network Analysis Module

The Network Analysis Module provides extended Remote Monitoring (RMON) support and can analyze Ethernet VLAN traffic from either or both of the following:

The Network Analysis Module is managed and controlled from a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) management application, such as CiscoWorks for Switched Internetworks (CWSI).

Supported Software Features

Catalyst  5000 series switches support these software features:

Spanning-Tree Protocol

The Catalyst 5000 series switches support the STP on all ports on a per-VLAN basis.


Note In 802.1Q environments, there is only one instance of spanning tree for the entire network.

In addition, the following spanning-tree enhancements are supported:

For information on configuring STP, see "Configuring Spanning Tree."

VLANs and VLAN Trunks

A VLAN is an administratively defined broadcast domain. A VLAN enhances performance by limiting traffic; it allows the transmission of traffic among stations that belong to it and blocks traffic from other stations in other VLANs. VLANs can provide security barriers (firewalls) between end stations on different VLANs within the same switch. Only end stations within the VLAN receive packets that are unicast, broadcast, or multicast (flooded). VLANs include the following components:

For information on configuring VTP and VLANs, see "Configuring VTP and Virtual LANs." For information on configuring Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet VLAN trunks, see "Configuring VLAN Trunks on Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet Ports." For information on configuring dynamic VLAN port membership using VMPS, see "Configuring Dynamic Port VLAN Membership with VMPS." For information on configuring FDDI 802.10 trunks, see "Configuring FDDI/CDDI Switching." For information on configuring ATM LANE, see "Configuring ATM LAN Emulation."

Multilayer Switching

Multilayer Switching (MLS) scales Layer 3 performance to high-performance link speeds by extending the MLS concept introduced in Cisco IOS software to LAN switching hardware. MLS requires the NetFlow Feature Card (NFFC) or NFFC II.

For information on configuring MLS, refer to "Configuring Multilayer Switching."

Network Management

Catalyst  5000 series switches offer network management and control through the CLI or through alternative methods, such as CWSI and SNMP. The Catalyst 5000 series software supports these network management features:

For information on configuring network management features, see "Configuring Network Management."

Network Security

You can protect sensitive information from unauthorized users using these Catalyst 5000 series network security features:

For information on configuring network security features, see "Configuring Network Security."

Broadcast/Multicast Services

Multicasting saves bandwidth by forcing the network to replicate packets only when necessary and by allowing hosts to join and leave groups dynamically. Broadcast/multicast suppression controls excessive broadcast and multicast traffic in the network. The Catalyst 5000 series switches support these multicast services:

For information on configuring multicast services, see "Configuring Multicast Services and Broadcast/Multicast Suppression."

Administrative Features

Catalyst  5000 series switches support these administrative features:

For information on configuring and using administrative features, see "Administering the Switch."

Redundant Supervisor Operation

Catalyst  5505, 5509, and 5500 switches support an optional redundant supervisor engine module. You can install two Supervisor Engine  II, two Supervisor Engine  III, two Supervisor Engine III FSX, or two Supervisor Engine III FLX modules in slots 1 and 2 of the chassis. When the switch powers up, the supervisor module that comes up first enters active mode, while the second supervisor module enters standby mode.


Note Redundant supervisor engine modules must be of the same type.

All network management functions occur on the active supervisor. The console port on the standby supervisor module is inactive. However, in Catalyst 5000 series software release 4.1 and later, the uplink ports on the standby supervisor are active and can be used as normal switch ports.

If the active supervisor module detects a major problem, it resets itself and the standby supervisor seamlessly becomes the active supervisor.

For information on how supervisor redundancy works, see "Configuring the Supervisor Engine Software."

Supported Internet Protocols

Catalyst  5000 series switches support these standard Internet protocols:

Supported MIBs


Note For more information about Cisco-proprietary MIBs, see the "Workgroup MIB Reference" appendix.

Catalyst  5000 series switches support these standard and enterprise-specific MIBs:


hometocprevnextglossaryfeedbacksearchhelp
Copyright 1989-1998 © Cisco Systems Inc.