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Data Sheet
CiscoCatalyst 6500 Series
Overview
The Cisco Catalyst® 6500 Series delivers secure, converged services from the wiring closet to the
WAN edge. Providing scalable intelligent multilayer switching performance for both enterprise and
service provider networks, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series supports 48 to 576 10/100 Ethernet port
configurations, delivering 210 million packets-per-second throughput across network cores and
multiple gigabit-per-second trunks. Designed to maximize network uptime and investment
protection, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series supports an unparalleled range of services, including data
and voice integration and LAN, WAN, and, metropolitan-area network (MAN) convergence.
Operational consistency is achieved by sharing a common set of modules (Cisco Catalyst 6500
Series modules and Cisco 7600 Series WAN port adapters), the Cisco Catalyst Operating System
(CatOS), and Cisco IOS® Software, including the command-line interface (CLI) and network
management tools, across four modular chassis that can be deployed anywhere in the network. By
integrating advanced multigigabit Layer 2–7 services such as security and content into a converged
network, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series optimizes IT infrastructure utilization and maximizes
return on investment. Together with the Cisco Catalyst 4500, 3550, and 2950 series switches, Cisco
Systems delivers the widest range of intelligent switching solutions, enabling multimedia,
mission-critical data and voice applications in both corporate intranets and the Internet end to end
(refer to Figure 1).
Figure 1: The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series
WS-C6509, WS-C6509-NEBS, WS-C6503 (center), WS-C6513, and WS-C6506)
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series delivers exceptional scalability, price, and performance, supporting
a wide range of interface densities, performance, and high-availability options, including:
• Flexible 3-, 6-, 9-, and 13-slot chassis configurations that allow one platform to be deployed in
wiring closet, core, data center, and WAN edge
• Fast 2–3 second stateful failover of redundant supervisors and integrated services
• Scalable high-performance switching fabric and forwarding engine architecture currently
delivering up to 210 Mpps
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• Interface options from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps Ethernet and DS0 to OC-48 WAN interfaces as well as integrated services
modules
• Advanced wire-rate quality-of-service (QoS) and access-control-list (ACL) policy management
• Feature-rich CatOS and Cisco IOS Software choices supported on all supervisor forwarding engines
• Common CLI with Cisco Catalyst 5000/5500 Series for operational consistency and easy migration
• Industry’s highest-performance Layer 4-7 content switching capabilities, including integrated server load balancing with
200,000 concurrent connections per second
• Integrated multigigabit network security (firewall, intrusion detection, Secure Sockets Layer [SSL], and virtual private
network [VPN]) and network analysis modules (NAMs)
• User-upgradable IP telephony support for up to 576 ports with high-density public switched telephone network (PSTN)
or private branch exchange (PBX) gateway (8 T1 or E1s per module) and traditional phone or fax support (24 foreign
exchange station [FXS] ports per module) for maximum investment protection
As a key component of Cisco AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data), the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series
provides unprecedented business agility by enabling the enterprise to rapidly deploy new Internet business applications in
order to boost revenue and reduce operational costs.
Network policy can be applied end to end based on Layer 2, 3, and 4 information such as specific users, IP addresses, or
applications. Coupled with application intelligence, QoS mechanisms, and security, customers can more effectively use their
network for increased client services such as multicast and workforce optimization, e-commerce, e-learning, as well as more
cost-effective corporate communication and supply-chain management applications without sacrificing network performance.
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series provides a powerful e-commerce solution by combining these capabilities with the integrated
multigigabit SSL services module and the industry’s highest-performance content switching module. Secure Hypertext
Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) content requests are secured by offloading the SSL processing from Web servers to the Cisco
Catalyst 6500 Series SSL service module and load balanced across multiple servers via the content switching module,
allowing the servers to handle peak traffic demands without degrading the user experience. Table 1 lists the features of the
Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series.
Table 1 Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series at a Glance
Catalyst 6500 Series
Redundant Supervisors Yes, with Stateful 2-3 second failover (all supervisors, all chassis)
Other High Availability Features Redundant Power Supplies, Switch Fabric, Clocks, Rapid Spanning Tree, MultimoduleCisco Etherchannel® technology, and more
Maximum Port Density
10/100BASE-TX 576, all with user-upgradable inline power for IP phones and wireless access points
100BASE-FL Ports 288
10/100/1000BASE-TX 192
Gigabit Ethernet gigabet interfaceconverter (GBIC)
194
10-Gigabit Ethernet metropolitan (Metro) 12
Integrated WAN T1/E1 to OC-48
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Key Features
Scalable Switching Performance
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series currently scales to 256 Gbps of switching bandwidth using a crossbar switching fabric
architecture. With support for hardware-based forwarding based on the proven Cisco Express Forwarding architecture, all
Cisco Catalyst 6500 switches offer superior control-plane scalability, delivering intelligent switching architectures for
e-commerce and high-performance applications such as storage, financial trading, enterprise resource planning (ERP)
systems, and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions. With distributed forwarding, the forwarding information
is distributed to the intelligent line cards, further enhancing the platform and providing an unparalleled level of system
performance and scalability.
Flexible Chassis Configurations
Providing the highest levels of scalability, density, and flexibility of interfaces and services, and unmatched operational
consistency across 3-, 6-, 9-, and 13-slot chassis configurations, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series shares a common set of
modules, including Cisco 7600 Series WAN port adapters, CatOS, and Cisco IOS Software and network management tools
that can be deployed anywhere in the network. Cisco Catalyst 5000/5500 deployments can be easily transitioned to the Cisco
Catalyst 6500 Series using the familiar CatOS Software and CLI, supported on all supervisors. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series
offers a wide range of configuration, price, and performance options.
The new 3-slot Cisco Catalyst 6503 chassis offers a compact four-rack-unit height that is ideally suited for multi-Gbps secure
data centers, remote access, e-commerce, and converged network solutions (refer to Figure 2).
FlexWAN module Support 12
OC-3 Packet over SONET (POS) 192
OC-12 POS 48
OC-48 POS 12
ATM OC-12 Ports 24
Telephony Support 8-Port T1 or E1 per module gateways and 24-Port FXS connections per module forphoneandfax machines
Gigabit Service Modules Network Analysis, Intrusion Detection, VPN, SSL, Firewall, Layer 4 through 7 ContentSwitching
Table 1 Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series at a Glance
Catalyst 6500 Series
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Figure 2
Cisco Catalyst 6503
The 13-slot Cisco Catalyst 6513 chassis is ideally suited for high-performance, high-port-density Fast Ethernet and Gigabit
Ethernet aggregation in all parts of the network, including the access, distribution, and backbone layers as well as the server
farm and data-center environments. With up to 12 payload slots available, the 13-slot chassis offers industry-leading 10/100
and Gigabit Ethernet port densities while providing unsurpassed levels of network resilience (refer to Figure 3).
Figure 3
Cisco Catalyst 6513
The 6-slot Cisco Catalyst 6506 and 9-slot Cisco Catalyst 6509 provide intermediate port densities, ideal for many
wiring-closet and core network deployments (refer to Figure 4).
Figure 4
Cisco Catalyst 6506, 6509, and 6509-NEBS
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All Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series chassis are designed for Network Equipment Building Systems (NEBS) Level 3 compliance.
Additionally, the 9-slot vertical chassis, Cisco Catalyst 6509-NEBS, has back-to-front airflow and is ideally suited for service
provider environments or for those enterprise customer environments in which front-to-back airflow is preferred.
Scalable Port Density
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series delivers an industry-leading 10/100, Gigabit Ethernet, and 10-Gigabit Ethernet switching
solution to meet the requirements of today's most demanding enterprise and service provider networks. All Cisco Catalyst
6500 Series switches support a wide range of interface types and densities, to include support for up to 576 10/100 Ethernet,
288 100BASE-FX fiber Fast Ethernet, and 194 Gigabit Ethernet ports—the highest in the industry.
Customers can also aggregate up to eight physical Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet links using either Cisco Fast
EtherChannel or Gigabit EtherChannel technology, for logical connections up to 16 Gbps. The same Cisco EtherChannel
technology can be used across the industry's first shipping 10-Gigabit Ethernet modules, providing increased aggregation as
well as resiliency against link failure. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series also supports multimodule Cisco EtherChannel
technology, providing even greater resiliency by creating channels across ports on separate modules in the same chassis. As
a result, connectivity is maintained even if one module (and corresponding ports) fails.
Widest Range of Interfaces, Port Densities, and High-Performance Service Modules
With the widest range of interfaces and densities, from 10/100 Mbps to 10 Gbps Ethernet, from DS0 to OC-48, as well as
multigigabit services modules, the highly flexible Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series can be customized for every deployment
environment, from wiring closet to WAN edge. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series takes advantage of the proven Cisco 7600
Series WAN port adapters and Cisco 7600 Series optical services modules for additional investment protection, as well as
providing common module sparing, training, and support.
Comprehensive Network Security
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series offers a comprehensive group of security features and high-performance gigabit-per-second
security modules. Wire-rate ACL enforcement is an integral part of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series architecture and supervisor
forwarding engines. Furthermore, integrating proven, multigigabit Cisco security solutions into the Cisco Catalyst 6500
platform enables flexible deployments in the campus, WANs, and data centers. With intrusion detection, firewall, VPN, and
SSL acceleration as transparent parts of the existing network, security can be scaled and adapted to a wide range of IP services
and applications, resulting in greater security throughout the entire network.
The firewall module brings the award-winning Cisco PIX® Firewall technology onto an integrated module with true
multigigabit performance. The IP Security (IPSec) VPN module enables multigigabit VPN termination and aggregation of up
to 8000 users on a single module on the Cisco Catalyst 6500. The SSL module terminates SSL sessions on the module, thereby
offloading the computationally intensive encryption function from services and greatly simplifying the cost and complexity
of key management. The intrusion detection system module detects unauthorized activities through the network and responds
in real time either in the form of alerts or by dynamically changing the policies on the system and terminating the route
connection. Integrating network security services modules into the Cisco Catalyst 6500 brings end-to-end security to campus,
WANs, and MANs
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LAN, WAN, and MAN Convergence
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series provides LAN, WAN, and MAN convergence in a single multilayer switching platform.
Sharing WAN interfaces with the Cisco 7200 and 7500 series, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 supports a wide variety of the proven
port adapter module form factors via the Cisco Catalyst 6500 FlexWAN modules. By using the port adapter form factor,
customers gain additional investment protection through common sparing and operational consistency. Each FlexWAN
module can accept up to two Cisco 7200 or 7500 series WAN port adapters, providing distributed, wire-speed forwarding and
intelligent network services. Up to 12 FlexWAN modules can be deployed in a single Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series chassis.
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 also shares optical services modules with the Cisco 7600 Series Internet Router, providing additional
options, including a one port OC-48. In brief, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series supports a broad range of WAN interfaces,
including T1/E1, T3/E3, OC-3 ATM, POS, OC-12, and OC-48 (refer to Figures 5 and 6).
Figure 5
FlexWAN Module for Cisco Catalyst 6000 Series of Switches and Cisco 7600 Internet Router
Figure 6
One-Port OC-48c/STM-16 POS Optical Services Module
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series offers exceptional Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) protocol support, including
Ethernet over MPLS (EoMPLS), MPLS VPNs, and MPLS QoS, as well as technologies such as coarse wave-division
multiplexing (CWDM) and 10-Gb Ethernet, enabling service providers to offer scalable and flexible services that include
highly secure connectivity, Differentiated Services (Diff-Serv), and QoS guarantees to their customers. Cisco Systems led in
the development and offering of metro services before this segment became the latest industry focus. Cisco’s participation and
leadership within various standards groups, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), as well as development of
new protocols and technologies, enable service providers to address the customer’s real-world needs today. Cisco Systems
will continue to be a leader in the WAN and metro Ethernet market by offering technologies that enable service providers to
offer profitable and value-added services to their customers.
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Intelligent IP Services
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 delivers wire-rate intelligent network services based on the feature-rich CatOS or Cisco IOS
Software to support today’s Web-enabled enterprise applications, Cisco AVVID-enabled convergence of voice, video, and
data, as well as traditional network protocols. By offering a choice of operating systems on all Cisco Catalyst 6500
supervisors, customers can easily migrate from the Cisco Catalyst 5000 Series using the familiar CatOS command line and
functionality or benefit from end-to-end Cisco IOS functionality and operational consistency spanning all Cisco Catalyst
switches, Cisco routers, and other Cisco network platforms.
Cisco IOS and CatOS Software deliver a full suite of software services responsible for managing network security, allocating
and enforcing QoS, and providing value-added services that enable high network resiliency. Cisco IOS Software also provides
the management framework for CiscoWorks and Cisco Resource Manager. These two integrated, Web-based management
tools are supported across the Cisco Catalyst product line.
Efficient intranet multimedia and multicast support through Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM), Internet Group
Management Protocol (IGMP), Cisco Group Management Protocol (GMP), and GARP Multicast Registration Protocol
(GMRP) deliver end-to-end, scalable bandwidth for multimedia and multicast applications. These services forward traffic
only to switch users who subscribe to individual multicast groups without impacting other users.
QoS policies are enforced using Layer 2, 3, and 4 information such as precedence bits from IP, Cisco Inter-Switch Link (ISL),
or industry-standard IEEE 802.1q and 802.1p frames or Layer 4 port numbers. Within Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches,
multiple queues with configurable thresholds employ Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED), Weighted Round Robin
(WRR), and type-of-service/class-of-service (ToS/CoS) mapping mechanisms to ensure that QoS is maintained as packets
traverse Layer 2 and Layer 3 boundaries. Advanced policing features support traffic bursts and enable Diff-Serv on a
per-customer or per-application basis. Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) priority mapping can also be used, ensuring
timely delivery of time-sensitive intranet applications.
Security in the network is supported with secure port filtering, enabling individual ports to allow access only to certain
workstations. Industry-standard 802.1X is also supported, allowing administrators to require users to log in through a Remote
Access Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) or TACACS+ server before any LAN access is granted. TACACS+ and IP permit lists
prevent unauthorized access to the switch in secure management environments. ACLs secure networks from unauthorized
users. Message digest algorithm 5 (MD5) route authentication is also used to prevent fraudulent routing updates. Secure Shell
Protocol (SSH) provides strong authentication and secure communications over unsecured channels for access to hosts in the
network.
Mobility—moves, adds, and changes—is supported using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name
System (DNS), along with IP mobility and dynamic virtual LAN (VLAN) services for optimal, scalable performance,
regardless of location
Layer 4-7 Content Switching Services
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series offers the industry’s highest-performance content-switching solution by integrating the Cisco
Catalyst 6500 Content Switching Module (CSM). The Cisco CSM balances client traffic to farms of servers, firewalls, SSL
devices, or VPN termination devices, providing a high-performance, cost-effective load-balancing solution for enterprise and
Internet service provider (ISP) networks. Meeting the demands of high-speed content-delivery networks, the CSM supports
tracking of network sessions and server load conditions in real time and directs each session to the most appropriate server.
Fault-tolerant Cisco CSM configurations maintain full state information and provide true hitless failover required for
mission-critical functions.
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Optimal IP Telephony Support for the Campus
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series brings data, voice, and video integration onto the campus for fully integrated communications
on every desktop. Campus multiservice networking, or convergence, provides voice support using the IP network
infrastructure rather than the traditional PBX. This drastically increases the advantage of telephony spending as compared to
overall infrastructure spending, reduces capital and operational costs, and opens the environment to innovation by supporting
new applications. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 system hardware and software fully support Cisco AVVID as an integral part of
network design, enabling voice, video, and data integration.
Instead of requiring power from an outboard power source, such as a wall outlet, terminal devices such as IP telephones and
Cisco wireless access points can utilize power provided from the Cisco Catalyst 6500, delivered over standard Category 5
unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable up to 100 meters away. This capability, referred to as inline power, gives the network
administrator centralized power control, which translates into greater network availability. By deploying Cisco Catalyst 6500
Series switches with uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems in secured wiring closets, network administrators can ensure
that building power outages will not affect network telephony connections.
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series offers several 10- and 100-Mbps Ethernet modules that support inline power. The new
WS-X6148 48-port 10/100-Mbps Ethernet modules provide even greater flexibility and maximum protection by supporting
inline power as a user- or field-upgradable option. This provides “pay-as-you-grow” value by allowing the Cisco Catalyst 6500
to be deployed for “data-only” applications and subsequently upgraded to support inline power with the addition of an inline
power daughter card for the WS-X6148.
The Cisco Catalyst inline power implementation passes the required domestic and international safety regulations and
compliance measures. These modules are fully compliant with the 802.3 standard when no inline power is supplied. Cisco is
committed to standards-based operation and supports the forthcoming IEEE 802.3af standard.
Cisco IP telephony leadership is also demonstrated with both CatOS and Cisco IOS support for such features as auxiliary
VLANs and Cisco phone discovery. The Cisco phone discovery feature automatically detects the presence of an IP phone or
wireless access point and supplies inline power, simplifying network management. The phone discovery mechanism is
intelligent enough to differentiate between an IP phone and a network interface card (NIC), and will not supply inline power
to a NIC or other device not designed to use inline power. Network administrators can depend upon automatic and centralized
control of inline power that is safe to deploy and easy to maintain.
The auxiliary VLAN feature uses 802.1Q as the standards-based VLAN tagging mechanism between the switch and phone
to provide automatic VLAN configuration for IP telephones. Furthermore, these VLAN assignments can be maintained even
if the phone is moved to a new location. IP phones can be automatically assigned to their own VLAN, allowing network
administrators to create and enforce QoS and security policies, using the advanced capabilities of the Cisco Catalyst 6500
Series as well as CatOS and Cisco IOS Software. With the auxiliary VLAN feature, Cisco enables network administrators to
gain all the advantages of physical infrastructure while maintaining separate logical topologies for voice and data terminals.
This creates the most effective way to manage a multiservice network.
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series also offers T1 and E1 voice gateway modules to provide connection to the PSTN or to a PBX.
Additionally, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 supports FXS connections, allowing traditional analog phone and fax machines to take
advantage of the cost savings of IP telephony as well. Coupled with other Cisco IP telephony products, the Cisco Catalyst
6500 Series provides a complete solution, allowing network managers to effectively use existing resources while decreasing
operational expenses by simplifying the network architecture.
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High Availability for Maximum Network Uptime
Unmatched in the industry, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series high-availability features support 2- to 3-second stateful failover
of redundant supervisors and integrated network services, maximizing network uptime and ensuring that mission-critical data
and services are available to users with little to no disruption. These features also help to simplify network management tasks
and maintenance scheduling issues such as software upgrades. To ensure maximum network uptime, the Cisco Catalyst 6500
Series supports multiple levels of inter- and intra-system availability. Device-level fault tolerance includes the following
options:
• Two- to three-second stateful failover of redundant supervisors
• Redundant, load-sharing power supplies (AC and DC)
• Redundant system clocks
• Redundant uplinks
• Redundant switch fabrics
• Passive backplane architecture
In dual supervisor configurations, Cisco Stateful Failover transfers switch control to the redundant supervisor within seconds
for mission-critical applications that require maximum network availability. This is accomplished by synchronizing the Layer
2 protocol states and Layer 3–4 ACLs and QoS policies between the active and redundant supervisors, allowing stateful
failover. All system elements are also field-replaceable units, maximizing serviceability and minimizing network downtime.
In Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series systems with switch fabric modules, multiple levels of redundancy are provided. In dual switch
fabric configurations, the redundant switch fabric module takes over if the primary switch fabric module fails. When a single
switch fabric module is present and the Cisco Catalyst 6500 chassis has a mix of modules that exclusively support the passive
32-Gbps bus and modules with the 256-Gbps switch fabric connections, the system switches to the 32-Gbps bus mode if the
256-Gbps switch fabric module fails, resulting in minimum loss of connectivity.
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.
For network-level resilience, Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches also support automatic recovery from failure using spanning
tree per VLAN, and support load sharing for faster link convergence using Cisco Fast EtherChannel or Gigabit EtherChannel
technologies. Load balancing with even higher availability can also be accommodated using Cisco multimodule channeling,
where ports from different line cards can be aggregated into higher-bandwidth links. Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches are
also capable of load balancing across Layer 3 paths. This is an effective way to avoid downtime caused by topology change,
even during a line-card failure.
For maximum availability, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches support Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), providing
fast cutover of Layer 3 default gateway services to a backup system if a catastrophic failure occurs.
For minimum network downtime, software upgrades can be performed in a nondisruptive manner using the high-availability
image versioning capability (also referred to as the hitless software upgrade feature), whereby the new software image can be
loaded into the standby supervisor while the active supervisor is still running.
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Powerful Management Capabilities
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series delivers a comprehensive set of management tools to provide the required visibility and
control in the network. Managed with CiscoWorks, Cisco Catalyst Series switches can be configured and managed to deliver
end-to-end device, VLAN, traffic, and policy management. Coupled with CiscoWorks, Cisco Resource Manager, a Web-based
management tool, offers automated inventory collection, software deployment, easy tracking of network changes, views into
device availability, and quick isolation of error conditions.
Policy management is achieved through a combination of intelligent, embedded agents on the switches and CiscoWorks, a
powerful network management application. CiscoWorks provides policy management for all Cisco network services,
including QoS, multicast, security, network resiliency, and mobility of users. Policy management is implemented using Cisco
Virtual Management Policy Server (VMPS). Present on all Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches, Cisco VMPS delivers the
database information required to implement policies for all Cisco network services. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series also
supports industry-standard IEEE 802.1x for policy management.
Intelligent, embedded agents on Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches include support for Cisco Discovery Protocol, delivering
network topology discovery and mapping, and Cisco Virtual Trunking Protocol (VTP), supporting dynamic VLANs and
dynamic trunk configuration across all switches. Embedded intelligent Remote Monitoring (RMON) agents on every port
deliver powerful traffic monitoring and control—four RMON groups are supported per port to include statistics, history,
events, and alarms groups.
Enhanced Switched Port Analyzer (ESPAN) functionality enables the user to mirror traffic on any port or VLAN to another
Ethernet or Fast Ethernet port for analysis by a Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series NAM or RMON Cisco SwitchProbe® product.
SPAN ports can also be configured from remote hosts via trunk links for centralized management and monitoring. NetFlow
technologies, part of Cisco IOS Software, also can be used to collect detailed traffic statistics for tactical network engineering
and strategic network planning. Remote SPAN (RSPAN) functionality enables mirroring of network traffic between source
ports and destination ports across multiple switches in the network for analysis by a Cisco SwitchProbe device, traffic
analyzer, or other RMON probe.
Support for local, out-of-band management is delivered through a terminal or modem attached to the console or auxiliary
interface; remote in-band management is available via Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Telnet client,
BOOTP, and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP). The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series delivers a comprehensive tool set that
enables network managers to control their fast-growing multiservice networks.
Integrated Gigabit per Second Network Analysis
Additional RMON groups on the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series may be monitored using the integrated NAM or switch probes.
The NAM for the Cisco Catalyst 6500 fully supports RMON-1 and RMON-2, in addition to supporting Switch Monitoring
(SMON) and high-capacity RMON (HC-RMON). The NAM not only helps keep the network operating by doing fault
isolation and troubleshooting, but also helps perform trend analysis and capacity management. The new, high-performance,
fabric-enabled NAMs, NAM-1 and NAM-2, meet diverse network analysis needs in a scalable switching environment,
including gigabit speeds. NAM-1 and NAM-2 are supported by the NAM Software Version 2.2, which comes with the
embedded, Web-based traffic analyzer, providing full-scale RMON and troubleshooting capabilities. The NAM-2 delivers the
highest performance by virtue of a high-performance, dual-processor architecture to boost packet-processing performance.
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Investment Protection
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series supports many features designed to protect customer investments. All Cisco Catalyst 6500
Series support the same line-card modules, supervisors, and power supplies, enabling common sparing and cost-effective
performance upgrades. This level of support includes the ability to use the same modules used in both the horizontal slot
chassis and Cisco Catalyst 6509-NEBs vertical slot chassis.
Line cards, originally supported on the Cisco Catalyst 6000 Series that use the 32-Gbps passive switch backplane, can also
coexist in the same system with the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series 256-Gbps switch fabric-enabled line cards. Cisco Catalyst
6500 Series forward and backward module compatibility allow for a “pay-as-you-grow” approach.
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series also protects customer investment in Cisco 7600 Router Series WAN interface port adapters
by sharing these modules via the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series FlexWAN module. Since port adapter functionality is consistent
across the Cisco 7600 routers and the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series, there is no need for additional training when these modules
are used in a Cisco Catalyst 6500 chassis equipped with the FlexWAN module.
Gigabit Ethernet fiber and copper interface flexibility is supported on all Gigabit Ethernet ports, such that one module supports
both fiber and copper connections by simply changing GBIC types.
Because the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series takes advantage of the industry-leading software and management infrastructure of
the Cisco Catalyst Series, customers can apply their existing knowledge of CatOS or Cisco IOS Software, CLI, CiscoWorks
for Switched Internetworks, and Cisco Resource Manager tools without the need to learn a new CLI or management system.
For protecting customer investments in existing equipment, Cisco offers the Technology Migration Program (TMP). The TMP
provides credit toward the purchase of new equipment, easing the cost of network upgrades. The Cisco TMP can be used to
cost-effectively upgrade customers to new Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches.
Summary
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches are a key member of the Cisco Catalyst multilayer switch portfolio, providing
high-performance multilayer solutions for campus backbones, data centers, and wiring closets as well as service provider
networks. Coupled with the most feature-rich software in the industry, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series provides the required
infrastructure to support high-capacity gigabit switching and the multilayer intelligence to efficiently manage network traffic
in the most demanding environments. With scalability, flexibility, investment protection, and high availability as cornerstones,
all Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series chassis can be upgraded to accept a wide range of modules from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps, and T1/
E1 to OC-48, including new supervisors and switching fabric for higher performance. Integration of services modules further
expands the range of deployment options.
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series delivers maximum network uptime, comprehensive network security, scalable
high-performance, and unparalleled services integration.
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Technical Specifications
Standard Network Protocols
• IEEE 802.1Q, 802.1p, 802.3x, and 802.1x
• Ethernet: IEEE 802.3, 10BASE-T, and 10BASE-FL
• Fast Ethernet: IEEE 802.3u, 100BASE-TX, and 100BASE-FX
• Gigabit Ethernet: IEEE 802.3z and 802.3ab
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet: IEEE 802.3ae
Network Management
CiscoWorks for Switched Internetworks graphical user interface (GUI) management, including but not limited to:
• CiscoView
• Cisco VLAN Director Software
• Cisco TrafficDirector Software
• Cisco Discovery Protocol
• VTP
• SNMP agent V.1 (RFCs 1155–1157)
• SNMPv2c
• Cisco workgroup Management Information Base (MIB)
• Ethernet MIB (RFC 1643)
• Ethernet repeater MIB (RFC 1516)
• SNMP MIB II (RFC 1213)
• RMON (RFC 1757)
• Interface table (RFC 1573)
• Bridge MIB (RFC 1493)
• Station Management (SMT) 7.3 (RFC 1285)
• ESPAN
• Port snooping and connection steering
• Text-based CLI based on familiar router interface
• Standard Cisco IOS Software security capabilities: passwords and TACACS+
• Telnet, TFTP, and BOOTP for management access
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Licensing
Use of mini-RMON on the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches requires the purchase of the RMON agent license. Only one
RMON agent license is required per chassis (that is, a chassis with redundant supervisors does not require two licenses).
Note: The Cisco Catalyst 6500 NAM does not require a license.
Mini-RMON Agent Licenses
Supervisor Engine Indicators and Interfaces
• Console or auxiliary port via RJ-45 (female) data terminal equipment (DTE) for local or remote connectivity
• Approximates switch load from 1 to 100 percent
Table 2 Part Numbers for Cisco Catalyst 6000 Series Agent Licenses
WS-C6X06-EMS-LIC Cisco Catalyst 6006 RMON Agent License
WS-C6X09-EMS-LIC Cisco Catalyst 6009 RMON Agent License
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