Cisco Switche 6500

DATA SHEET

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

The Cisco® Catalyst® 6500 and 6500-E Series sets the new standard for IP Communications and application delivery in enterprise campus and service provider networks by maximizing user productivity and enhancing operational control. As the premier intelligent, multilayer modular Cisco switch, the Catalyst 6500 Series delivers secure, converged, end-to-end services, from the wiring closet to the core network, the data center, and the WAN edge. The 6500-E series switches offer enhancements to scale beyond the 4000W power supply. Today's 6500 series switch cannot scale beyond 4000W of total system capacity except for 6513. The 6513 can support up to 6000W of power.

Ideal for enterprises and service providers seeking to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series provides unprecedented investment protection and delivers scalable performance and port density across several chassis configurations and LAN, WAN, and metropolitan-area network (MAN) interfaces. Available in 3-, 6-, 9-, and 13-slot chassis, Catalyst 6500 Series switches feature an unparalleled range of integrated services modules, including multigigabit network security, content switching, telephony, and network analysis modules.

Through a forward-thinking architecture that uses a common set of modules and OS software across all Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series chassis (Figure 1), the Catalyst 6500 Series delivers a high level of operational consistency that optimizes IT infrastructure usage and enhances return on investment (ROI). From 48-port to 576-port 10/100/1000 or from 1152-port 10/100 Ethernet wiring closets to 400 million packets per second (mpps) network cores supporting up to 192 1-Gbps or 32 10-Gbps trunks, the Catalyst 6500 Series provides an optimal platform that maximizes network uptime with stateful failover capability between redundant routing and forwarding engines.

With numerous industry-leading features, the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series supports three generations of modules that continue to demonstrate the value of the Catalyst 6500 Series and the commitment of Cisco Systems® to innovation. The new generation of Catalyst 6500 Series modules and Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720 devices incorporate 11 new application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)-extending Cisco's leadership in networking while providing unparalleled investment protection.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series provides market-leading services, performance, port densities, and availability with investment protection for enterprise and service provider markets, including:

• Maximum Network Uptime-With Cisco IOS Software Modularity and platform, power supply, supervisor engine, switch fabric, and integrated network services redundancy provides one- to three-second stateful failover and delivers application and services continuity in a converged network, minimizing disruption of mission-critical data and services

• Comprehensive Network Security-Integrates proven, multi-gigabit Cisco security solutions, including intrusion detection, firewall, VPN, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) into existing networks

• Scalable Performance-Provides up to 400-mpps performance with distributed forwarding architecture

• Forward-Thinking Architecture with Investment Protection-Supports three generations of interchangeable, hot-swappable modules in the same chassis, optimizing IT infrastructure usage, maximizing ROI, and reducing TCO

• Operational Consistency-Features 3-, 6-, 9-, and 13-slot chassis configurations sharing a common set of modules, Cisco IOS® Software, Cisco Catalyst Operating System Software, and network management tools that can be deployed anywhere in the network

• Unparalleled Services Integration and Flexibility-Integrates advanced services such as security, wireless LAN services, and content with converged networks; provides the widest range of interfaces and densities, from 10/100 and 10/100/1000 Ethernet to 10 Gigabit, and from DS-0 to OC-48; and performs in any deployment from end to end

Operational Consistency in End-to-End Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Deployments

• Features 3-, 6-, 9-, and 13-slot chassis configurations that share a common set of modules, software, and network management tools

• Deploys anywhere in the network-from the wiring closet to the core network, to the data center, to the WAN edge

• Shares WAN port adapters with Cisco 7xxx Series routers for reduced sparing and training costs

• Offers choice of Cisco IOS Software and Cisco Catalyst Operating System Software supported on all supervisor engines, providing smooth migration from Cisco Catalyst 5000 Series and Cisco 7500 Series deployments

Maximum Network Uptime and Network Resiliency

• Provides packet-loss protection and the fastest recovery from network disruption

• Features fast, one- to three-second stateful failover between redundant supervisor engines

• Offers optional, redundant, high-performance Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720, passive backplane, multimodule Cisco EtherChannel® technology, IEEE 802.3ad link aggregation, IEEE 802.1s only, and Hot Standby Router Protocol/Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (HSRP/VRRP) high-availability features

• The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series with Cisco IOS Software Modularity boosts operational efficiency and minimizes downtime through evolutionary software infrastructure advancements. By enabling modular Cisco IOS subsystems to run in independent processes, this innovation:

• Minimizes unplanned downtime through self-healing processes

• Simplifies software changes through subsystem In-Service Software Upgrades (ISSU)

• Enables process-level, automated policy control by integrating Embedded Event Manager (EEM).

Integrated High-Performance Network Security and Management

Integrated gigabit-per-second services modules, deployed where external devices would not be feasible, simplify network management and reduce TCO. These include:

• Gigabit Firewall-Provides access protection

• High-Performance Intrusion Detection System (IDS)-Provides intrusion detection protection

• Gigabit Network Analysis Module-Provides a more manageable infrastructure and full Remote Monitoring (RMON) support

• High-Performance SSL-Provides high-performance, secure e-commerce traffic termination

• Gigabit VPN and Standards-Based IP Security (IPSec)-Support lower-cost Internet and intra-campus connections

Content- and Application-Aware Layers 2 Through 7 Switching Services

• An integrated content switching module (CSM) brings high-performance, feature-rich server and firewall load balancing to the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series, helping to ensure a safer and more manageable infrastructure with unprecedented control

• Integrated multi-gigabit SSL acceleration, combined with a CSM, provides a high-performance e-commerce solution

• Integrated multi-gigabit firewall and CSMs provide a secure, high-performance, data center solution

• Software features such as Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR) enhance network management and control of bandwidth utilization

Scalable Performance

• Delivers the industry's highest LAN switch performance, 400 mpps, using the distributed Cisco Express Forwarding platform

• Supports a mix of Cisco Express Forwarding implementations and switch-fabric speeds for optimal wiring closet, core network, data center, and WAN edge deployments, as well as service provider networks

Rich Layer 3 Services

• Multiprotocol Layer 3 routing supports traditional network requirements and provides a smooth transition mechanism in the enterprise

• Provides hardware support for enterprise-class and service-provider-scale routing tables

• Provides IPv6 support in hardware (using the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720) with an unparalleled high-performance suite of services

• Provides hardware support for large enterprise-class and service-provider-scale routing tables

• Provides Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) support in hardware to enable VPN services within the enterprise and facilitate smooth integration with new high-speed service provider core infrastructures and Metro Ethernet deployments

Enhanced Data, Voice, and Video Services

• Provides integrated IP Communications throughout all Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series platforms

• Provides 10/100 and 10/100/1000 line cards, which are field-upgradable with inline power using a daughter card

• Supports prestandard Cisco Inline Power as well as standards-based IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE)

• Provides dense T1/E1 and foreign exchange station (FXS) voice over IP (VoIP) gateway interfaces for public switched telephone network (PSTN) access and traditional phone, fax, and private branch exchange (PBX) connections

• Supports high-performance IP Multicast video and audio applications

• Provides the integrated management necessary to effectively deploy a scalable, enterprise-converged network

Highest Level of Interface Flexibility, Scalability, and Density

• Provides the port densities and interface choices that large, mission-critical wiring closets, core enterprise networks, and distribution networks require

• Supports up to 576 10/100/1000 gigabit-over-copper ports or 1152 10/100 Ethernet ports

• Features the industry's first 96-port 10/100 RJ-45 module, with optional, field-upgradable support for 802.3af PoE

• Provides up to 192 Gigabit Ethernet ports

• Features the industry's first 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Channelized OC-48 dense OC-3 packet over SONET (POS)

• Provides investment protection by using Cisco 7xxx Series port adapters on the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series FlexWAN Line Card, supporting T1/E1 through OC-48 WAN interfaces

• Chassis sizes range from 3-slot (Cisco Catalyst 6503 Switch) to 13-slot (Cisco Catalyst 6513 Switch)

High-Speed WAN Interfaces

• Provides high-speed WAN, ATM, and SONET interfaces that are compatible with other core-network routers

• Provides single-device management for WAN aggregation and for campus and metro connectivity

• Delivers maximum investment protection

• Highly flexible modular architecture supports multiple generations of modules that are fully interoperable with each other in the same chassis

• Upgradable supervisor engines can add Layer 3 routing or forwarding capabilities over time

• Cisco IOS Software and Cisco Catalyst Operating System Software are supported across all supervisor engines

• Field-upgradable inline power for 10/100 Mbps and 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet modules offers scalable IP telephony and wireless computing

• A steady stream of new services modules adds to the deployment options

• Includes Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series network security, content switching, and voice capabilities

• Future modules will increase performance, increase port density, and include additional services

Ideal for Metro Ethernet WAN Services

• 802.1Q and 802.1Q tunneling (QinQ), providing point-to-point and multipoint Ethernet services

• Ethernet over MPLS in MPLS backbone networks for superior network scaling, providing VLAN translation capability

• Layer 2 and Layer 3 quality of service (QoS), facilitating tiered Ethernet service offerings through rate limiting and traffic shaping

• Superior high-availability features, including enhanced Spanning Tree Protocol, IEEE 802.1s, IEEE 802.1w, and Cisco EtherChannel IEEE 802.3ad link aggregation

Table 1 lists the primary features of the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series.

Table 1. Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series at a Glance

Feature	Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series
Chassis Configurations	• 3-slot • 6-slot • 9-slot • 9 vertical slots • 13-slot
Backplane Bandwidth	• 32-Gbps shared bus • 256-Gbps switch fabric • 720-Gbps switch fabric
Layer 3 Forwarding Performance	• Cisco Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 1A Multilayer Switch Feature Card (MSFC2): 15 mpps • Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 2 MSFC2: up to 210 mpps • Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 32 MSFC2a: 15 mpps • Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 720: up to 400 mpps
Operating System	• Cisco Catalyst OS • Cisco IOS Software • Hybrid configuration
Redundant Supervisor Engines	Yes, with stateful failover
Redundant Components	• Power supplies (1+1) • Switch fabric (1+1) • Replaceable clock • Replaceable fan tray
High-Availability Features	• Gateway Load Balancing Protocol • Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) • Multimodule EtherChannel technology • Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) • Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) • Per-VLAN Rapid Spanning Tree • Rapid convergence Layer 3 protocols
Advanced Services Modules	• Content services gateway • CSM • Firewall module • IDS module • IP Security (IPSec) VPN module • Network analysis module • Persistent storage device • SSL module • Wireless LAN services module

Table 2. Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Port Density Information, WAN Modules and Interfaces

Maximum System Port Densities (Including Supervisor Engine Ports)	Catalyst 6503		Catalyst 6503-E	Catalyst 6506 and 6506-E	Catalyst 6509 and 6509-E	Catalyst 6509-NEB and 6509-NEB-A	Catalyst 6513
10 Gigabit Ethernet (XENPAK)		2	8	20	32	32	20
Gigabit Ethernet (Small Form-Factor Pluggable [SFP] optics)		8	98	242	386	384	410
Gigabit Ethernet (gigabit interface converter [GBIC])		34	34	82	130	130	194
10/100/1000 Ethernet		97	97	241	385	385	577
10/100 Fast Ethernet		192	192	480	768	768	1152
100BASE-FX		96	96	240	384	384	576
FlexWAN (DS-0 to OC-3)		2 modules with 4 port adapters	2 modules with 4 port adapters	5 modules with 10 port adapters	8 modules with 16 port adapters	8 modules with 16 port adapters	12 modules with 24 port adapters
Integrated WAN Modules
OC-3 POS ports		16	16	40	64	64	96
OC-12 POS ports		8	8	20	32	32	48
OC-12 ATM ports		4	4	10	16	16	24
OC-48 POS/Dynamic Packet Transport (DPT) ports		4 POS 2 DPT	4 POS 2 DPT	10 POS 5 DPT	16 POS 8 DPT	16 POS 8 DPT	24 POS 12 DPT
PSTN Interfaces
Digital T1/E1 trunk ports		36	36	90	144	144	216
FXS interfaces		144	144	360	576	576	864

DEPLOYMENT SCENARIOS

The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series can be deployed for converged services for campus, Internet service provider (ISP), metro edge, and grid computing networks:

• Campus Networks-Features 10/100 and 10/100/1000 autosensing modules that provide inline power for the wiring closet, along with robust high-availability, security, and manageability features; world-class networking software; high-performance Gigabit and 10 Gigabit interface modules; and network management for the distribution and core network (Figure 2).

• ISP Network-The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series provides robust high-availability, security, and manageability features; world-class networking software; high-performance Gigabit and 10 Gigabit interface modules; and network management for the most demanding service provider networking environments requiring MPLS, IP Multicast, IPv6, an extensive set of WAN interfaces, and hierarchical traffic shaping (Figure 3).

• Metro Edge-The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series features edge, distribution, and core network-layer interfaces for point-to-point and multipoint Ethernet services for metro and intermetro network deployments with the following features (Figure 4):

– High-performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks

– 802.1Q tunneling

– Ethernet over MPLS

– Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS

– Network Equipment Building Standards (NEBS) compliance

– Security, high availability, and manageability

• Grid Computing Network-The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series provides high-speed optical interface modules and world-class software required to manage high-volume traffic and to build and manage large-scale networks (Figure 5).

SYSTEM OVERVIEW

Modular Architecture

The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series is a modular system that can grow as customer requirements expand and technology evolves, allowing customers to upgrade and reconfigure systems by adding new modules, replacing existing modules, and adding and redeploying systems. Throughout the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series, modules are:

• Configurable-Separately, simplifying the addition of new services

• Interoperable-In the same chassis, providing flexible design options

• Interchangeable-Among Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series systems, simplifying sparing and network expansion

• Hot-Swappable-Without requiring a chassis to be powered off, providing fast upgrade and repair

• Upgradable-As newer modules come along, providing investment protection

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Hardware-Forwarding Architectures

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series modules use one of three forwarding technologies, each having a different architecture with different characteristics and capabilities:

• Cisco Express Forwarding-Scaling to 30 mpps, this technology uses a central Cisco Express Forwarding engine located on the supervisor engine's policy feature card (PFC) daughter card and Cisco Express Forwarding tables located on the supervisor engine. The supervisor engine makes all forwarding decisions for all interface modules centrally.

• Distributed Cisco Express Forwarding-Suited for the most demanding environments, this technology uses the distributed Cisco Express Forwarding engine located on the interface module's distributed forwarding card (DFC) daughter card and the distributed Cisco Express Forwarding table, a local copy of the supervisor engine's central Cisco Express Forwarding table located on the interface module's DFC. The interface module makes all forwarding decisions locally, and provides maximum performance and scalability.

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switching Architectures

Cisco developed the following switching architectures for Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series modules to allow platforms to scale in any deployment:

• 32-Gbps Bus-Allowing access to a central shared bus

• 256-Gbps Switch Fabric-Located on the switch fabric module (SFM)

• 720-Gbps Switch Fabric-Located on the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Modules

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series interface modules support the following forwarding technology and switch-fabric combinations.

• Classic Interface Modules-Use the centralized Cisco Express Forwarding engine located on the supervisor engine's PFC, connect to the 32-Gbps switching bus only, and forward packets at up to 15 mpps

• CEF256 Interface Modules-Use the centralized Cisco Express Forwarding engine located on the supervisor engine's PFC, connect to both the 256-Gbps fabric located on the supervisor engine with a single 8-Gbps full-duplex fabric connection and the 32-Gbps switching bus, and forward packets at up to 30 mpps

• dCEF256 Interface Modules-Use the distributed Cisco Express Forwarding engine on the DFC (located on the interface module), connect to a 256-Gbps fabric located on the supervisor engine or a switch fabric module with 16-Gbps full-duplex fabric connections, and forward packets at up to 210 mpps

• dCEF720 Interface Modules-Use the distributed Cisco Express Forwarding engine on the DFC3 (located on the interface module), connect to the 720-Gbps fabric located on the supervisor engine with dual 20-Gbps full-duplex fabric connections, and forward packets at up to 400 mpps of sustained performance

Note: All performance numbers refer to IPv4 forwarding.

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Module Types

In the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series architecture, special-purpose modules perform separate tasks-allowing the feature set to evolve quickly, and allowing customers to add features and enhance performance by adding new modules. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series features the following types of special-purpose modules:

• Supervisor Engines-Perform the control functions and make the forwarding decisions for packets routed to other networks

• Ethernet Interface Modules-Provide IEEE-standard receive and forwarding interfaces; forward packets within the defined network

• WAN Interface Modules-Provide the receive and forwarding interface at the WAN edge

• Services Modules-Support multigigabit security, application-aware Layer 4 through 7 content switching, wireless LAN services, network management, and voice gateway services to traditional phones, fax machines, PBXs, and the PSTN

• Switch Fabric Modules-Pass network traffic from the interface module to the supervisor engine or to another interface

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engines

The supervisor engines for the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series support different forwarding technologies and achieve different forwarding rates, depending on the configuration of the supervisor engine and the capability of a particular interface module (Table 3).

Supervisor engines can be configured with optional factory-installed daughter cards-a PFC providing hardware-based Layer 2 forwarding, and a Multilayer Switch Feature Card (MSFC) providing Layer 3 capabilities.

A supervisor engine performs control operations centrally on processors that run either Cisco IOS Software or Cisco Catalyst Operating System Software while special-purpose, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) perform bridging and routing (based on Cisco Express Forwarding), QoS marking and policing, and access control. The same ASICs are used on the DFCs, daughter cards that can be installed on certain interface modules to distribute forwarding in a decentralized fashion to achieve system forwarding rates of up to 400 mpps.

• Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720 data sheet

• Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 32 data sheet

• Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 1A and 2 data sheet

Table 3. Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engines

Feature	Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 1A	Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 2	Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 32	Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720
Solution and Market	Wiring closet	Enterprise distribution and core networks, and WAN edge; service provider WAN and Internet edge	Access layer	Enterprise core network and data center; service provider metro; wireless; national research networks; grid computing
Fabric Connections	32-Gbps shared bus connection to modules	32-Gbps shared bus without switch fabric module (SFM); 256 Gbps with SFM	32-Gbps shared bus connection to modules	720-Gbps integrated SFM
Performance Maximum (MPPS)	15 mpps	15 mpps without SFM; 30 mpps with SFM; up to 210 mpps with SFM and distributed forwarding card (DFC)	15 mpps	Up to 400 mpps for CEF720 and dCEF720 interface modules
Distributed Forwarding Cards (DFC) Modules	Not supported	DFC	Not supported	DFC3A, DFC3B, DFC3BXL
Route Processor	On Cisco MSFC2 daughter card (optional)	On Cisco MSFC2 daughter card (optional)	On Cisco MSFC2A daughter card (integrated)*	Cisco MSFC3 integrated
Policy Feature Card (PFC) Modules	PFC daughter card (optional)	PFC2 integrated	PFC3B daughter card (integrated)	PFC3 integrated

Cisco Catalyst 6500 and 6500-E Series Switch Data Sheet