switch for Distribution Layer

[mathiasivn]

I need your expert opinions for selecting a switch for distribution Layer

My requirement is 24Gig ports @ dist layer which will connect to 3750?s for server farm. I don?t want to negotiate with the bandwidth.

Which switch will be best for this scenario with max Backplane speed

[wong34539]

check out the folloiwng links, hope this helps :

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/tech/tk1330/technologies_design_guide_chapter09186a0080666712.html

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns340/ns394/ns147/ns17/networking_solutions_white_paper0900aecd804599e6.shtml

[Anand Narayana]

Hi,

Cisco 3750 is the best choice which has 32Gbps of back plane which is the best choice to act as distribution.

[m-haddad]

Hello,

Do you need L3 routing? And do you mean you are going to aggregate 24Gbps from 3750 then recommendation is to go for 4600 series best for links aggregation and high throughput. Also, you can add supervisor engine II for L3.

Please rate if you find my post helpful,

Regards,

[mathiasivn]

Yes L3 routing will there.

I am considering 3750 for access switch for my server farm, and 4506 for distribution layer with the following port requirement

Catalyst 4500 Gigabit Ethernet Module, 6-Ports (GBIC)

Catalyst 4500 GE Module, Server Switching 18-Ports (GBIC)

Catalyst 4500 Enhanced 48-Port 10/100/1000 Base-T (RJ-45)

Catalyst 4500 Supervisor IV (2 GE), Console (RJ-45)

Most of the gigabit port will be occupied since I have a huge server farm to connect. By using almost all the ports on 4506 will I be able to get the maximum through put??

I have not considered 6500 due to budget. If I consider 6500 will it be a good design to have 6500?s on both core and distribution layer

[Mikhail.Galiulin]

Hi,

When you choose switches for access/distribution/core layer do not think about particular models. Think about what you want to achive on every layer, think about performance. Then when you have all this figures on paper it would be much easier to choose particular model basing on the your requirements.

//Mikhail Galiulin

[m-haddad]

Hello,

Using all slots and all ports does not mean you will be getting the max through put for each server. If you read the technical documentation of the 4500 series you will find that the slot can hold ip to X ammount of throughput. Therefore, loading it with more ports does not guarantee the maximum throughput.

As I mentioned 3750 will be good for the server farm and try to get a 10Gbps etherchannel from the 3750 to the 4506. I feel that the 4506 is not scalable enough for you. If you know that there will be expansion in the near future you can go to 4509 if you can't go to the 6500 Series.

Please let me know if you have further questions,

Regards,