DFC3 for WS-X6724-SFP 6500 linecards

[fuhrersk8]

                   Hello guys!

     When quoting a WS-X6724-SFP line card for a Catalyst 6500:

       1. If no Distributed Forwarding Card 3 (DFC3) is selected, can it be purchased at a later time as a spare part or the client needs to buy the line card with the DFC3 included from start?

       2. Does each line card require a DFC3 in order to be able to perform localized forwarding decisions?

       3. Does the DFC3 card is embedded in the line card physically?        

       4. Documentation such as Q&A if available will help me a lot.

Thanks in advanced guys!

[Giuseppe Larosa · Accepted solution]

Hello Nephtali,

1) 6700 series with optional DFC supports distributed forwarding

see

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps5718/ps708/product_data_sheet0900aecd801459a7.html

the DFC3 version should match the PFC version in the supervisor

example for a sup720 3BXL with a 3BXL PFC the DFC type should be DFC3 3BXL too.

2) a mix of distributed and centralized forwarding linecards is supported in the same chassis.

see C6500 architecture whitepaper

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps5718/ps708/prod_white_paper0900aecd80673385.html

3) DFC3 X  is a daughter card that can be mounted on the top of the linecard when the linecard is removed from the chassis

see fig.4 in the first document

4) Q&A about PFC , DFC an CFC

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/products_qanda_item09186a00809a7673.shtml

Hope to help

Giuseppe

[fuhrersk8]

Excellent! Thanks a lot for all the documentation.

[Joseph W. Doherty · Accepted solution]

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Posting

Just to add a bit to what Giuseppe posted, you can often mix and match DFCs and Sups, but this may result in suboptimal performance although in some cases it makes sense to obtain "better/newer" version for future proofing.  (E.g. DFC3B and DFC3C both cost the same, and the latter is backward compatible with the former.)

Some mix and matched configurations require a full chassis reload, not just a card OIR, to configure the DFC properly.

Usually the DFC is optional, but on at least one card, it's standard, i.e. the 6708 10 gig.

[fuhrersk8]

Perfect. Thanks for the information.