inquiry

[Ibrahim Jamil]

Hi Folks

What happened if you add some Procurve Access switch to ur network Although core  and distribution and access switch it's purely Cisco

what is the throughput of Cisco access switch versus procurve

[jonathanaxford]

Hi Ibrahim,

A procurve switch can be used alongside a Cisco switch - you just have to be careful and make sure you are using open standard protocols like dot1q for trunking and take into account things like Spanning Tree. (PVST/PVST+ is Cisco proprietary)

My experience of procurve switches has generally been good - not quite as reliable as a Cisco switch but you do get a good lifetime warranty if i remember and they are cheaper than Cisco.

In terms of performance, again I have not experienced any issues, but have only used them in relatively low bandwidth LANs where throughput has not been an issue.

Many thanks

Jonathan

[Ibrahim Jamil]

Thanks Freind,what is the switch fabric of the switch

[Latchum Naidu]

Hi Ibrahim,

Switching fabric is the combination of hardware and software that moves data coming in to a network node out by the correct port (door) to the next node in the network.

Switching fabric includes the switching units (individual boxes) in a node, the integrated circuits that they contain, and the programming that allows switching paths to be controlled. The switching fabric is independent of the bus technology and infrastructure used to move data between nodes and also separate from the router.

For example Catalyst 6500 Series switch fabric modules are including the new Switch Fabric Module 2 (WS-X6500-SFM2) and the Switch Fabric Module (WS-C6500-SFM), in combination with the Supervisor Engine 2, deliver an increase in available system bandwidth from the existing 32Gbps to 256 Gbps. The Switch Fabric Module delivers not only best-in-class bandwidth, but also the performance and advanced services required for today's most advanced networks.

Below are some key features:

• The Switch Fabric Module enables 30 Mpps Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF)-based central forwarding on Supervisor Engine 2
• The Switch Fabric Module enables up to 210 Mpps distributed forwarding on DCF-enabled switch fabric modules
• The Switch Fabric Module supports advanced services such as quality of service (QoS) and security in hardware via access control lists (ACLs)

Hope this clear you...

Regards,
Naidu.

[Ibrahim Jamil]

Hi,did the above also Applied on sup 720?

[Latchum Naidu]

Hi,

The Sup720 has integrated Fabric module; it refers to the 720Gbps switch fabric.  With new CEF720 line-card modules you can achieve this sort of performance.  The SupII has no in-built Switch Fabric and runs at 32Gbps.  If you add a Switch Fabric Module (takes up a slot) and use CEF256 modules you can achieve 256Gbps throughput.

Please rate the helpfull posts.

Regards,

Naidu.

[Ibrahim Jamil]

thanks