Switch Ports

[Balusekar61]

Hi Experts,

Greetings!!

I have few queries Regarding switching concept for more than a years still i couldn't find solution for that. Hope i will get solutions for those here.

1.what is maximum Physical switchports in a single switch ?

2.Does multilayer switches are considered as DTE?

3.what is the difference between Multilayer switch and router?

Thank you

[Reza Sharifi]

Hi,

1.what is maximum Physical switchports in a single switch ?

This depends on the number physical ports the switch supports.  Some switches support 24 some 48 and some 480 or more.

2.Does multilayer switches are considered as DTE?

If you are referring to DTE vs DCE, yes

In the older days, DTE was the router and DCE was the switch (the provider).

3.what is the difference between Multilayer switch and router?

They function the same except a multi-layer switch usually has a lot more ports than a router.

For example, a 6500 switch is considered a multilayer switch and it can supports 100s of ports vs say an ASR router can support a handful ports.  On the other hand, usually switches don't supports functions like NAT, GRE tunnel, etc..

HTH

[Joseph W. Doherty]

2.Does multilayer switches are considered as DTE?

If you are referring to DTE vs DCE, yes

Hmm, I think a (LAN) network switch would logically be considered DCE because it doesn't (normally) need cross connects to hosts or routers.

[Reza Sharifi]

I was looking at it as router being DTE and A frame relay switch being DCE perspective. But you are right in that a switch does not need cross connect to hosts. Good old frame relay days :-)

[Julio E. Moisa]

Hi

It will be a pleasure assist you with the questions:

1.what is maximum Physical switchports in a single switch ?

It depends, if you are using a fixed switch or modular like switches 4500, 6500/6800 or Nexus, On fixed switches you can have max 48 physical ports, and some of the switches support modules and it can support from 2 to 8 ports for copper or fiber SFPs like the switches 3850.

Now modular switches like 4500/6500/6800 or some Nexus can support switch modules, so the network can be scalable. 

Reference: http://blogs.cisco.com/smallbusiness/understanding-the-different-types-of-ethernet-switches

https://notanothernetworkblog.net/2013/06/07/part-1-modular-chassis-vs-fixed-configuration-the-why/

2.Does multilayer switches are considered as DTE?

DTE is a term associated with PC's, NIC or Routers, where serial interfaces are used, the Switches does not support serial interfaces.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/routers/7200-series-routers/12219-17.html#dte_dce

3.what is the difference between Multilayer switch and router?

Multilayer switches can work in Layer 3 and Layer 2 at same time, they can be used for routing processes. Usually the multilayer switches have more ports than the routers, They could have some limitations compared with routers. Usually the routers can be more robust and destined to routing processes only. For example ASR (Aggregation Services Routers). This kind of routers use XR-OS operative system.

Hope it is useful

:-)

[Joseph W. Doherty]

1.what is maximum Physical switchports in a single switch ?

In one physical device, perhaps a 6513 with twelve 96 port line cards.  That's 1,152 ports, not counting those on the supervisor.

In you relax your constraint to be one logical switch, Nexus with FEXs or a Catalyst with IAs, I believe can get up to a couple of thousand.  I don't recall the 96 port line cards being supported with 6513 VSS, but if I'm mistaken, that too would provide a couple thousand ports.