Description
More Information for the Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E= Catalyst 4500-E Expansion Module
The Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E= is a crucial component in the Catalyst 4500-E Series, serving as a Supervisor Engine with advanced features. This plug-in module is designed to enhance network performance, providing 4 expansion slots, SFP+ compatibility, and a powerful control processor. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the key features, specifications, and benefits of the Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E= Supervisor Engine, breaking down the technical details in simple English.
Overview of Cisco Catalyst 4500-E Series
Before we explore the WS-X45-SUP7-E=, let’s briefly understand the Catalyst 4500-E Series. Cisco Catalyst switches are renowned for their scalability, flexibility, and reliability in enterprise networks. The Catalyst 4500-E Series, in particular, is a modular platform that allows organizations to build resilient and high-performance network infrastructure.
The series supports various line cards, modules, and supervisor engines to cater to diverse network requirements. Among these supervisor engines, the WS-X45-SUP7-E= stands out for its advanced capabilities.
Key Features of Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E=
- 4 Expansion Slots: The WS-X45-SUP7-E= comes equipped with four expansion slots, providing flexibility for organizations to customize their network according to specific needs. These expansion slots accommodate various modules and cards, allowing for scalability and adaptability as network demands evolve.
- SFP+ Compatibility: SFP+ (Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus) is a high-performance optical transceiver widely used in networking equipment. The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports SFP+ technology, enabling the use of SFP+ transceivers for high-speed data connectivity. This is particularly beneficial for organizations requiring fast and reliable data transfer within their network infrastructure.
- Control Processor: The control processor is the brain of the Supervisor Engine, responsible for managing and controlling the overall operation of the Catalyst 4500-E Series. The WS-X45-SUP7-E= is equipped with a powerful control processor, ensuring efficient and optimized network performance. This feature is crucial for handling complex tasks, maintaining stability, and supporting advanced networking functionalities.
- Plug-In Module: The WS-X45-SUP7-E= is designed as a plug-in module, making it easy to install and replace within the Catalyst 4500-E Series chassis. This modular approach simplifies upgrades and maintenance, reducing downtime and operational disruptions. Organizations can seamlessly integrate the Supervisor Engine into their existing infrastructure, enhancing network capabilities without a complete overhaul.
Technical Specifications
Now, let’s delve into the technical specifications of the Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E= to understand its capabilities in more detail.
- Performance:
- The WS-X45-SUP7-E= offers high-performance capabilities, supporting wire-speed switching and routing.
- With a forwarding rate of up to 250 Mpps (million packets per second), it ensures rapid data processing, critical for demanding network environments.
- Memory:
- The Supervisor Engine is equipped with ample memory resources, including DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and Flash memory.
- The memory capacity contributes to efficient packet buffering, storage of operating system files, and quick retrieval of essential data.
- Interfaces:
- The WS-X45-SUP7-E= features multiple interfaces, including Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, providing versatile connectivity options.
- These interfaces support various network topologies and enable seamless integration with different devices.
- Redundancy and High Availability:
- Redundancy is a key aspect of the WS-X45-SUP7-E=, ensuring uninterrupted network operation.
- Dual, hot-swappable power supplies and redundant fans contribute to high availability, minimizing the risk of hardware failures impacting network performance.
Benefits of Using Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E=
- Scalability:
- The four expansion slots enable organizations to scale their network infrastructure as demand grows.
- Additional modules and cards can be easily added to accommodate new features, ensuring the network remains adaptable to evolving requirements.
- High-Speed Connectivity:
- SFP+ compatibility allows for the use of high-speed transceivers, supporting data rates of 10 Gbps and beyond.
- This is especially beneficial for data-intensive applications and scenarios where low latency and high bandwidth are critical.
- Robust Control Processor:
- The powerful control processor enhances the overall performance of the Supervisor Engine.
- It efficiently handles complex tasks, such as routing decisions and network management, contributing to a stable and responsive network.
- Modular Design for Easy Maintenance:
- The plug-in module design simplifies installation, upgrades, and maintenance activities.
- Organizations can easily replace or upgrade the WS-X45-SUP7-E= without disrupting the entire network, minimizing downtime and operational impact.
Network Security and Access Control
The WS-X45-SUP7-E= Cisco Catalyst 4500E Series Supervisor Module provides robust network security and access control features to help protect your network from threats and unauthorized access:
- Access Control Lists (ACLs): The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports advanced ACLs, which allow you to control access to the network based on specific criteria, such as IP address, port number, or protocol.
- Firewall: The WS-X45-SUP7-E= includes firewall functionality, which helps to protect the network from external threats by screening incoming and outgoing network traffic.
- Virtual Private Network (VPN): The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports VPN, which allows you to securely connect remote users to the network, providing secure remote access to network resources.
- Network Authentication: The WS-X45-SUP7-E supports various authentication methods, such as RADIUS and TACACS+, which help to ensure that only authorized users have access to the network.
- Encryption: The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports encryption technologies, such as IPSec and SSL, which help to protect sensitive data as it travels across the network.
Quality of Service (QoS) and Traffic Prioritization
The WS-X45-SUP7-E= Cisco Catalyst 4500E Series Supervisor Module provides advanced Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities and traffic prioritization functionalities, ensuring that critical network traffic is handled with a higher priority. Some of the key QoS and traffic prioritization features include:
- Class-Based QoS: The module supports class-based QoS, which allows network administrators to define different classes of network traffic based on specific criteria, such as IP address or port number. This enables network administrators to prioritize network traffic based on specific business requirements.
- Traffic Policing: The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports traffic policing, which allows network administrators to monitor and control incoming network traffic, ensuring that network traffic does not exceed specified bandwidth limits and reducing the risk of network congestion.
- Traffic Shaping: The module provides traffic shaping functionalities, which allow network administrators to manage network traffic by limiting the rate at which data is transmitted, reducing the risk of network congestion.
- Priority Queuing: The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports priority queuing, which allows network administrators to assign priority levels to different types of network traffic, ensuring that critical network traffic is processed with a higher priority and reducing the risk of network congestion.
High Availability and Redundancy
The WS-X45-SUP7-E= Cisco Catalyst 4500E Series Supervisor Module is designed to provide high availability and redundancy to help ensure that your network remains up and running even in the event of a failure:
- Redundant Power Supplies: The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports redundant power supplies, which help to ensure that the network continues to operate even if one of the power supplies fails.
- Redundant Supervisors: The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports redundant supervisors, which help to ensure that the network continues to operate even if one of the supervisors fails.
- Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP): The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports HSRP, which allows you to configure a standby supervisor that takes over if the primary supervisor fails.
- Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP): The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports LACP, which allows you to aggregate multiple physical links into a single logical link, providing increased bandwidth and resiliency.
- Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP): The WS-X45-SUP7-E= supports VRRP, which allows you to configure a virtual router that takes over if the primary router fails.
General Information about this Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E=
- Manufacturer: Cisco
- Part Number or SKU# WS-X45-SUP7-E=
- Product Type: Control Processor
- Product Name: Catalyst 4500E Series 848Gbps Supervisor
- Line Extension: Catalyst
- Series Extension: 4500-E
Technical Specifications of a Network Switch
- Centralized Switching Capacity: 848 Gbps
- Per-Slot Switching Capacity: 48 Gbps
- Throughput:
- IPv4: 250 Mpps (Million Packets Per Second)
- IPv6: 125 Mpps
- L2 Bridging: 250 Mpps
- IPv4 Routing Entries: 256,000
- IPv6 Routing Entries: 128,000
- Multicast Routes:
- 16,000 (Available with Cisco IOS XE 3.1.0 SG)
- 32,000 (Available with Cisco IOS XE 3.2.0 SG or later)
- CPU: Dual Core; 1.5 GHz
- CPU Queues: 64
- Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM): 2 GB (upgradable to 4 GB)
- Nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM): 1 GB
- Security and QoS Hardware Entries: 128,000
- Cisco Network Admission Control (NAC) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Snooping Entries: 12,000
- MAC Addresses: 55,000
- Active VLANs: 4,094
- Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Entries: 47,000
- Spanning Tree Protocol Instances: 10,000
- Switched Virtual Interfaces (SVIs): 4,094
- Switched Port Analyzer (SPAN): Maximum of 8 sessions, ingress or egress.
Miscellaneous
- Compatibility-
- Catalyst 4500E Series Switch
In short, the Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E= Supervisor Engine plays a vital role in the Catalyst 4500-E Series, offering a range of features that contribute to a scalable, high-performance network infrastructure. With its four expansion slots, SFP+ compatibility, powerful control processor, and modular design, the WS-X45-SUP7-E= addresses the diverse needs of modern enterprise networks.
Whether it’s the need for increased scalability, high-speed connectivity, or efficient network management, this Supervisor Engine proves to be a valuable component for organizations aiming to build a robust and future-proof network. As technology continues to evolve, the Cisco WS-X45-SUP7-E= remains at the forefront, providing the flexibility and performance required to meet the demands of today’s dynamic and ever-expanding digital landscape.
