Table of Contents

Component Overview

Component Overview

This chapter provides a brief overview of the hardware components that can be installed in the Catalyst 8540 CSR chassis and contains the following sections:

• Route Processors
  
  
• Switch Processors
  
  
• Interface Modules
  
  
• ACL Daughter Card
  
  

The Catalyst 8540 CSR is a 13-slot, modular chassis with optional dual, fault-tolerant, load-sharing AC or DC power supplies. The slots in the chassis are numbered 0 to 12. Slots 0 to 3 and 9 to 12 can contain up to eight full-width interface modules. Slots 4 and 8 of the chassis are reserved for the route processor. Slots 5 to 7 are reserved for the switch processors. (See Figure 1-1.)

Route Processors

This section describes the route processor, shown in Figure 1-2. The route processor resides in slot 4 or slot 8 of the Catalyst 8540 CSR chassis. The route processor contains most of the system memory components and the main system processor, which includes the network management processor for the system software. The route processor maintains and executes the management functions that control the chassis.

The Catalyst 8540 CSR chassis supports fault tolerance by allowing a secondary (or redundant) route processor to take over if the primary route processor fails. The redundant route processor runs in standby mode and resides in slot 4 or slot 8 of the chassis. For configuration information, refer to the Layer 3 Switching Software Feature and Configuration Guide.

The route processor features include the following:

• MultiChannel Interface Processor (MIP) architecture, R5000 microprocessor at 200 MHz internally, and 100-MHz system interface
  
  
• Three memory components:
  
  • Two dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) single in-line memory modules (SIMMs) for storing incoming and outgoing packets, queues, and caches (256 MB)
    
    
  • One Flash memory SIMM for storing the system software image (16 MB)
    
    
  • Two Flash PC Card slots for additional Flash memory
    
    
• Air temperature sensor for environmental monitoring
  
  
• Console serial port for connection to a terminal or a modem
  
  
• A 10-Mbps Ethernet port for connection to a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) station
  
  

In addition to these features, the route processor performs the following management functions:

• Monitors interface and environmental status
  
  
• Provides SNMP and the console (Telnet) interface
  
  

Flash Memory SIMM

Using the Flash memory SIMM, you can load and store system software images remotely. You can download a new software image over the network or from a local server and add the new image to Flash memory or replace an existing image.

LEDs

The LEDs on the route processor indicate the status of the route processor, Flash PC Card slots, and interface ports. (See Figure 1-3.)

Note   For detailed descriptions of the route processor LEDs, see the "Route Processor and Switch Processor LEDs" section.

Ethernet Port

The route processor includes one 10BaseT RJ-45 Ethernet port that you can use to connect a management workstation for SNMP. (See Figure 1-3.)

Note   The Ethernet port on the route processor cannot be used as a routed port.

Flash PC Card Slots

The route processor includes two Flash PC Card slots into which you can install up to two Type II Flash PC Cards. (See Figure 1-4.) You can store the system software and configuration information on these cards. You can also configure the system to boot from a software image stored on a Flash PC Card.

Console Port

The route processor includes one console port, shown in Figure 1-5.

The console port is a female EIA/TIA-232 DCE DB-25 receptacle, used for connection to a console terminal or modem.

Note   EIA/TIA-232 and EIA/TIA-449 were known as recommended standards RS-232 and RS-449 before their acceptance as standards by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).

Switch Processors

The Catalyst 8540 CSR chassis supports fault tolerance by allowing a secondary switch processor to take over if either one of the primary switch processors fail. You must have two switch processors for proper operation. When three switch processors are installed, two are active at any one time, while the third runs in standby mode. By default, slots 5 and 7 are active and slot 6 is the standby. The module can be configured differently if needed. For configuration information, see the Layer 3 Switching Software Feature and Configuration Guide. (See Figure 1-6.)

The LEDs on the switch processor indicate the status of the module. (See Figure 1-7.)

Note   For detailed descriptions of the switch processor LEDs, see the "Route Processor and Switch Processor LEDs" section.

Interface Modules

The Catalyst 8540 CSR interface modules provide ports for connection to network services. You can install interface modules in slots 0 to 3 and
slots 9 to 12 of the Catalyst 8540 chassis. Slots 4 and 8 are reserved for the route processor and the redundant route processor, and slots 5 to 7 are reserved for switch processors.

The interface modules are used for 10-Mbps, 100-Mbps, or 1000-Mbps Ethernet connections. Status and link LEDs on each port give visual indications of port status and operation. Comprehensive statistics gathering and alarm monitoring capabilities are available for all connections.

All configuration information for interface modules is saved between hot swaps and reboots, and interface types are discovered automatically by the Catalyst 8540 CSR. This eliminates mandatory manual configuration.

The interface modules available in the Catalyst 8540 CSR chassis include:

• Gigabit Ethernet Interface Modules
  
  
• 10/100BaseT Interface Module
  
  
• 100BaseFX Interface Module
  
  
• ATM Uplink with Enhanced Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module
  
  
• Packet-over-SONET Uplink with Enhanced Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module
  
  

Interface modules are available with 16K, 64K, or 256K of memory. Routing tables use this memory.

Note   If you populate a Catalyst 8540 chassis with interface modules with different routing table values, all modules in the chassis will support only the lower routing table value.

Catalyst 8540 Interface Names

The Catalyst 8540 CSR interface names specify the actual physical location of each interface module port. (See Figure 1-8.) The interface name is composed of a three-part number in the format slot number/0/port number.

The first number identifies the slot in which the module is installed. Module slots are numbered 0 to 12 from top to bottom, with slots 0 to 3 and 9 to 12 available for interface module use. The second number identifies the interface module number. Within the Catalyst 8540 CSR chassis, this number is always 0, as there can only be one interface module per slot. The third number identifies the physical port number on the interface module. The port numbers always begin at 0 and are numbered from left to right, facing the front of the chassis. The number of additional ports (/1, /2, and so on) depends on the number of ports available on the module.

Interface ports maintain the same interface name regardless of whether other modules are installed or removed. However, when you move a module to a different slot, the first number in the interface name changes to reflect the new slot number.

For example, on a 16-port 10/100 interface module in chassis slot 1, the address of the left port is 1/0/0 and the address of the right port is 1/0/15. If you remove the interface module from slot 1 and install it in slot 3, the addresses become 3/0/0 and 3/0/15.

You can identify module ports by physically checking the slot number/0/port number location on the front of the chassis. You can also use software commands to display information about a specific interface, or all interfaces, in the chassis. To display information about every interface, enter the show interface command without parameters. To display information about a specific interface, enter the show interface ethernet command with the interface type and port address in the format show interface ethernet slot number/0/port number.

Gigabit Ethernet Interface Modules

The Catalyst 8540 CSR supports three different interface modules for Gigabit Ethernet transmission over fiber connections: the eight-port Gigabit Ethernet interface module, the two-port Gigabit Ethernet interface module, and the two-port enhanced Gigabit Ethernet interface module.

Eight-Port Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module

The eight-port Gigabit Ethernet interface module supports 1000-Mbps Layer 2 or Layer 3 fiber-optic connections. (See Figure 1-9.) It provides eight Gigabit Ethernet ports that have Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) modular transceivers and SC-type fiber connectors. The eight-port Gigabit Ethernet interface module is available with 16K, 64K, or 256K of memory. Routing tables use this memory.

Note   Local switching on the eight-port interface module provides non-blocking wire speed between the ports on this module at Layer 2. For Layer 3 data transfer there is a 400 percent oversubscription factor.

Two-Port Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module

The two-port Gigabit Ethernet interface module supports 1000-Mbps Layer 2 or Layer 3 fiber-optic connections. (See Figure 1-10.) It provides two Gigabit Ethernet ports that have GBIC modular transceivers and SC-type fiber connectors. The two-port Gigabit Ethernet interface module is available with
16K or 64K of memory. Routing tables use this memory.

Two-Port Enhanced Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module

The two-port enhanced Gigabit Ethernet interface module supports
1000-Mbps multimode and single-mode Layer 2 and Layer 3 fiber-optic connections. It consists of two one-port Gigabit Ethernet port adapters attached to a carrier module. The port adapters are not hot-swappable, but the complete interface module is hot-swappable. The port adapters have GBIC modular transceivers and SC-type fiber connectors. (See Figure 1-11.) The interface module is full-duplex, supports Fast EtherChannel operation, and provides built-in ACL functionality. It is available with 16K, 64K, or 256K of routing table memory.

Note   The port adapters within the two-port interface modules must have matching routing table memory. That is, if the ATM OC-12c port adapter has 64K of routing table memory, the Gigabit Ethernet port adapter must have 64K of routing table memory for the interface module to function properly.

10/100BaseT Interface Module

The 10/100BaseT Ethernet interface module supports 16 10-Mbps or 100-Mbps Layer 2 or Layer 3 unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) ports. (See Figure 1-12.) This module supports full-duplex or half-duplex connections and Fast EtherChannel operation. The 10/100BaseT interface module is available with 16K or 64K of memory. Routing tables use this memory.

100BaseFX Interface Module

The 100BaseFX Ethernet interface module supports 100-Mbps Layer 2 or Layer 3 multimode fiber connections. (See Figure 1-13.) This module supports full-duplex connections and Fast EtherChannel operation. It provides 16 multimode fiber ports that have MT-RJ connectors. The 100BaseFX interface module is available with 16K or 64K of memory. Routing tables use this memory.

ATM Uplink with Enhanced Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module

There are two ATM uplink with enhanced Gigabit Ethernet interface modules: the OC-3c and the OC-12c. The ATM OC-3c or OC-12c uplink with enhanced Gigabit Ethernet interface modules consist of two port adapters that are attached to a carrier module. The port adapters are not hot-swappable, but the interface module as a whole is hot-swappable. The ATM OC-3c uplink or (depending on which interface module you have) the OC-12c uplink port adapter resides on the left side of the interface module and the one-port enhanced Ethernet Gigabit port adapter resides on the right side. (See Figure 1-14.) This combination provides an Ethernet port for connection to, or within, a LAN and an ATM uplink port to a metropolitan-area network (MAN). For more information on the enhanced Gigabit Ethernet port adapter, see the "Two-Port Enhanced Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module" section .

The ATM OC-3c uplink port adapter supports 155-Mbps multimode or single-mode intermediate-reach fiber connections. It supports Fast EtherChannel operation, uses SC-type connectors, and has built-in ACL functionality. The OC-3c has 64K of routing table memory.

The ATM OC-12c uplink port adapter supports 622-Mbps multimode or single-mode intermediate-reach fiber connections. It supports Fast EtherChannel, SC-type connectors, and has built-in ACL functionality. The OC-12c has 64K or 256K of routing table memory.

Note   The port adapters within the ATM OC-12c or OC-3c uplink with enhanced Ethernet interface modules must have matching routing table memory. As an example, if the ATM OC-12c uplink port adapter has 64K of routing table memory, the enhanced Gigabit Ethernet port adapter must have 64K of routing table memory for the interface module to function properly.

Packet-over-SONET Uplink with Enhanced Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module

The Packet-over-SONET uplink with enhanced Gigabit Ethernet interface module consists of two port adapters that are attached to a carrier module. The port adapters are not hot-swappable, but the interface module as a whole is hot-swappable. The Packet-over-SONET OC-12c uplink port adapter resides on the left side of the interface module and the one-port enhanced Gigabit Ethernet port adapter resides on the right side. (See Figure 1-15.) This combination provides an Ethernet port for connection to, or within, LANs, and a POS uplink port for connection to an ISP or MAN. For more information on the enhanced Gigabit Ethernet port adapter, see the "Two-Port Enhanced Gigabit Ethernet Interface Module" section .

The Packet-over-SONET OC-12c uplink port adapter supports
622-Mbps single-mode intermediate and long-reach fiber connections. The Packet-over-SONET OC-12c uplink port adapter is a serial link, uses SC-type connectors, and has built-in ACL functionality. It is available with
64K or 256K of memory. Routing tables use this memory.

Note   The port adapters within the Packet-over-SONET OC-12c interface module must have matching routing table memory. As an example, if the Packet-over-SONET OC-12c POS port adapter has 64K of routing table memory, the enhanced Gigabit Ethernet port adapter must have 64K of routing table memory for the interface module to function properly.

ACL Daughter Card

The ACL daughter card is a field-replaceable unit that can be mounted onto the following Catalyst 8540 CSR interface modules:

• Two-port Gigabit Ethernet
  
  
• 10/100BaseT Ethernet
  
  
• 100BaseFX Ethernet
  
  

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  Note   The eight-port Gigabit Ethernet interface module does not support the ACL daughter card. The two-port enhanced Gigabit Ethernet interface module has built-in ACL functionality.

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The ACL daughter card (see Figure 1-16) allows you to create lists for network control and security that filter packet flow into or out of router interfaces. For information about installing the ACL daughter card, see the "Installing an ACL Daughter Card" section.