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Q. What are Cisco® Catalyst® 3750 Metro Series switches?
A. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series is a new line of premier, customer-located switches that bring greater intelligence for metro Ethernet access, enabling the delivery of more differentiated metro Ethernet services. These fixed configuration switches feature hierarchical quality of service (QoS) and Traffic Shaping, intelligent 802.1Q tunneling, VLAN translation, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Ethernet over MPLS (EoMPLS) support, and redundant AC or DC power. They are ideal for service providers seeking to deliver profitable business services, such as Layer 2, Layer 3, and MPLS VPNs, in a variety of bandwidths and with different service-level agreements (SLAs). With flexible software options, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series offers a cost-effective path for meeting current and future service requirements from service providers.
Table 1 shows the complete list of Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches, power options, and software licenses.
Table 1 Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series Switches
Q. What software images do Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches support?
A. Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches are available with the IP Base feature license and are upgradable through additional software upgrade licenses. The IP Base feature license includes several metro-specific service features that support "triple-play" voice, video, and data services, as well as Layer 2 VPNs. Three software upgrade licenses offer a cost-effective path for meeting current and future service requirements. The software license options are as follows:
Q. What is the difference between the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series and the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series?
A. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series is built for the metro access in a customer location, enabling the delivery of more differentiated metro Ethernet services. These switches feature hierarchical quality of service (QoS) and Traffic Shaping, intelligent 802.1Q tunneling, VLAN translation, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Ethernet over MPLS (EoMPLS) support, and redundant AC or DC power. They are ideal for service providers seeking to deliver profitable business services, such as Layer 2, Layer 3, and MPLS VPNs, in a variety of bandwidths and with different service-level agreements (SLAs). With flexible software options, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series offers a cost-effective path for meeting current and future service requirements from service providers.
The standard Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series is an innovative product line for midsize organizations and enterprise branch offices. Featuring Cisco StackWise technology, Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series products improve LAN operating efficiency by combining industry-leading ease of use and the highest resiliency available for stackable switches.
Q. What is the metro Ethernet positioning of the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series, the Cisco Catalyst 3550 Series, and the Cisco Catalyst 2950 Series?
A.
Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series Switches
The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series Switches is a new line of premier, customer-located switches that bring greater intelligence for metro Ethernet access, enabling the delivery of more differentiated metro Ethernet services. These fixed configuration switches feature hierarchical quality of service (QoS) and Traffic Shaping, intelligent 802.1Q tunneling, VLAN translation Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Ethernet over MPLS (EoMPLS) support, and redundant AC or DC power. They are ideal for service providers seeking to deliver profitable business services, such as Layer 2, Layer 3, and MPLS VPNs, in a variety of bandwidths and with different service-level agreements (SLAs). With flexible software options, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series offers a cost-effective path for meeting current and future service requirements from service providers
Cisco Catalyst 3550 Series Switches
With a range of Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, DC power, and fiber configurations, the Cisco Catalyst 3550 Series is an intelligent metro access switch for service providers serving the enterprise and small and medium-sized business markets. Featuring 802.1Q Tunneling, high-performance IP routing, and subsecond Spanning Tree Protocol convergence, this line of powerful, cost-effective, fixed-configuration switches enables metro services such as Transparent LAN services and business-class Internet access.
Cisco Catalyst 2950 Series Switches
Ideal for metro access in residential markets, the Cisco Catalyst 2950 Series is an affordable line of fixed-configuration Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet switches. Featuring advanced rate limiting, voice VLAN support, and multicast management, these switches enable residential metro services such as Internet access, voice over IP (VoIP), and broadcast video.
Q. What are the Enhanced Services (ES) ports?
A. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series includes two SFP-based ES ports. The ES ports support metro features that are vital for delivering profitable business services, such as Layers 2 and 3 and MPLS VPNs, in several bandwidths and with different SLAs. Supported features on the ES ports include EoMPLS, MPLS, MPLS VPNs, hierarchical QoS, intelligent 802.1Q tunneling (Q-in-Q), and VLAN ID translation.
Q. Can Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches stack with the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series, Cisco Catalyst 3550 Series, or Cisco Catalyst 2950 Series switches?
A. No. At this time, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series does not include StackWise stacking capability and cannot stack with other Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series switches. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series does contain StackWise stack ports, but they are not supported at this time. Support for StackWise stacking is planned in a future software release.
Q. Does the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series have Cisco StackWise technology?
A. Yes. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series does have Cisco StackWise technology, but it is not supported at this time.
Q. Can I enable static IP routing using the IP Base feature license?
A. Yes. Routing Initiation Protocol (RIP) and static routing are supported on the IP Base feature license. Dynamic IP routing protocols (OSPF, EIGRP, and IGRP) are available only on the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro IP Services Feature License and the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Advanced IP Feature License.
Q. Are software upgrade licenses required to allow Layer 3 and Layer 4 lookups for QoS and security?
A. No. The IP Base feature license allows for Layer 3 and Layer 4 lookups for QoS and security.
Q. What are Small Form-Factor Pluggables (SFPs)?
A. SFPs are transceivers that provide Gigabit Ethernet connectivity from Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches to aggregation switches, routers, and optical equipment. They are functionally equivalent to gigabit interface converters (GBICs), but are much smaller.
Q. What SFPs are supported on the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series?
A. Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches support 1000BASE-LX, 1000BASE-SX, 1000BASE-ZX, 1000BASE-T SFPs. Coarse wavelength-division multiplexing (CWDM) SFPs support planned for a future software release.
Q. Can the 1000BASE-T SFP support 10/100/1000 speeds?
A. Yes. The 1000BASE-T SFP can support 10/100/1000 speeds on the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series, except for the Enhanced Services (ES) ports, which support only 1000 speeds.
Q. Do Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches interoperate with SFPs from other vendors?
A. No. Like other Cisco switches and routers, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series does not interoperate with SFPs from other vendors. The switch shuts down the port if a third-party SFP is inserted.
Q. Do Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches have redundant-power-supply support?
A. Yes. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series comes equipped with dual hot-swappable power supply bays for redundant AC or DC power. Spare and redundant AC and DC power supplies are available (Table 1).
Q. Why do I need greater intelligence at the metro access edge?
A. Enterprises and commercial businesses want customizable and differentiated services, such as Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs, from their service providers. They not only expect higher bandwidth connections for their demanding applications, but also want the bandwidth at greater levels of granularity, depending on the situation. Also, businesses no longer want the service provider to treat all traffic the same way, but instead want them to support the varying needs of corresponding voice, video, and data traffic across multiple locations. Greater intelligence at the metro access edge can help a service provider meet the service needs of its customers and provide competitive differentiation. Greater intelligence at the edge can also create a more efficient network by reducing processing complexity in the core. Intelligent features such as MPLS VPN, Traffic Shaping, and hierarchical QoS help enable new customizable and differentiated metro Ethernet business services.
Q. How do I provide Layer 3 VPN Services with SLAs using the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series?
A. Depending on the service provider and customer requirements, Layer 3 VPN services can be enabled through features such as Multi-VRF CE and MPLS VPN. With support for the hierarchical queuing framework, service providers can deliver robust SLAs that consider attributes such as packet loss, latency, and jitter.
Q. How do I provide Layer 2 VPN services with SLAs using the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series?
A. Depending on the service provider and customer requirements, Layer 2 VPN services can be enabled using features such as intelligent 802.1Q tunneling, Layer 2 protocol tunneling, and EoMPLS. With support for the hierarchical queuing framework, service providers can deliver robust SLAs that consider attributes such as packet loss, latency, and jitter.
Q. What is MPLS?
A. Cisco IOS Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) fuses the intelligence of routing with the performance of switching. It provides significant benefits to networks with a pure IP architecture, as well as those with IP and ATM or a mix of other Layer 2 technologies. MPLS technology is critical to scalable VPNs and end-to-end QoS, enabling efficient use of existing networks to meet future growth and rapid fault correction of link and node failure. The technology also helps deliver highly scalable, differentiated end-to-end services with simpler configuration, management, and provisioning for both service providers and their customers.
Q. What is EoMPLS?
A. Ethernet over MPLS (EoMPLS) is a tunneling mechanism that allows the service provider to tunnel customer Layer 2 traffic though a Layer 3 MPLS network. In the initial release of the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series, point-to-point tunnels are supported.
Q. What is 802.1Q Tunneling? Is it an IEEE standard?
A. 802.1Q Tunneling is a feature that allows a service provider's switch to tag a second 802.1Q tag on top of a customer's 802.1Q tag. This feature is sometimes referred to as "Q-in-Q" or "Tag Stacking." 802.1Q Tunneling is currently under discussion by the IEEE and will be part of the 802.1ad provider bridge standard.
Q. Does 802.1Q Tunneling feature work with EoMPLS?
A. Yes. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series is able to map each 802.1Q tagged frame into an EoMPLS tunnel.
Q. Is there a way to integrate metro Ethernet Layer 2 services with an existing Frame Relay/ATM network?
A. Yes. Using the Cisco 7600 Series and Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series, service providers will be able to integrate Frame Relay/ATM networks with Cisco metro Ethernet switching.
Q. How will the security needs of a metro network be handled?
A. With the rise in threats to a metro network, Cisco Ethernet switches enhance security through numerous features, including Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol and Simple Network Management Protocol Version 3 (SNMPv3), access control lists (ACLs), 802.1x, port security, private VLAN edge, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) snooping, MAC address notification, and RADIUS/TACACS+.
Q. For security purposes, how can I prevent unauthorized users from accessing my network?
A. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series supports 802.1x, which works in conjunction with a RADIUS server to authenticate users as they access a network. Additionally, using ACLs can restrict portions of the network. Access can be denied based on MAC addresses, IP addresses, or TCP/User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports. ACL lookups are done in hardware—forwarding and routing performance is not compromised when implementing ACL-based security. An additional protection method is to use port security, which ensures the appropriate user is on the network by limiting access to the port based on MAC addresses.
Q. For security purposes, how can I monitor or track activities in my network?
A. Intrusion detection systems are tailored to monitor and track activities in a network. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series can complement this through features such as MAC address notification, which sends an alert to a management station so that network administrators know when and where users came on to the network and can take appropriate actions. The DHCP Snooping feature tracks where a user is physically connected on a network by providing both switch and port ID to a DHCP server.
Q. How do I protect my network from denial of service (DoS) attacks?
A. Features on the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series such as Port Security, hard-based security ACLs, bridge protocol data unit (BPDU) filtering, and Storm Control help prevent DoS attacks.
Q. What are the management capabilities of the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series?
A. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series supports numerous management features. SNMPv1, v2c, and v3, and Telnet interface support delivers comprehensive in-band management, and a command-line interface (CLI)-based management console provides detailed out-of-band management. The Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series also supports the Cisco CNS 2100 Series Intelligence Engine.
The Cisco CNS 2100 Series Intelligence Engine is a hardware appliance supporting a suite of Cisco CNS products (intelligent agents) that function with device agents to create a programmable network. Cisco CNS extends the management plane of Cisco devices to a shared "programmable network" composed of three functional areas:
Additional management support for the Cisco Catalyst Switch Manager, CiscoWorks, and the Cisco Internet Solution Center (ISC) is planned for a future software release.
Q. What is the warranty for Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches?
A. Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches include the Cisco 1-Year Limited Hardware Warranty. In addition to the Cisco 1-Year Limited Hardware Warranty, Cisco is offering ongoing Cisco IOS Software updates free of charge for the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches. For the life of the product, updates within the release and feature set purchased are available to customers through the Cisco Software Center at:
http://www.cisco.com/public/sw-center/sw-switching.shtml .
Updates are applicable only for releases that Cisco makes available. This statement supersedes any previous warranty or software statement and is subject to change without notice.
Q. What types of service and support are available for Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series switches?
A. A full complement of life-cycle service and support is available for the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series. From implementation to operation and optimization, Cisco offers Technical Support Services and Advanced Services delivered either directly or through one of its best-in-class partners.
Cisco Technical Support Services are available through Cisco SP Base, Cisco SP Base Onsite, Cisco SMARTnet®, and Cisco SMARTnet Onsite support. Cisco SP Base support offers leading-edge customer-solution services that are specifically designed to address the needs of Cisco service provider customers, and that provide enhancement and maintenance support resources during the operational lifetime of your Cisco network. Cisco SMARTnet support augments the resources of your operations staff by providing them with access to expertise, both online and on the telephone, and several hardware Advance Replacement options. Cisco SMARTnet Onsite complements the hardware Advance Replacement feature by adding the services of a field engineer, which can be critical for locations where staffing is insufficient or unavailable to perform parts replacement activities.
For more information about Cisco SP Base support, visit:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/svcs/ps3034/ps2827/ps2960/ serv_home.html.
For information about Cisco SMARTnet support, visit:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/svcs/ps3034/ps2827/ps2978/ serv_home.html.
For more information about the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Metro Series, contact your local account representative or visit:
http://www.cisco.com/go/catalyst3750metro
Posted: Tue Feb 10 22:38:44 PST 2004
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