VPN Services Port Adapter Overview


This chapter provides an introduction to the VPN Services Port Adapter (VSPA) and its associated Services SPA Carrier-600 (SSC-600). It includes the following sections:

About the VSPA

System and Environmental Requirements

SSC-600 Overview

VSPA Overview

Using the Command-Line Interface

Identifying Slots, Subslots, and Ports

For software details for the VSPA, see the Cisco VPN Services Port Adapter Configuration Guide.

About the VSPA

The VSPA and its associated SSC-600 comprise a Gigabit Ethernet IP Security (IPsec) cryptographic module that you can install in the Catalyst 6500 Series switch. This section describes the VSPA and provides some guidelines for its use. The IPsec cryptographic module described in this document consists of the following two components:

Description
Model Number

Services SPA Carrier-600 (SSC-600)

WS-SSC-600

VPN Services Port Adapter (VSPA)

WS-IPSEC-3


SSC-600

The SSC-600 inserts into a switch chassis slot in the same manner as a line card and provides two subslots that are used to contain one or two VSPAs. During normal operation, the SSC-600 should reside in a switch that is fully populated either with functional VSPAs in both subslots, or with a blank filler plate (SPA-BLANK=) inserted in any empty subslots.

The SSC-600 supports online insertion and removal (OIR) with VSPAs present in the subslots. The VSPA also supports OIR and can be inserted or removed independently from the SSC-600.

VSPA

The VSPA provides hardware-accelerated IP Security (IPsec) encryption and decryption, generic routing encapsulation (GRE), and Internet Key Exchange (IKE) key generation.

The VSPA inserts into a subslot of the SSC-600. The SSC-600 can hold one or two VSPAs. To maintain cooling integrity, either a blank filler plate or a functional VSPA must reside in each subslot of a SSC-600 during normal operation.

The VSPA supports online insertion and removal (OIR). VSPAs can be inserted or removed independently from the SSC-600. The SSC-600 also supports online insertion and removal (OIR) with VSPAs inserted in its subslots.

System and Environmental Requirements

The following sections describe the system and environmental requirements for the VSPA:

Software Requirements

Supported Hardware

Memory Requirements

Checking Hardware and Software Compatibility

Power Management

Environmental Requirements

Software Requirements

Table 1-1 lists the minimum Cisco IOS software release that supports the VSPA and SSC-600.

Table 1-1 Supported Hardware and Software 

Description
Product Number
Cisco IOS Release for the Catalyst 6500 Series Switch

VSPA

WS-IPSEC-3

Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SXI or later

SSC-600

WS-SSC-600


In addition to the required Cisco IOS Release, you must be running one of the following crypto images on your switch:

Supervisor Engine 720 (including 10G)

s72033-adventerprisek9_wan-mz

s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-mz

s72033-adventerprisek9_wan-vz

s72033-advipservicesk9_wan-vz

Supervisor Engine 32 (including 10G)

s3223-adventerprisek9_wan-mz

s3223-advipservicesk9_wan-mz

s3223-adventerprisek9_wan-vz

s3223-advipservicesk9_wan-vz

Supported Hardware

The hardware requirements for the VSPA and SSC-600 are as follows:

You can install the VSPA and SSC-600 in all Catalyst 6500 Series switch models, including the E and non-E switch chassis, except the Catalyst 6503 and Catalyst 6503-E.

For more information on the Catalyst 6500 Series switch, see the Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Installation Guide at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/lan/catalyst6500/hardware/Chassis_Installation/Cat6500/6500_ins.html

A maximum of 10 VSPAs per chassis are supported.

The VSPA supervisor engine support is described in Table 1-2 for each release.

Table 1-2 Supervisor Engine Support for the VSPA by Release  

Release
Supervisor Supported

Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SXI

Supervisor Engine 720 (minimum 512 MB memory)
Supervisor Engine 720-10G
Supervisor Engine 32


Memory Requirements

Although the VSPA and SSC-600 memory is not configurable, the number of VPN tunnels supported by the system is determined by the available MSFC DRAM.

The number of VPN tunnels supported is as follows:

Up to 8,000 tunnels with 512 MB DRAM

Up to 16,000 tunnels with 1 GB DRAM

The number of tunnels is limited to provide some available memory for routing protocols and other applications. However, your particular use of the MSFC may demand more memory than the quantities that are listed above. In an extreme case, you could have one tunnel but still require 1-GB DRAM for other protocols and applications running on the MSFC.


Note Although the VSPA contains an internal CompactFlash socket, it is not supported. Do not install any device in the CompactFlash socket.


Checking Hardware and Software Compatibility

To check the minimum software requirements of Cisco IOS software with the hardware installed on your switch, Cisco maintains the Software Advisor tool on Cisco.com. This tool does not verify whether modules within a system are compatible, but it does provide the minimum Cisco IOS requirements for individual hardware modules or components.


Note Access to this tool is limited to users with Cisco.com login accounts.


To access Software Advisor, click Login at Cisco.com, type "Software Advisor" in the SEARCH box, and click GO. Click the link for the Software Advisor tool.

Choose a product family or enter a specific product number to search for the minimum supported software release needed for your hardware.

Power Management

Because the VSPA and SSC-600 consume chassis power, you must make sure that the chassis is within the power budget. As shown in Table 1-3, the SSC-600 reserves enough power for itself and two VSPAs, regardless of whether any VSPAs are installed.

Table 1-3 Module Power Reservation 

Configuration
Power Reserved (Maximum in Watts)

SSC-600 with or without VSPAs installed

274.68 W


If the power limit is exceeded, the VSPA and SSC-600 are not powered up and the following error message is displayed:

Router#%C7KPWR-SP-4-POWERDENIED:insufficient power, module in slot 3 power denied.

Enter the show power command to determine how much power is available in the chassis and how much is being used or reserved by line cards, supervisor engines, and fan trays.

The following example shows the show power command output:

Router# show power 

system power redundancy mode = combined
system power total =     1921.92 Watts (45.76 Amps @ 42V)
system power used =      1477.98 Watts (35.19 Amps @ 42V)
system power available =  443.94 Watts (10.57 Amps @ 42V)
                        Power-Capacity PS-Fan Output Oper
PS   Type               Watts   A @42V Status Status State
---- ------------------ ------- ------ ------ ------ -----
1    WS-CAC-2500W       1153.32 27.46  OK     OK     on 
2    WS-CAC-1300W       1153.32 27.46  OK     OK     on 
                        Pwr-Requested  Pwr-Allocated  Admin Oper
Slot Card-Type          Watts   A @42V Watts   A @42V State State
---- ------------------ ------- ------ ------- ------ ----- -----
3    WS-X6516-GBIC       142.80  3.40   142.80  3.40  on    on
4    WS-X6548-GE-TX      142.80  3.40   142.80  3.40  on    on
5    WS-SUP720-3BXL      328.44  7.82   328.44  7.82  on    on
6    7600-SIP-400        313.74  7.47   313.74  7.47  on    on
7    WS-SSC-600          274.68  6.54   274.68  6.54  on    on
9    7600-SSC-400        226.80  5.40   226.80  5.40  on    on
                        Inline         Inline         Inline         Inline
                        Pwr-Requested  Pwr-Allocated  Local-Pwr-Pool Power
Slot Card-Type          Watts   A @42V Watts   A @42V Watts   A @42V Status
---- ------------------ ------- ------ ------- ------ ------- ------ ----------
4    WS-F6K-VPWR-GE        -     -        -     -       34.61  0.82  On 

Environmental Requirements

Table 1-4 lists the environmental requirements for the VSPA and SSC-600.

Table 1-4 Environmental Requirements  

Item
Specification

Temperature, ambient operating

0o to 40oC (32o to 104oF)

Temperature, ambient nonoperating

-40o to 70oC (-40o to 158oF)

Humidity (RH), ambient (noncondensing) operating

10% to 85%

Nonoperating relative humidity (noncondensing)

5% to 95%


SSC-600 Overview

The following sections describe the SSC-600:

SSC-600 Front Panel

SSC-600 LED

SSC-600 Physical Specifications

SSC-600 Front Panel

Figure 1-1 shows the SSC-600 front panel.

Figure 1-1 SSC-600 Faceplate

The SSC-600 front panel contains these items:

One STATUS LED

Two subslots, each capable of holding one VSPA

SSC-600 LED

Table 1-5 describes the operation of the SSC-600 LED.

Table 1-5 SSC-600 LED 

LED Label
Color
State
Meaning

STATUS

Off

Off

The SSC-600 power is off.

Orange

On

The card is booting or running diagnostics, or an overtemperature condition has been detected (minor threshold exceeded).

Green

On

The card is ready and operational.

Red

On

A diagnostic test has failed, or an overtemperature condition has been detected (major threshold exceeded).


SSC-600 Physical Specifications

Table 1-6 describes the SSC-600 physical specifications.

Table 1-6 SSC-600 Physical Specifications 

Description
Specification

Physical dimensions

The SSC-600 occupies one module slot of a Catalyst 6500 Series switch chassis.

Shipping weight

8.5 lb (3.86 kg)

Operating temperature

0o to 40oC (32o to 104oF)

Storage temperature

-20o to 65oC (-4o to 149oF)

Relative humidity

10% to 90%, noncondensing


VSPA Overview

The following sections describe the VSPA:

VSPA Front Panel

VSPA LED

VSPA Physical Specifications

VSPA Front Panel

Figure 1-2 shows the VSPA front panel.

Figure 1-2 VSPA Faceplate

1

STATUS LED


VSPA LED

Table 1-7 describes the operation of the VSPA LED.

Table 1-7 VSPA LED 

LED Label
Color
State
Meaning

STATUS

Off

Off

The VSPA power is off.

Orange

On

The VSPA is booting or running diagnostics, or an overtemperature condition has been detected (minor threshold exceeded).

Green

On

The VSPA is ready and operational.

Red

On

A diagnostic test has failed, or an overtemperature condition has been detected (major threshold exceeded).


VSPA Physical Specifications

Table 1-8 describes the VSPA physical specifications.

Table 1-8 VSPA Physical Specifications 

Description
Specification

Physical dimensions

The VSPA occupies one subslot on the SSC-600.

Weight

2.0 lb (0.91 kg)

Operating temperature

0o to 40oC (32o to 104oF)

Storage temperature

-20o to 65oC (-4o to 149oF)

Relative humidity

10% to 90%, noncondensing


Using the Command-Line Interface

The installation verification procedures described in this document use the Cisco IOS command-line interface (CLI) of the Catalyst 6500 Series switch. To understand the CLI and Cisco IOS command modes, see the Cisco IOS Configuration Fundamentals Command Reference at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/fundamentals/command/reference/cf_book.html

For detailed information on configuring the Catalyst 6500 Series switch, see the Catalyst 6500 Release 12.2SXH and Later Software Configuration Guide at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/switches/lan/catalyst6500/ios/12.2SX/configuration/guide/book.html

Identifying Slots, Subslots, and Ports

Some CLI commands, such as the show hw-module subslot command, allow you to display information about the VSPA and the SSC-600. These commands require you to specify the physical location of the SSC-600 using the slot variable, or the physical location of the VSPA using the slot/subslot variable.

slot—Specifies the chassis slot number in the Catalyst 6500 Series switch where the SSC-600 is installed.

subslot—Specifies the secondary slot of the SSC-600 where the VSPA is installed.

The subslot numbering is indicated by a small numeric label beside the subslot on the faceplate of the SSC-600. In the horizontal card orientation shown in Figure 1-1, the SSC-600 subslot locations are as follows:

Subslot 0—Left subslot

Subslot 1—Right subslot

For example, to display the operational status of the VSPA installed in the first subslot (subslot 0) of the SSC-600 in chassis slot 3 of a Catalyst 6500 Series switch, enter the following command:

Router# show hw-module subslot 3/0 oir
Module        Model                Operational Status
------------- -------------------- ------------------------
subslot 3/0   WS-IPSEC-3           ok

Some CLI commands require you to specify the inside and outside ports of the VSPA in the format slot/subslot/port. Although the VSPA ports are not actual Gigabit Ethernet ports, and do not share all properties of external Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, they can be addressed for configuration as Gigabit Ethernet trunk ports, using port numbers as follows:

Port 1—Inside port, attached to interface VLAN

Port 2—Outside port, attached to port VLAN

For example, to configure the outside port of a VSPA in the first subslot (subslot 0) of an SSC-600 in slot 6 of a Catalyst 6500 Series switch, enter the following command:

Router(config)# interface GigabitEthernet6/0/2