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VoxTechnologies Enterprise Network Series

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 The SmartSwitch Product Family
• 3.0 The SmartSwitch Architecture
• 4.0 Distributed Switching Architecture
• 5.0 Advanced Features
• 6.0 SmartSwitch Product Profiles
• SmartSwitch 9000
• SmartSwitch 2200 Family
• SmartStack Family
• Sample SmartSwitch Configurations
• Conclusion

1.0 Introduction

The networking infrastructures that have been deployed over the last four to five years are steadily changing. Local area networks were at one time a "nice-to-have" technology used to share common network resources; these networks were usually driven by department heads, and the operating system was usually the critical choice in the network purchase decision. The speed of workstation processors meant that the physical network infrastructure-in those days, a piece of yellow coax cable or a shared dumb repeater-was never an issue in network performance. The reason? Applications and workstations could not produce enough traffic to fill, let alone overload, even the slowest network. The only real technology choice at the time was for shared, packet-based physical networks.

How things have changed! The network is now a critical part of any IT infrastructure-as critical to the operation of a business as road systems are to any modern and mobile society. Countries can't function without transportation systems such as roads, rail or air-likewise, networks are the transportation system for business information. If the network doesn't perform, can't be controlled or, in the worst case, doesn't work at all, then businesses can't function. Long gone are the networks comprised of mainframes and terminals exchanging information that required support for only bits of information. Today, IT infrastructures have evolved into client/server environments, with intranets and Internet access that requires bandwidth reaching the Gigabit-per-second range.

Cabletron places emphasis on the network as a business tool and has continually produced high-performance and extremely manageable networking solutions that meet the demands of customers and the industry. Cabletron recognized the customers' need for more bandwidth at the data center, the corporate backbone and the desktop. In talking with customers and leading industry analysts, Cabletron realized the necessity of building networks that could provide an information transport system that could meet the needs of today and the future. More simply, networks must satisfy market demands for cost, performance and functionality.

It is through SmartSwitch Technology that Cabletron Systems delivers high-speed, highly functional, technology-independent switching solutions. SmartSwitching comprises the building blocks for today's and tomorrow's networks. These products provide utility-like service for the day-to-day operations of today's businesses. SmartSwitching will allow organizations to take advantage of new applications and desktop/server technologies being developed and deployed today and in the future.

Cabletron's SmartSwitch Product Family is the industry's leading solution for high-speed LAN switching. Offering unmatched performance, superior manageability and functionality at cost-effective price points, a SmartSwitch network is the best solution for any business.

 

2.0 The SmartSwitch Product Family

Cabletron's SmartSwitch Product Family has been under development since 1994. Continually being expanded and enhanced, the SmartSwitch Family of solutions are the only switching product family in the industry able to provide the customer with a consistent switching framework from the desktop to the data center. Integral members of the Product Family include the SmartSwitch 9000-for the data center, the SmartSwitch 6000-for the wiring closet, and the SmartSwitch 2000-for the workgroup. With the SmartSwitch Family, a common set of advanced features is implemented across the entire range of products, simplifying management and administration of the enterprise, while optimizing performance. Essential to the consistency of the SmartSwitch Product Family is the use of a common architecture throughout the product line. Equipped with a hybrid hardware/software processing methodology, all members of the family support the most prevalent of networking requirements necessary for any business environment: high performance and flexibility with excellent manageability.

Networks come in different shapes and sizes, but the technology demands on the network are similar the world over. A 'power' user in a small company places no less demand on the network than a 'power' user in a worldwide corporation. For that reason, SmartSwitching technology was designed to scale from the smallest to the largest customer's requirements. Cabletron's first SmartSwitch product, the 9000, has developed into the world's leading backbone switching system. Along with the SmartSwitch 9000, Cabletron scaled the physical size, port density and cost to meet customers' needs in wiring closet and workgroup applications, resulting in the highly successful 6000 and 2000 Family. Regardless of the size or system requirement, the SmartSwitch Product Family has the ability to deliver a high performance, highly functional switching solution. The SmartSwitch Product Family is also designed for technology and topology independence, integrated within a single switching environment, allowing users to select the technology they want to deploy and where they want to deploy it.

Investment protection is an often-used term in the information technology industry. And while many companies promise investment protection, Cabletron backs it up with a proven track record. Like Cabletron's original MMAC intelligent hub, released in 1988 and still available today, the SmartSwitch Product Family was designed to provide long product life cycles. Flexible modular designs and an advanced switching architecture allow the SmartSwitch Product Family to support emerging higher-speed technologies, as well as transition from traditional Layer 2, to Layer 3 switching services.

Data Center, Wiring Closet and Workgroup switches are measured by many factors. Different requirements for each environment primarily include:

Backed by numerous third-party tests and awards¹, Cabletron Systems has clearly demonstrated its status as a market-leader. The SmartSwitch Product Family has proven that it not only meets, but exceeds, all the requirements of an industry-leading switching solution.

Performance

SmartSwitch performance is widely acclaimed and unmatched in the industry. In fact, Scott Bradner of the Harvard Network Device Test Lab, after observing extensive Fast Ethernet performance testing on the SmartSwitch 9000, stated that it was "the fastest internetworking device I have yet seen". Additionally, the National Software Testing Laboratories (NSTL), in a separate independent test, observed and documented over two million packets per second of throughput on the SmartSwitch 6000, and over 420,000 pps of performance on the SmartSwitch 2000².

Manageability

Cabletron pioneered the concept of intelligent networking. Following in that tradition, all SmartSwitch Product Family members provide embedded RMON on a per-port basis, at no additional cost. Cabletron's award-winning SPECTRUM suite of software management applications, when combined with SmartSwitch products, creates a networking solution that is tightly integrated and easy to manage.

Fault Tolerance

The SmartSwitch Product Family was designed to eliminate network downtime, rather than simply minimize it. Redundant, load-sharing power supplies are available across the entire range of SmartSwitch products. Additionally, the SmartSwitch 9000 and 6000 are the only modular switching platforms in the industry without a single point of failure. Providing fully distributed switch and management processing, the SmartSwitch 9000 and 6000 offer passive backplane designs that contain no active circuitry, and all available connectivity modules are hot-swappable.

Scalability

The SmartSwitch Product Family supports high port densities, scaling from a 48-port Fast Ethernet MicroLAN workgroup solution, to 28 Gigabit Ethernet ports for the data center. Cabletron's innovative Distributed Switching Architecture (see Section II), when combined with the high-speed SmartSwitch ASIC, provides the most scalable switching performance solution in the industry. As port density requirements climb and more modules are added to the chassis, throughput performance and system bandwidth will also increase. In addition, as high-speed ASIC developments continue to progress, passive backplane designs on the SmartSwitch 9000 and 6000 will allow aggregate performance to scale to even higher levels in the future.

Modularity

The SmartSwitch Product Family is technology and topology independent, supporting frame-and/or cell-based technologies, including 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet, ATM, WAN, Token Ring, and FDDI, all within the same device. In addition, the highly-flexible and modular architecture of the SmartSwich family simplifies customers' network design and installation.

Advanced, Built-in Features

Embedded RMON, Layer 3 Switching, standards-based Virtual LAN capability, Port Trunking, Port Mirroring, Broadcast Control, Auto-Negotiation and Full Duplex capabilities are all standard features.

3.0 Distributed Switching Architecture

Cabletron's SmartSwitch Product Family combines the performance of hardware-based switching with the flexibility of software-based processors to deliver the most advanced and efficient switching architecture in the industry. Key to the SmartSwitch Architecture is that the separate functions of a switch, primarily frame forwarding and management, are assigned to the types of processing for which they are best suited. Packet forwarding for example, where high-performance and low-latency are the of the utmost importance, is carried out by high-speed Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), which are capable of switching network traffic at wire speeds. The customized SmartSwitch ASIC is the result of several years of development and provides the industry's first and only technology independent switching architecture. Performance is optimized using a hardware-based method of frame forwarding, which allows for throughput performance of up to 750,000 packets per second (pps) for each SmartSwitch 9000 module and in excess of 420,000 pps for each SmartSwitch 6000 module and 2000 workgroup switch. Other crucial, highly-specialized, switching functions such as network management and embedded internetworking capabilities, are handled by advanced software operating in conjunction with the Intel i960 microprocessor. All SmartSwitch platforms utilize the hybrid ASIC/i960 design maximizing performance while guaranteeing the highest degree of flexibility. (For more detailed information on the SmartSwitch Architecture, see Section II).

4.0 Distributed Switching Architecture

Two factors are of utmost importance in maintaining and optimizing switched networks: performance and fault-tolerance. Cabletron's SmartSwitch 9000 and 6000, through an innovation known as the Distributed Switching Architecture³, implement an advanced switching methodology that provides superior performance, ensures fault-tolerance, and also substantially increases system scalability. Using this framework, switching functionality, or "frame forwarding," is fully distributed throughout the chassis rather than centralized onto a solitary module. Individual interface modules in a SmartSwitch chassis are driven completely by on-board processes. Each processor contains its own dedicated switching ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Curcuit), which contributes to the performance of the system. Since no single switch engine or "supervisor module" is required for the chassis, a "single" point of failure and potential performance "bottle-necks" are effectively eliminated for the entire system.

Cabletron's offerings for the wiring closet and the data center - the SmartSwitch 6000, as well as the 6- and 14-slot SmartSwitch 9000 - support distributed switching. This advanced architecture allows throughput performance and available bandwidth to scale as the number of users increase. As switch modules are added, every interface module results in increased bandwidth for the system,thus multiplying, rather than dividing, the capacity of the switch fabric. This method of switching architecture is unmatched in the industry.

For example:

As a switching module is added to the SmartSwitch 6000 chassis, more throughput performance is made available to the network and its users. Install a single module and you have 420,000 packets per second (pps); add another and you have 840,000 pps, and another, 1.26 million pps, etc. As each slot on a SmartSwitch chassis is filled, more packet processing capability is added…up to more than two million pps in the SmartSwitch 6000, and over 10 million pps in the SmartSwitch 9000. In comparison, competitors' backbone and wiring closet switches utilizing centralized switching architectures take the opposite approach. A single switch-engine handles a fixed amount of traffic, usually at or near the one million pps range. As modules are added to the chassis, the amount of packet processing power available to an individual module (and port) will, in turn, decrease. This inverse relationship between port density and performance leaves the switch with the inability to scale effectively, and thus, customers' investments are left unprotected.

5.0 Advanced Features

The SmartSwitch architecture and product family provides unrivaled features and functionality. Industry experts agree: switched networks are some of the most powerful data transport systems available. To be effective, switched networks are required to be highly functional, manageable, reliable and simple to control. The features implemented within the SmartSwitch Product Family allow network availability to be increased, bandwidth to be more effectively used and operational overhead to be significantly reduced. And because the product family is 100% internally developed, a consistent set of features is available across the entire range, including:

• RMON per port - Embedded monitoring agents aid in network management and troubleshooting
• SmartTrunk - Allows multiple, active, high-speed links to be created, thus providing more bandwidth between switches
• SmartMirror - Provides port-level traffic re-direction for network analysis and troubleshooting
• Layer 3 Switching and VLANs - Industry-leading solutions that simplify moves, adds, and changes, as well as providing superior performance and control
• Value-added features - are built-in at no additional cost and include Full Duplex Broadcast Controls and Auto-Negotiation

As more and more businesses rely on the network for day-to-day operations, robust network management becomes even more crucial - especially in a high-performance, switch-based environment. The SmartSwitch Product Family has been designed to provide the highest levels of management and control available in the industry. Full SNMP management is supported and embedded RMON is available on every SmartSwitch port. This gives network managers the ability to access detailed information on switch performance and utilization, and have it displayed graphically. The analysis of this information helps network managers perform vital tasks such as capacity planning and proactive maintenance.

 

Not only do SmartSwitch products allow customers to manage networks effectively, but they support many features that allow for the customized control of traffic flows. These features ensure that customers are able to capitalize on the maximum amount of bandwidth available on the network, as well as expedite the troubleshooting process. SmartTrunk⁴, for example, allows customers using any type of technology to create load-sharing, high bandwidth links between SmartSwitches, thus effectively eliminating inter-switch network bottlenecks. SmartMirror functionality allows for traffic to be re-directed to an external packet decoder for detailed analysis, an ideal solution for troubleshooting and isolating network problems. Broadcasts, which are necessary to network and business operations, can also become problematic under certain conditions. A SmartSwitch offers various types of embedded broadcast control services that provide a simple and uniform way of restraining unwanted background traffic from interfering with network operations.

6.0 SmartSwitch Product Profiles

SmartSwitch 9000 - 14-Slot Modular Switching Chassis

Designed for the enterprise data center, the 14-slot SmartSwitch 9000 is a fully redundant and fault-tolerant platform for high-speed backbone switching of Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Token Ring, ATM, FDDI and WAN. Designed specifically for high-density, technology-independent switching environments, the system can be configured to meet almost any data center or central site requirement, and is equally functional in all configurations. All supported technologies are fully interoperable in the chassis, performing as a single, highly manageable and tightly integrated system. The SmartSwitch 9000 offers the best switching performance in the industry bar none, and brings mission-critical business networks the perfect balance of economy and flexibility.

The SmartSwitch 9000 provides switching performance in excess of 10 million pps, and ATM cell switching at over 75 Gbps, making it the highest-performing data center switch in the industry. The SmartSwitch 9000 also features a unique distributed architecture which increases performance and fault tolerance. Its ability to support emerging networking technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet, ATM, and integrated WAN switching further assures customers that the SmartSwitch 9000 will continue to be the most highly regarded information network solution well into the next century. SmartSwitch 9000 - Six-Slot Modular Switching Chassis

The six-slot SmartSwitch 9000 has been designed for the smaller data center environment, or for the high-capacity wiring closet. Providing all the same features as the 14-slot chassis, this six slot variation allows customers to implement high-end, multi-topology network switches in smaller locations such as wiring closets or IDFs (Intermediate Distribution Frames).

The SmartSwitch 9000 six-slot utilizes the same modules as the 14-slot chassis, providing packet switching at five million pps and ATM cell switching at 35 Gbps. Although this scaled down version of the SmartSwitch 9000 is considered a small-to-medium-sized data center switch, its capacity is more than double its nearest rival.

SmartSwitch 2000 Family

Product development and functionality in the SmartSwitch 2000 Family closely parallels that of the SmartSwitch 6000. Both platforms provide the type of "high-end" features and performance levels that are traditionally associated with data center switches. While the SmartSwitch 6000 is designed for the enterprise wiring-closet, the SmartSwitch 2000 Family is optimized for deploying high-speed connectivity within power workgroup environments, cost-effectively and without sacrificing functionality or performance. The available workgroup options include the 2000 Series providing modular connectivity, the 2100 Series providing micro-segmented (MicroLAN) Ethernet and Fast Ethernet connectivity, and the 2200 Series providing fully switched Ethernet and Fast Ethernet connectivity.

 

The wide range of available uplink options include: Gigabit Ethernet, ATM, FDDI and WAN via High Speed Interface Modules (HSIMs) and Fast Ethernet via Fast Ethernet Port Interface Modules (FEPIMs), all over a variety of physical media types.

Offering switching performance in excess of 420,000 pps, and a wide range of technologies and media types, the SmartSwitch 2000 Family supports any high-performance workgroup requirement. Optional high-speed interfaces are fully integrated within the system, and can be used for backbone or server connectivity. Providing superior flexibility, economy and performance, the SmartSwitch 2000 Family are the most functional workgroup switches in the industry.

SmartStack Family

Specifically designed to offer low-cost, high-quality, Ethernet and Fast Ethernet switching, the SmartSTACK Family is designed as a highly affordable solution for growing networks. Equipped with ASIC-based switching technology, the SmartSTACKs provide network scalability by supplying required bandwidth to individual users-all for a low cost per port.

 

Bringing smaller LANs and workgroups switched 10 Mbps of connectivity in a high-performance standalone solution, the SmartSTACK Ethernet Switch is the industry's most scalable Ethernet switch in its class. Offering features normally found only in higher-cost solutions, the SmartSTACK Ethernet Switch offers a total of 27 ports of wire-speed switching power-including two Fast Ethernet uplink ports for easy migration to 100 Mbps file server connections and departmental backbones.

The SmartStack Fast Ethernet Switch is the latest member in Cabletron's popular family of affordable switching solutions for modest and growing networks. The SmartSTACK Fast Ethernet Switch offers 16 ports total of wire-speed switching power-including two media-flexible uplink ports for easy connection to 100 Mbps file server connections and departmental fiber optic backbones.

7.0 Conclusion

Possibly the best factor for determining the strength of a networking company's products, relative to their competitors, is perception in the eyes of leading analysts, consultants, and trade magazines for the networking industry. These independent, highly visible sources regularly host testing sessions and provide analysis of different products. Experts indicate Cabletron's SmartSwitch Family clearly leads the industry, having recently received top awards and endorsements from a wide range of sources, including Data Communications, Network Computing, Internet Week, Network World, LAN Times and Network Solutions Magazines, as well as Scott Bradner/ Strategic Networks Consulting Inc. (SNCI), the Tolly Group and McConnell Consulting. Each source recognized the SmartSwitch Product Family as superior products because they not only meet, but exceed, all the requirements of an industry-leading, high-performance switching solution.

Cabletron has engineered and developed a family of SmartSwitch products utilizing a shared blueprint. This common architecture provides consistent features across all areas of the enterprise. Advanced features such as embedded RMON, SmartTrunk, and SmartMirror ensure that a SmartSwitch-based infrastructure is easy to manage and administer from the desktop to the data center. As the network continues to expand and change, the SmartSwitch architecture is flexible enough to meet any data center, wiring closet or workgroup requirement. The high-performance SmartSwitches lead the industry in fault tolerance and bandwidth scalability at a price suitable for any customer's budget.

While switches can be measured independently, in the end, a switched network is judged on its ability to reliably and efficiently transport data between devices. End-user productivity and ultimately the business, literally depend on it. SmartSwitch technology was designed to provide an extremely reliable, utility-like information transport system that meets the needs of today, and those of the future. Cost-effective, and providing a consistent level of functionality, manageability and performance across the enterprise, Cabletron's SmartSwitch Family is a true, end-to-end business solution.

8.0 Sample SmartSwitch Configurations

Configuration 1

This configuration shows the use of SmartSwitch 9000 technology in the data center, as well as SmartSwitch 6000 products within the wiring closet. The Fast Ethernet connections are configured for full duplex, providing 200 Mbps per link or 400 Mbps per wiring-closet-to-data-center connection. Port trunking will utilize both active links to transfer information between locations. The SmartSwitch 6000 provides 120 ports of 10Base-T switched connectivity to the desktop, and local 'power' users or file servers are connected via the remaining eight available 100Base-T interfaces per SmartSwitch 6000 chassis.

Configuration 2

This configuration utilizes a SmartSwitch 6000 in a wiring closet or IDF and SmartSwitch 2200s for extended desktop or workgroup environments. The SmartSwitch 6000 is the perfect solution for connectivity requirements of less than 200 users. For extended desktop connections, the SmartSwitch 2200 can be deployed utilizing high-speed uplinks to connect to the SmartSwitch 6000. With up to two high-speed ports per module in the SmartSwitch 6000, there will still be several high-speed ports to provide sufficient links to the enterprise backbone. The SmartSwitch 6000 provides a cost-effective, scalable solution with full interoperability with existing standards-based equipment.

Configuration3

This configuration is a high speed, redundant backbone configuration, providing wiring closet connectivity via the SmartSwitch 6000 and small workgroup connectivity via the SmartSwitch 2200. Both ATM and FDDI serve as the backbone, and SecureFast provides an active meshed topology for fault-tolerant load-sharing connections. An ATM switch is housed within the SmartSwitch 9000, and provides 2.5 Gbps of cell switching. FDDI is used as part of the active meshed topology between the two SmartSwitch 6000s.

 

The SmartSwitch Product Family supports a wide range of switching configurations, and can easily meet an extremely wide variety of network and customer requirements.