Cisco Expands Hardware, Software Options For Catalyst Switches

Cisco Systems announced a wide range of new software and hardware products for its Catalyst network switch line, supporting greater density of ports, faster interfaces and more-integrated security and management features.

Among the products formally unveiled today

at the CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany, are: a new 10-slot chassis for Cisco's 4500 series switches; a 48-port Gigabit Ethernet module for its 6500 series; a 10 Gigabit uplink option for its 3750 stackable switches; integrated security software features for the entire line of switches; and pre-set configuration software for all switches.

"These new products are the result of our continued drive around innovation," said Steven Shalita, senior manager for worldwide product marketing at Cisco. "It's how we're adding value to our intelligent switching strategy."

On the hardware side, Cisco's new 4510R chassis, available now priced at $12,495, gives customers the option to put three more line cards in a single chassis than previous models. While the 4510R can use all previous 4500 line cards, it does require the use of a new Supervisor Engine module, priced at $16,495. The new Supervisor Engine, which Cisco said adds features like broadcast and multicast storm supression and quality of service sharing on all ports, can also be used in any previous 4500 series switches.

For the 6500 series, Cisco introduced the 48-port Gigabit Ethernet line card, priced at $25,000. According to Shalita, growing use of gigabit connections to the desktop is driving the need for greater port density in the switch. "If you are running more gigabit to the desktop, you need to start aggregating to the core over higher [speed] uplinks," he said.The same reasoning led to the creation of the Catalyst 3750G-16TD, a stackable switch with 16 10/100/1000 ports and one 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplink. The switch, priced at $19,995 and available later this month, can be added to an existing 3750 installation to provide the higher-speed uplink to the entire stack, Cisco said.

For all 10 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, Cisco announced several new Xenpak media interfaces, including one for 10 Gigabit Ethernet over copper connections. Though Shalita said the connection requires "sort of InfiniBand" quality cabling and is only supported for distances of 15 meters, he said the module's price of $600 is significanly cheaper than the typical thousands-per-connection for fiber interfaces. (Cisco's own fiber modules are priced from $3,000-$4,000 each.)

"We're continuing to drive the costs down to promote affordability and usage of 10-Gig connectivity," Shalita said.

Cisco also announced security software enhancements (available free to all current switch customers) that add a wide range of features, including better protection against denial-of-service attacks and IP address theft. Cisco also announced enhancements to its SSL, VPN, and network analysis modules for the 6500 series, adding better failover support and simplified port configuration. The enhancements, Shalita said, are also free to current customers with valid warranties.

Cisco also said its "SmartPorts" set of switch-configuration software templates are now available for the entire Catalyst line of switches. The SmartPorts templates (which reduce multiple command-line settings into a few easier commands), Shalita said, give smaller shops a way to tap into the company's list of best practices and tests, and give larger enterprises a faster way to standardize switch settings.0