Multilayer Switch Models CHAPTER 17 Cisco 6500 Multilayer Switches The Cisco 6500 is possibly the most widely deployed enterprise-class switch in the world. The balance of expandability, power, capabilities, and port density offered this switch is hard to beat. The 6500 series comes in sizes ranging from 3 to 13 slots. There are even versions that are Network Equipment Building System (NEBS)-com- pliant for use in telecom infrastructures that must meet these stringent specifications. The 6500 architecture has been around for some time, but because it was developed with expandability in mind, the switch that originally supported only 32 Gbps on the backplane now routinely supports 720 Gbps. There is even a way to cluster two 6500s together for a theoretical speed of 1,440 Gbps, though as we'll see, I find that claim to be more marketing than reality. The versatility of the 6500 platform has been a prime driver for this series' placement in a wide variety of positions in an even wider array of solutions. 6509 switches often at the center of enterprise networks, at the access layer of large companies, as the core of ecommerce websites, and even as the telecom gateways for large VoIP implementations. Likewise, the flexibility of the 6500 platform has made it prevalent in smaller compa- nies. The 6500 series includes Firewall Services Modules (FWSMs), Content Switching Modules (CSMs), and Network Analysis Modules (NAMs). The entire network infra- structure, as well as all security, load-balancing, and monitoring hardware, can be contained in a single chassis. With the addition of a multilayer-switch feature card (included in the latest supervi- sors), the 6500 becomes a multilayer switch. With the addition of IOS running natively, the 6500 becomes a router with the potential for more than 300 Ethernet interfaces while retaining the functionality and speed of a switch. When running in native IOS mode, a 6500 operates very similarly to the smaller 3550 and 3750 switches, but with more flexibility and power. Figure 17-1 