Cisco 6500 - Catalyst Series 10 Gigabit EN Interface Module Expansion Solution Manual - Page 4

Browse online or download pdf Solution Manual for Network Hardware Cisco 6500 - Catalyst Series 10 Gigabit EN Interface Module Expansion. Cisco 6500 - Catalyst Series 10 Gigabit EN Interface Module Expansion 17 pages. Distributed forwarding card 4 for ws-x68xx, ws-x69xx, and select ws-x67xx modules
Also for Cisco 6500 - Catalyst Series 10 Gigabit EN Interface Module Expansion: Installation Note (14 pages), Installation Note (46 pages), White Paper (19 pages), Description (1 pages), Product Bulletin (6 pages), Notice (4 pages), Datasheet (9 pages), Datasheet (18 pages), White Paper (18 pages), Configuration Manual (8 pages), Installation Note (28 pages), Troubleshooting Manual (11 pages), Installation Note (18 pages), User Manual (17 pages), Installation Note (24 pages), Manual (19 pages), Installation Note (36 pages)

Print Page

The Evolving Network

Q: How important

A: QoS is very important—

is QoS?

and becoming more so every day.

Advanced QoS prioritizes and directs traffic to minimize congestion and ensure

applications are allotted the bandwidth they need. Without those features, the

performance advantages of Gigabit Ethernet (or Fast Ethernet, for that matter)

cannot be fully realized.

Cisco Catalyst switches classify and mark data packets at the network edge, mini-

mizing congestion and allowing traffic to be prioritized, so time-sensitive applica-

tions such as IP telephony or videoconferencing take precedence over less critical

traffic, such as Web browsing.

Extending intelligence to the network edge also makes it possible for network man-

agers to set up policies on a per-user basis, and frees up router processing power.

This illustration shows the contents of a data packet:

MAC DA MAC SA

802.1Q/1p

length IP header info TOS

...

IP SA IP DA

...

TCP/UDP header DATA

Layer 2 info

Layer 3 info

Layer 4 info

Layer 2 switches only process Layer 2 information. Cisco Catalyst switches look

deeper into the packet and make decisions based on Layer 3 and Layer 4 informa-

tion —that's why they're called "intelligent." As a result, traffic flows more effi-

ciently through the network, helping to prevent bottlenecks. Utilizing Layer 3 and

Layer 4 information also provides a superior level of control over network traffic,

making it easier to adjust to changing requirements and priorities as networks

grow and evolve.

Q: What about

A: Security needs to evolve with

security?

the network, too.

As companies expand their networks, security becomes increasingly important —

and increasingly challenging to deliver. Adding users, deploying new services,

extending Internet access, and providing remote access can all increase the

potential risk to networks and data, both internally and externally.

According to a recent study by the FBI and Computer Security Institute, reported

financial losses due to security breaches in the United States approached $378 million

in 2001, up from $266 million the year before. So it's not surprising that for many

organizations, enhancing security is a major concern. Fortunately, it's also a major

benefit of deploying Cisco Catalyst switches.