SAN JOSE, Calif. - January 24, 2000 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., today announced that it is extending the intelligence and functionality of the Catalyst. 6000 family into Enterprise wiring closets through the introduction of the new Catalyst 4000 and 5000 solutions. These enterprise-class solutions will enable network professionals to deploy cost-effective end-to-end networks that scale to meet today's e-business needs and provide investment protection for the future.
"One of the key elements to deploying a truly converged network is being able to maintain consistent network services, QoS parameters and scalability from the network core down to the wiring closet for applications like IP telephony," said David Passmore, research director at The Burton Group. "Cisco's enhancements to the Catalyst 4000 series offer customers flexible options today along with a solid roadmap that enables wiring closets with intelligence and performance previously offered only at the core."
To enable convergence and provide the network services necessary for an intelligent infrastructure, Cisco is announcing a new 6-slot Catalyst 4006 chassis with the Supervisor Engine II. Additional new Catalyst 4000 line cards include a 32 port 10/100 Layer 3 Services line card with 2 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks, a 48 port 10/100 telco line card and a 24-port 100Base FX line card. There are also two new Catalyst 5000 Ethernet modules: a 2-port QoS-enabled gigabit GBIC uplink module and a 24 port 100BaseFX single mode fiber switching module.
In order to maintain a competitive advantage, enterprises need a solution that is scalable, high performance and cost-effective. With the consistent architecture, feature-rich services and multigigabit performance, the Catalyst 4006 presents a compelling case for next generation wiring closets.
Enterprise Class Scalability, Quality of Service and Performance
Enterprise networks constantly evolve to support a wide range of applications including integrated data, voice and video traffic. Thus, enterprise solutions need to be highly scalable with proven software and hardware. With over 2 million ports already installed, the Catalyst 4000 family has a proven track record for enterprise connectivity.
The Catalyst 4006 has a common architecture that accommodates from 32 ports all the way to 240 10/100 ports or 8 ports to 92 gigabit Ethernet ports. Scaling to over 60 Gbps and 45 million packets per second, the Catalyst 4006 enhances Cisco's leadership in affordable scalability.
Not only is the Catalyst 4000 scalable, intelligence Layer 3 services are enabled through a new 32-port Layer 3 engine line card that is compatible with all Catalyst 4000 Family chassis and supervisors. When installed in a Catalyst 4000 chassis, the Layer 3 services engine enables all ports on the switch (whether on this line card or another) to run industry standard IP multicast services at wire speed.
It also delivers state-of-the-art QoS using multiple queues with Weighted Round Robin (WRR) scheduling and TOS/COS marking. With the ability to be populated with one or more (up to five) Layer 3 services line cards, the Catalyst 4000 Family switches also offer wire-speed, Layer 2 switching for non-routable protocols such as NetBIOS, DECnet, and local-area transport (LAT).
In addition to scalability, Cisco's Catalyst 4000 architecture enables a consistent set of network services between other Catalyst platforms. Characteristics such as consistent VLAN architectures, high availability through HSRP, consistent application of network policies, security and mobility support through DHCP are all maintained through the Catalyst system software.
With the power, density and cost-effectiveness of the new Catalyst 4006 chassis, the solution is ideal for enterprise wiring closets requiring high levels of QoS. Additionally, this solution can also play a role in small and medium enterprise core backbones.
The additional line cards such as the 48 port 10/100 Telco card and the 24-port 100BaseFX give customers additional choices for a wide range of connectivity options. Because of the consistent Catalyst software and user interfaces, customers can retain their knowledge base and continue to grow their infrastructures using a combination of Catalyst 2948G, 4000, 5000, 6000 and 8500 family members.
Enterprise Investment Protection and Convergence
Enterprise class solutions also need to have a flexible architecture that enables customers to seamlessly add new features, functionality and technologies as they are adopted into the infrastructure.
Because of the centralized intelligent shared memory architecture on the Catalyst 4000 series, all switching ports can be easily and inexpensively upgraded to higher layer network functionality (Layers 3-7) through modular switch fabric enhancements without replacing existing switching modules. This is important as enterprise networks continue to adopt leading edge technologies at all layers of the infrastructure. The Catalyst 4000 series is a reliable, high performance solution with the necessary flexibility that will enable customers to accommodate advanced applications both today and in the future.
This flexibility enables Cisco customers to smoothly accommodate the latest networking technology and run advanced applications like converged data, voice and video, server load balancing and Gigabit Ethernet to the desktop with a single, flexible platform.
These new Catalyst 4000 series solutions round out Cisco's complete Catalyst portfolio for wiring closets aimed at the enterprise which include the recently announced (January 18, 2000) Catalyst 2948G-L3 and 4908G L3 and 3548 for cost-effective low-density applications.
Additional Catalyst 5000 Enhancements
Demonstrating it commitment to the Catalyst 5000 family, Cisco is also announcing further enhancements to its portfolio of high-density, any-to-any connectivity options. The new 2-port gigabit Ethernet uplink module delivers QoS capabilities like classification, prioritization, WRED and multiqueue scheduling (through Weighted Round Robin). With this new GBIC-based module, mission critical traffic can be prioritized and delivered in a timely manner from the wiring closet to the core.
The new 24-port 100BaseFX single mode fiber MT-RJ switching module enables service providers to build Metropolitan Area Networks over extended distances with sophisticated QoS classification and Weighted Random Early Detection (WRED) capabilities. With this module, traffic can be prioritized according to ports and IP addresses.
Pricing and Availability
The Catalyst 4006, Supervisor II, Telco and 100BaseFX modules are available now. The Layer 3 services line card will be available within 60 days. The list price for a Catalyst 4006, Supervisor II, power supplies, 240 Fast Ethernet and 2 gigabit Ethernet ports is less than $150 per port. The 24-port 100BaseFX line card and the 48-port 10/100 telco card list for $14,995.and $4,495 respectively.
The 2-port gigabit Ethernet uplink module will be available in Q2CY2000 for $2,995. The 24-port 100BaseFX module will be available by the end of Q1CY2000 for $29,995.
