1. Describe the major features of the Catalyst switches.

Catalyst 1900 series switches

• 12/24 ports.
• Suited for wiring closet.

Catalyst 2820 switch

• Support ATM and FDDI.
• Suited for access services.

Catalyst 3000 series switches

• Stackable.
• Support ISL.

Catalyst 5000 series switches

• 5 slots.
• 1.2 Gbps backplane.
• Optional redundant power supplies.

Catalyst 5500 switch

• 13 slots for interface card.
• 3.6Gbps backplane from 3 1.2Gbps backplanes.
• 5Gbps backplane for ATM cell switching.

2. Describe the architecture and functions of the major components of the Catalyst switches.

Catalyst 1900/2820 architecture

• Embedded control unit (ECU).
• Forwarding engine.
• Management interface.
• Packet exchange bus (X-bus).
• Shared buffer memory.
• Shared switch port.

Catalyst 3000 architecture

• AXIS bus for joining 2 network segments.

Catalyst 5000 architecture

• 5 ASICs
  • SAMBA, responsible for broadcast suppression based on thresholds established by the administrator.
  • SAINT, handles Ethernet switching and ISL encapsulation.
  • SAGE, used for non-ethernet applications.
  • EARL, maintains the MAC address table for forwarding decisions.
  • Phoenix, provides a gigabit bridge between backplanes in the Catalyst 5500.

3. Place Catalyst series switches in a network for optimal performance benefit.

Catalyst 1900/2820 architecture

• Embedded control unit (ECU).
• Forwarding engine.
• Management interface.
• Packet exchange bus (X-bus).
• Shared buffer memory.
• Shared switch port.

Catalyst 3000 architecture

• AXIS bus for joining 2 network segments.

Catalyst 5000 architecture

• 5 ASICs: SAMBA, SAINT, SAGE, EARL, and Phoenix.