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SWITCHING

EXCELLENT

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GUESTBOOK

6. Identify the components necessary to effect MultiLayer Switching

MultiLayer Switching (MLS) provides high-performance hardware-based Layer 3 switching for Catalyst® Switches.

3 MLS components

1. MLS-RP (MLS Route Processor) acts as the router in the network.
2. MLS-SE (MLS Switching Engine) builds shortcut entries in a layer 3 content-addressable memory (CAM) table.
3. MLSP (MLS Protocol), a lightweight protocol used by the MLS-RP to initialize the MLS-SE and notify it of changes in the layer 3 topology or security requirements.

MLS hardware and software requirements

1. IP MLS
   • Catalyst 2926G, 5000, or 6000 Series Switch with Supervisor Engine Software Release 4.1(1) or later
   • Cisco IOS® Release 11.3(2)WA4(4) or later for the Router Module
   • Supervisor Engine III or III F with the NFFC (NetFlow Feature Card) II, or Supervisor Engine II G or III G for the Catalyst 5000 Series Switch 
   • Route Module for the Catalyst 5000 Series Switch (RSM or RSFC - Router Switch Feature Card)
   • Supervisor Engine I or II with MSFC (Multilayer Switch Feature Card) or MSFC II for the Catalyst 6000 Series Switch
2. IPX MLS
   • Catalyst 2926G, 5000, or 6000 Series Switch with Supervisor Engine Software Release 5.1(1) or later
   • Supervisor Engine III or III F with the NFFC II, or Supervisor Engine II G or III G for the Catalyst 5000 Series Switch
   • Catalyst 6000 Series Switch with Supervisor Engine I or II with MSFC or MSFC II
   • Cisco IOS Release 12.0XE, 12.0W5, 12.1.E or later for the Router Module
3. IP MLS with external router
   • Catalyst 2926G, 5000, or 6000 Series Switch with Supervisor Engine Software Release 4.1(1) or later
   • Supervisor Engine III or III F with the NFFC II, or Supervisor Engine II G or III G
   • Cisco high-end routers, such as Cisco 7500, 7200, 4500, or 4700 Series
   • Cisco IOS Release 11.3(2)WA4(4) or later for the high-end router