Operation
between the host processor, the INB backplane, and LAN/WAN interfaces on the front panel of SmartSwitch 9000 modules. The SmartSwitch ASIC can operate in two modes: as a traditional switch, or as a SecureFast Switch (SFS). When operating in traditional switch mode, it makes filtering/forwarding decisions based on Destination Address (DA), with standard IEEE 802.1d learning. When operating in SecureFast Switch mode, all filtering/forwarding decisions are made based on a
i960 Core
The i960 core provides the SNMP protocol stacks, to support industry standard MIBs. Additionally, Cabletron enterprise extension MIBs are supported for each media type. Advanced management services, such as the Distributed LAN Monitor, telnet and network address to MAC address mapping, are also provided by the i960 core.
The Host engine sends and receives packets via the CPU SmartSwitch ASIC Interface. This allows the traditional switch to perform spanning tree protocol and other traditional switching functions. The SMB Interfaces provide communication to the Host Engine for management functions and communication with other modules in the chassis.