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Catalyst2950 and Catalyst2955 Switch Software Configuration Guide
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Chapter1 Overview
Features
Note DHCP replaces the Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) feature autoconfiguration to ensure retrieval of
configuration files by unicast TFTP messages. BOOTP is available in earlier softwarereleases
for this switch.
•DHCP server for automatic assignment of IP addresses and other DHCP options to IP hosts
(available only on the Catalyst 2955 switch)
•Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) for identifying a switch through its IP address and its
corresponding MAC address
•Unicast MAC address filtering to drop packets with specific source or destination MAC addresses
(available only with the EI)
•Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) versions 1 and 2 for network topology discovery and mapping
between the switch and other Cisco devices on the network
•Network Time Protocol (NTP) for providing a consistent time stamp to all switches from an external
source
•Directed unicast requests to a TFTP server for obtaining software upgrades from a TFTP server
•Default configuration storage in flash memory to ensure that the switch can be connected to a
network and can forward traffic with minimal user intervention
•In-band management access through a CMS web-based session
•In-band management access through up to 16 simultaneous Telnet connections for multiple
command-line interface (CLI)-based sessions over the network
•In-band management access through up to 5 simultaneous, encrypted Secu re Sh el l ( SSH)
connections for multiple CLI-based sessions over the network (only available in the enhanced
cryptographic software image)
•In-band management access through SNMP versions 1, 2c, and 3 ge t a nd set req ues ts
•Out-of-band management access through the switch console port to a directly-attached terminal or
to a remote terminal through a serial connection an d a mod em
Note For additional descriptions of the management interfaces, see the “Management Options”
section on page 1-8.
Redundancy
•HSRP for command-switch redundancy
•UniDirectional Link Detection (UDLD) on all Ethernet ports for detecting and disabling
unidirectional links on fiber-optic interfaces caused by incorrect fiber-optic wiring or port faul ts
•IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) for redundant backbone connections and loop-free
networks. STP has these features:
–
Up to 64 spanning-tree instances supported
–
Per-VLAN spanning-tree plus (PVST+) for balancing load across VLANs
–
Rapid PVST+ for balancing load across VLANs
–
UplinkFast, cross-stack UplinkFast, and BackboneFast for fast convergence after a
spanning-tree topology change and for achieving load balancing be twee n r edund an t up lin ks,
including Gigabit uplinks and cross-stack Gigabit uplinks