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Catalyst2950 Desktop Switch Software Configuration Guide
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Chapter1 Overview Network Configuration Examples
You can create backup paths by using FastEthe rnet, Gigabit, Fast EtherChanne l, or Gigab it
EtherChannel links. Using Gigabit modules on two of the switches, you can have redundant uplink
connections to a Gigabit backbone switch such as the Cataly st 3550- 12G s witc h. If o ne of t he
redundant connections fails, the other can serve as a backup path. You can configure the stack
members and the Catalyst 3550-12G switch as a switch cluster to manage them through a single IP
address.
•High-performance workgroup—For users who require high-speed access to network resources, use
Gigabit modules to connect the switches directly to a backbone switch in a star configuration. Ea ch
switch in this configuration provides users with a dedicated 1-Gbps connection to network resources
in the backbone. Compare this with the switches in a GigaStack configuration, where the 1-Gbps
connection is shared among the switches. With the high speed uplink to the distribution server, the
user can efficiently obtain and store data from servers. Using these Gi gabi t m odule s a lso pr ovides
flexibility in media and distance options:
–
1000BASE-T GBIC: copper connections of up to 328 feet (100 mete rs)
–
1000BASE-SX GBIC: fiber connections of up to 1804 feet (550 meters)
–
1000BASE-LX/LH GBIC: fiber connections of up to 32,808 feet (10 kilometers)
–
1000BASE-ZX GBIC: fiber connections of up to 328,084 feet (100 kilometers)
–
GigaStack GBIC module for creating a 1-Gbps stack configuration of u p to nine support ed
switches. The GigaStack GBIC supports one full-duplex link (in a poi nt-to-point configuration)
or up to nine half-duplex links (in a stack configuration) to other Gigabit Ethernet devices.
Using the required Cisco proprietary signaling and cabling, the GigaStack GBIC- to-GigaStack
GBIC connection cannot exceed 3 feet (1 meter).
•Redundant Gigabit backbone—Using HSRP, you can create backup paths between
Catalyst 3550-12T-L3 switches. To enhance network reliability and load balancing for different
VLANs and subnets, you can connect the Catalyst2950 switches, again in a star configuration, to
two backbone switches. If one of the backbone switches fails, the seco nd backbone switch preserves
connectivity between the switches and network resources.