Cisco Systems 3550 Advantages of Using CMS and Clustering Switches

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Catalyst 3550 Multilayer Switch Software Configuration Guide
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Chapter1 Overview
Management Options
•SNMP—SNMP provides a means to monitor and control the switch and switch cluster members.
You can manage switch configuration settings, performance, security , an d collect statistics by usin g
SNMP management applications such as CiscoWorks2000 LAN Management Suite (LMS) and HP
OpenView.
You can manage the switch from an SNMP-compatible management station that is running
platforms such as HP OpenView or SunNet Manager. The switch supports a comprehensive set of
MIB extensions and four RMON groups.
For more information about using SNMP, see Chapter18, “Configuring SNMP.”
Advantages of Using CMS and Clustering Switches
Using CMS and switch clusters can simplify and minimize your configu ration and monitoring tasks. You
can use Cisco switch clustering technology to manage up to 16 interconnected, supported Catal yst
switches through one IP address. This can conserve IP addresses if you have a limited num ber of them.
CMS is the easiest interface to use and makes switch and switch cluster management accessible to
authorized users from any PC on your network.
By using switch clusters and CMS, you can
•Manage and monitor interconnected Catalyst switches (refer to the release notes for a list of
supported switches), regardless of their geographic proximity and interconnection media, including
Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Fast EtherChannel, Cisco GigaStack Gigabit Int erfac e Con ve rter ( GB IC),
Gigabit Ethernet, and Gigabit EtherChannel connections.
•Accomplish multiple configuration tasks from a single CMS window without needing to rem ember
CLI commands to accomplish specific tasks.
•Apply actions from CMS to multiple ports and multiple switches at the same time. Here are some
examples of configuring and managing multiple ports and switches:
– Port configuration such as speed and duplex settings
– Port and console port security settings
– NTP, STP, VLAN, and QoS configurations
– Inventory and statistic reporting and link- and switch-le vel mo nitori n g and t roubl es hoot ing
– Group software upgrades
•View a topology of interconnected devices to identify existing switch clusters and eligible switches
that can join a cluster. You can also use the topology to quickly identify link information between
switches.
•Monitor real-time status of a switch or multiple switches from the LEDs on the front-panel images.
The system, redundant power system (RPS), and port LED colors on the images are similar to those
used on the physical LEDs.
•Use an interactive mode that takes you step-by-step through configuring complex featu res such as
VLANs, ACLs, and QoS.
•Use a wizard that prompts you to provide only minimal required information to co nfigure complex
features such as QoS priorities for video traffic, priority levels for data applications, and security.
For more information about CMS, see Chapter3, “Getting Started with CMS.” For more information
about switch clusters, see Chapter 5, “Clustering Switches.”