Cisco Long Reach Ethernet Solution

Chapter 7 Broadband and Dial Access Products

The Cisco Long-Reach Ethernet (LRE) networking solution delivers cost-effective, high-performance broadband access to multitenant/dwelling units

(MxU) such as hotels, residential units, multitenant office buildings, shopping malls; and enterprise campus environments such as manufacturing, educational campuses, and medical facilities. Cisco LRE technology dramatically extends Ethernet over existing Category 1/2/3 wiring at speeds from 5 to 15 Mbps (full duplex) and distances up to 5,000 feet. This technology delivers broadband service over the same lines as standard telephone (POTS), digital telephone, and ISDN circuits. In addition, Cisco LRE supports modes compatible with asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), allowing service providers to provision LRE to buildings where broadband services already exist. This solution also provides multicast, Layer 2 quality of service (QoS), security, and Web-based Cisco Switch Clustering network management.

The Cisco LRE solution includes Cisco Catalyst 2900 LRE XL switches, the Cisco 575 LRE Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) device, and the Cisco LRE 48 POTS Splitter.

Catalyst 2900 LRE XL Desktop Switches

Cisco Catalyst 2900 LRE XL switches are based on the Cisco market-leading Catalyst 2900 Series XL 3.2-Gbps switch architecture, and include all Enterprise-class features available in Catalyst 2900 XL switches. Now, service providers can address a broad range of wiring environments beyond Category 5 cabling. This gives users a low-cost, end-to-end solution and eliminates costly training.

The Catalyst 2900 LRE XL switches are one rack-unit (1RU) high, 13-inches deep, and can be either mounted on a wall or placed on a rack. The switches deliver dedicated bandwidth per port at rates up to 15 Mbps. LRE transmissions coexist with POTS and ISDN, and can be compatible with ADSL traffic in the same building. The switches can be configured on a per-switch basis to support the following modes:

•5 Mbps symmetrical rate (up to 5,000-feet distance)

•10 Mbps symmetrical rate (up to 4,000 feet)

•15 Mbps symmetrical rate (up to 3,500 feet)

The Catalyst 2900 LRE XL switches provide fast and easy connectivity into building patch panels with one RJ-21 telco connector. The 10/100 Ethernet ports can be used to connect servers, daisy-chain multiple LRE switches, or uplink to a Cisco Catalyst 3500 XL, 2900 XL, or 2948G-L3 10/100 Ethernet switch. These connectivity options provide multiple price/performance options to meet building and budget requirements.

Cisco 575 LRE CPE Device

Each LRE port is terminated in the room with the Cisco 575 LRE Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) device. This compact device bridges LRE and Ethernet, and provides one RJ-45 Ethernet connection and two RJ-11 connectors—one for the wall and one for a telephone. The Cisco 575 LRE CPE device can be mounted on or under a desk, or on

awall. It ships with a mount lock-in mechanism and clip-on Ethernet cable guard to discourage theft, as well as an Ethernet cord. It supports voice (Plain Old Telephone Service—POTS) traffic-including ISDN or digital phones-that coexists over the same LRE line by splitting LRE and POTS traffic at the CPE device. A POTS Splitter is required for connectivity to the PBX and LRE switch stack.