Chapter 2 Preparing for Installation

Site Requirements

Shock and Vibration

Cisco ME 6524 Ethernet switches have been shock- and vibration-tested for operating ranges, handling, and earthquake standards to NEBS (Zone 4 per GR-63-Core). These tests have been conducted in earthquake environment and criteria, office vibration and criteria, transportation vibration and criteria, and packaged equipment shock.

System Grounding

Grounding is one of the most important parts of equipment installation. Proper grounding practices ensure that the buildings and the installed equipment within them have low-impedance connections and low-voltage differentials between chassis. When you properly ground systems during installation, you reduce or prevent shock hazards, equipment damage due to transients, and data corruption. Table 2-1lists some general grounding practice guidelines.

Table 2-1 Grounding Practice Guidelines

 

Electromagnetic

 

Environment

Noise Severity Level

Grounding Recommendations

 

 

 

A commercial building is

High

All lightning protection devices must be

subjected to direct lightning

 

installed in strict accordance with

strikes.

 

manufacturer recommendations. Conductors

For example, some places in the

 

carrying lightning current should be spaced

 

away from power and data lines in

United States, such as Florida,

 

 

accordance with applicable

are subject to more lightning

 

 

recommendations and codes. Best grounding

strikes than other areas.

 

 

practices must be closely followed; consult

 

 

 

 

with the site or local electrician.

 

 

 

A commercial building is located

High

Best grounding practices must be closely

in an area where lightning storms

 

followed; consult with the site or local

frequently occur but is not

 

electrician.

subject to direct lightning

 

 

strikes.

 

 

 

 

 

A commercial building contains

Medium to High

Best grounding practices must be closely

a mix of information technology

 

followed; consult with the site or local

equipment and industrial

 

electrician.

equipment, such as welding.

 

 

 

 

 

An existing commercial building

Medium

Best grounding practices must be closely

is not subject to natural

 

followed; consult with the site or local

environmental noise or

 

electrician. Determine source and cause of

man-made industrial noise. This

 

noise if possible, and mitigate as closely as

building contains a standard

 

possible at the noise source or reduce

office environment. This

 

coupling from the noise source to your

installation has a history of

 

system.

malfunctions due to

 

 

electromagnetic noise.

 

 

 

 

 

Cisco ME 6500 Series Ethernet Switch Installation Guide

2-6

OL-8900-03

 

 

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Cisco Systems ME 6500 manual Shock and Vibration, System Grounding, Electromagnetic Environment, Grounding Recommendations

ME 6500 specifications

The Cisco Systems ME 6500 is a sophisticated Ethernet switch designed to cater to the demanding needs of service providers and large enterprises. Engineered to deliver high performance and reliability, the ME 6500 series is ideal for both metro Ethernet applications and data center environments. One of its standout features is the ability to handle massive bandwidth, making it suitable for high-capacity networks. The switch supports a range of Ethernet services that facilitate seamless connectivity and network expansion.

At the core of the ME 6500 is its ability to provide Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionalities, which allows for flexibility in network design. This dual-layer capability enhances the switch's efficiency in managing traffic and ensures optimal forwarding of data packets. In addition, the ME 6500 series supports a wide range of Ethernet interfaces, including 10 Gigabit and 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports, which are essential for accommodating diverse bandwidth requirements.

One of the defining characteristics of the Cisco ME 6500 is its scalability. It supports up to 192 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports within a single chassis, enabling organizations to expand their network without compromising performance. Furthermore, the switch includes advanced Quality of Service (QoS) features that allow for traffic prioritization, which is crucial for maintaining the performance of voice and video services across the network.

The ME 6500 switch is also equipped with robust security features, including Access Control Lists (ACLs) and secure management protocols. These features protect sensitive data as it traverses the network, ensuring that only authorized users have access to critical resources. Management of the switch is simplified through Cisco’s management tools, allowing network administrators to monitor, configure, and troubleshoot the device efficiently.

Additionally, the switch supports various redundancy protocols, including Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) and Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), ensuring high availability and minimizing downtime.

Overall, the Cisco ME 6500 is a powerful and versatile solution that meets the heavy demands of modern network environments, delivering outstanding performance, security, and scalability for both service providers and large enterprises. Its advanced features make it a go-to choice for organizations looking to future-proof their networking infrastructure.