load−balance the channels.
VLAN 0’s MAC address is the address assigned to the programmable ROM (PROM) on the line
communication processor (LCP) located on the RSM. This MAC address can be used for diagnostic purposes
and to identify the RSM’s slot number. All the other VLANs are assigned the base MAC address from the
RSM PROM, which is preprogrammed with 512 MAC addresses. The RSM can route up to 256 VLANs.
Route Switch Feature Card
The RSFC is another daughter card of the Supervisor Engine IIG or the Supervisor Engine IIIG. This card
basically transforms your switch into a Level 3 router with lots of ports. Two great features of this card are
Web browser support, which provides a graphical navigation tool through the Command Line Interface (CLI),
and the integration of NetFlow switching services, which include those services built into the NetFlow
Feature Card. Included in these features are security services, QoS, Cisco Group Management Protocol
(CGMP), Protocol−Independent Multicast (PIM), and queuing.
This card builds on the RSP found in the Cisco 7200 series router and provides exceptional performance in the
routing process for the Catalyst 5000 family of switches. It uses a R4700 150MHz processor, 128MB of
DRAM memory, 32MB of flash memory, 2MB of high−speed packet memory, and 6MB of high−speed RAM
for the Catalyst switching bus interface.
This feature card, like the others, uses a Cisco IOS that supports a wide array of routed protocols and services.
The following protocols are supported by the RSFC’s IOS:
AppleTalk• Banyan Vines• DECnet• IP• IPX• Xerox Network Systems (XNS)•
Multilayer Switch Module
The MSM is for the internal route processor used on the Catalyst 6000 family using the Supervisor Engine
software version 5.2(1)CSX or later. This module uses the Cisco IOS which plugs directly into an interface’s
switch backplane to provide Layer 3 switching. This module connects directly to the switch with four
full−duplex Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. The Catalyst switch sees the MSM as an external route processor not
connected to the switch itself. You can group the four Gigabit interfaces into a single Gigabit EtherChannel or
configure them as independent interface links. The MSM supports channeling trunks for use with 802.1Q or
Inter−Switch Link (ISL).
The port−channel interface on the MSM must be configured with one subinterface for every VLAN on the
switch, providing interVLAN routing with EtherChannel and trunk ports. Each of the four Gigabit interfaces
must be independently configured as a separate VLAN trunk port or non−trunked routed interface. The MSM
supports the following routing protocols:
Interior Gateway Routing Protocol—IGRP is a Cisco−developed distance vector routing protocol. A
distance vector routing protocol sends all or a portion of its routing table in the form of routing update
messages at regular intervals to each neighboring router. As routing information proliferates through
the network, routers can calculate the distance to all the nodes in the network. IGRP uses a
combination of metrics such as internetwork delay, bandwidth, reliability, and load factors to make
routing decisions.
•
Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol—EIGRP is an enhanced version of IGRP that combines
the advantages of the link−state routing protocols with distance vector protocols. EIGRP uses the
Diffusing Update Algorithm (DUAL) and includes features such as variable−length subnet masks,
fast convergence, and multiple network layer support. When a network topology change occurs,
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