SMC Networks SMC8926EM, SMC8950EM manual Switch Architecture, Network Management Options

1 Introduction

Power Socket

Redundant Power Socket Module Slots Stacking Ports

Figure 1-2 Rear Panel

Switch Architecture

These Gigabit Ethernet switches employ a wire-speed, non-blocking switching fabric. This permits simultaneous wire-speed transport of multiple packets at low latency on all ports. The switches also feature full-duplex capability on all ports, which effectively doubles the bandwidth of each connection.

For communications between different VLANs, these switches use IP routing. For communications within the same VLAN, they use store-and-forward switching to ensure maximum data integrity. With store-and-forward switching, the entire packet must be received into a buffer and checked for validity before being forwarded. This prevents errors from being propagated throughout the network.

These switches include built-in stacking ports that enable up to eight units to be connected together through a 48 Gbps stack backplane. The switch stack can be managed from a master unit using a single IP address.

These switches also include two slots on the rear panel for slide-in single-port 10GBASE modules with XFP transceivers.

Network Management Options

These switches contain a comprehensive array of LEDs for “at-a-glance” monitoring of network and port status. They also include a management agent that allows you to configure or monitor the switch using its embedded management software, or via SNMP applications. To manage each switch, you can make a direct connection to the console port (out-of-band), or you can manage the switches through a network connection (in-band) using Telnet, the on-board web agent, or SNMP-based network management software.

For a detailed description of both switches’ advanced features, refer to the Gigabit Ethernet Switch Management Guide.

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