The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switch is a fixed 10 Gigabit Ethernet aggregation platform that delivers best-in-class scalability, simplified network virtualization, and integrated network services for space-constrained environments in campus networks.
The fixed-aggregation Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches deliver best-in-class scalability, simplified network virtualization, and integrated network services for space-constrained environments in campus networks.
Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches help you easily meet business growth objectives. The switches:
The switches also can simplify deployment of scalable Layer 3 network segmentation with Easy Virtual Networks (EVN).
In addition, Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches reduce total cost of ownership by integrating network services for video (medianet), security (Cisco Trustsec), and application visibility (Flexible NetFlow, Wireshark).
Highlighted Capabilities-Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series
Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switch supports Easy Virtual Network (EVN), which simplifies creation of separate logical networks on a single physical infrastructure. Each of these has different security and routing polices, traffic separation, and path isolation. EVN uses existing protocols, along with virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) technology, in a complete network virtualization solution with shared services and enhanced management.
The switches also run the modular IOS XE operating system that supports third-party applications such as Wireshark protocol analyzer. The switches lower capital expenditures (CapEx) while simplifying troubleshooting with Wireshark.
Deployment Options
•16-port and 32-port line rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus (SFP+) models
•8-port line rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ pluggable module
• Single or optional dual-redundant AC or DC power supplies and five field-replaceable fans
•All ports are SFP/SFP+, which can accommodate either 1Gb or 10Gb transceivers with no manual reconfiguration needed
Figure1.Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switch Family with and without Optional 8-Port Pluggable
Figure2. Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Deployed in Campus Aggregation and Branch Collapsed Core Environments
Dotted-line oval rings indicate optional Virtual Switching System (VSS) configuration
Performance and Scalability Specifications
•800 Gbps bi-directional switching capacity
•Up to 250 Mpps IPv4 or 125 Mpps IPv6 forwarding rate
•Up to 256K IPv4 or 128K IPv6 routes or a combination of the two
•Multicast replication in hardware with multicast replication rate of up to 250 Mpps
•Up to 55K unicast and 32K multicast MAC entries
•MAC learning rate of 20,000 mac entries per second
•32-MB shared egress buffer
•Up to 64K quality-of-service (QoS) classifications and 64K access control list (ACL) entries per direction
•Maximum of 8 bidirectional SPAN sessions or 16 unidirectional SPAN sessions
•4096 active VLANs and Switched Virtual Interfaces (SVIs)
•3K Spanning Tree Protocol instances
Software Innovation and Services
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X is capable of up to 1.6 Tbps when configured in a dual-switch VSS topology. VSS increases operational efficiency with:
• Single point of management with a single IP address and configuration file
• Elimination of need for First Hop Redundancy Protocol (FHRP) like HSRP or VRRP
• Multichassis EtherChannel (MEC), which creates all edge links forwarding in simplified loop-free topologies
• Nonstop communications with interchassis stateful failover and sub second virtual switch recovery
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series includes Flexible NetFlow (FnF) for optimized application performance. FnF helps Cisco customers determine how to optimize resource usage, plan network capacity, and identify the optimal application layer for QoS. FNF can play a critical role in network security by monitoring traffic and detecting denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and network-propagated malware. With FnF, customers get these added benefits over traditional NetFlow:
• Extensibility with an extensive selection of primary and non-primary fields
• Flexibility in creating many user-defined flow records that can be applied to many different flow monitors
• FNF processes are performed in hardware at line rate in a custom, integrated NetFlow ASIC
• Application and traffic monitoring scalability with up to 128K cached flows in a large Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) array
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series supports a modular operating system, Cisco IOS XE Software, which takes advantage of the 4500X’s dual-core CPU. Cisco IOS XE Software enables the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series to be an open service platform and support third-party applications such as Wireshark
Operational Manageability
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series enables operational manageability and automation for fast provisioning, diagnosis, and reporting through:
•Auto Smart Ports and AutoQoS for simplified and streamlined deployment
•Smart Install Director for IOS image-management and auto-configuration of directly-connected client switches
•Flexible NetFlow, Mediatrace, and IP service-level agreements (SLAs) for enhanced visibility
•Embedded Event Manager (EEM) integration with NetFlow and third-party applications
•Smart Call Home, Cisco Generic Online Diagnostics (GOLD), and digital optical monitoring (DOM) for simplified operations
•Cisco EnergyWise technology for simplified and effective power management (Standalone mode only)
•ISSU, SSO, and NSF for simplified change management and high availability with VSS
•Configuration rollback for improved configuration management
Reduced Total Cost of Ownership
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X provides superior investment protection through:
•Support for 1-Gigabit Ethernet or 10-Gigabit Ethernet transceivers using SFP and/or SFP+ optics or 1Gbps copper transceivers, or in any combination therein, on any data port in the chassis
•Removable 8-port 10-Gigabit Ethernet module
•Support for IP Base or Enterprise Services software license options
•Optional dual-redundant power supplies and five individual, hot-swappable fans that use n+1 redundancy to help ensure high availability
Orderable in either front-to-back, or back-to-front airflow configuration, using separate SKUs which designate airflow direction on the 5-fan array and matching power supplies internal fans. The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches reduce operating expenses and lower total cost of ownership with simplified operations, small footprint, extensive features and low power consumption. Finally, the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X is covered under the Cisco limited lifetime warranty.
More New Cisco Catalyst Switch Reviews:
Cisco Catalyst 6880-X Series Review
Cisco Catalyst 6800: New Name, Same Game
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Switch and Friends
The fixed-aggregation Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches deliver best-in-class scalability, simplified network virtualization, and integrated network services for space-constrained environments in campus networks.
Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches help you easily meet business growth objectives. The switches:
- Offer scalability of up to 25 times more routes and eight times more multicast entries than competitor's products
- Come in a one-rack unit (1 RU), with a low-power form factor
- Support Virtual Switching System (VSS) to provide resiliency, and increased operational efficiency with a single point of management
- Offer up to 1.6 Tbps of switching capacity with VSS
The switches also can simplify deployment of scalable Layer 3 network segmentation with Easy Virtual Networks (EVN).
In addition, Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches reduce total cost of ownership by integrating network services for video (medianet), security (Cisco Trustsec), and application visibility (Flexible NetFlow, Wireshark).
Highlighted Capabilities-Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series
Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switch supports Easy Virtual Network (EVN), which simplifies creation of separate logical networks on a single physical infrastructure. Each of these has different security and routing polices, traffic separation, and path isolation. EVN uses existing protocols, along with virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) technology, in a complete network virtualization solution with shared services and enhanced management.
The switches also run the modular IOS XE operating system that supports third-party applications such as Wireshark protocol analyzer. The switches lower capital expenditures (CapEx) while simplifying troubleshooting with Wireshark.
Deployment Options
•16-port and 32-port line rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus (SFP+) models
•8-port line rate 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ pluggable module
• Single or optional dual-redundant AC or DC power supplies and five field-replaceable fans
•All ports are SFP/SFP+, which can accommodate either 1Gb or 10Gb transceivers with no manual reconfiguration needed
Figure1.Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switch Family with and without Optional 8-Port Pluggable
Figure2. Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Deployed in Campus Aggregation and Branch Collapsed Core Environments
Dotted-line oval rings indicate optional Virtual Switching System (VSS) configuration
Performance and Scalability Specifications
•800 Gbps bi-directional switching capacity
•Up to 250 Mpps IPv4 or 125 Mpps IPv6 forwarding rate
•Up to 256K IPv4 or 128K IPv6 routes or a combination of the two
•Multicast replication in hardware with multicast replication rate of up to 250 Mpps
•Up to 55K unicast and 32K multicast MAC entries
•MAC learning rate of 20,000 mac entries per second
•32-MB shared egress buffer
•Up to 64K quality-of-service (QoS) classifications and 64K access control list (ACL) entries per direction
•Maximum of 8 bidirectional SPAN sessions or 16 unidirectional SPAN sessions
•4096 active VLANs and Switched Virtual Interfaces (SVIs)
•3K Spanning Tree Protocol instances
Software Innovation and Services
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X is capable of up to 1.6 Tbps when configured in a dual-switch VSS topology. VSS increases operational efficiency with:
• Single point of management with a single IP address and configuration file
• Elimination of need for First Hop Redundancy Protocol (FHRP) like HSRP or VRRP
• Multichassis EtherChannel (MEC), which creates all edge links forwarding in simplified loop-free topologies
• Nonstop communications with interchassis stateful failover and sub second virtual switch recovery
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series includes Flexible NetFlow (FnF) for optimized application performance. FnF helps Cisco customers determine how to optimize resource usage, plan network capacity, and identify the optimal application layer for QoS. FNF can play a critical role in network security by monitoring traffic and detecting denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and network-propagated malware. With FnF, customers get these added benefits over traditional NetFlow:
• Extensibility with an extensive selection of primary and non-primary fields
• Flexibility in creating many user-defined flow records that can be applied to many different flow monitors
• FNF processes are performed in hardware at line rate in a custom, integrated NetFlow ASIC
• Application and traffic monitoring scalability with up to 128K cached flows in a large Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) array
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series supports a modular operating system, Cisco IOS XE Software, which takes advantage of the 4500X’s dual-core CPU. Cisco IOS XE Software enables the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series to be an open service platform and support third-party applications such as Wireshark
Operational Manageability
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series enables operational manageability and automation for fast provisioning, diagnosis, and reporting through:
•Auto Smart Ports and AutoQoS for simplified and streamlined deployment
•Smart Install Director for IOS image-management and auto-configuration of directly-connected client switches
•Flexible NetFlow, Mediatrace, and IP service-level agreements (SLAs) for enhanced visibility
•Embedded Event Manager (EEM) integration with NetFlow and third-party applications
•Smart Call Home, Cisco Generic Online Diagnostics (GOLD), and digital optical monitoring (DOM) for simplified operations
•Cisco EnergyWise technology for simplified and effective power management (Standalone mode only)
•ISSU, SSO, and NSF for simplified change management and high availability with VSS
•Configuration rollback for improved configuration management
Reduced Total Cost of Ownership
The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X provides superior investment protection through:
•Support for 1-Gigabit Ethernet or 10-Gigabit Ethernet transceivers using SFP and/or SFP+ optics or 1Gbps copper transceivers, or in any combination therein, on any data port in the chassis
•Removable 8-port 10-Gigabit Ethernet module
•Support for IP Base or Enterprise Services software license options
•Optional dual-redundant power supplies and five individual, hot-swappable fans that use n+1 redundancy to help ensure high availability
Orderable in either front-to-back, or back-to-front airflow configuration, using separate SKUs which designate airflow direction on the 5-fan array and matching power supplies internal fans. The Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches reduce operating expenses and lower total cost of ownership with simplified operations, small footprint, extensive features and low power consumption. Finally, the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X is covered under the Cisco limited lifetime warranty.
More New Cisco Catalyst Switch Reviews:
Cisco Catalyst 6880-X Series Review
Cisco Catalyst 6800: New Name, Same Game
Cisco Catalyst 6800 Switch and Friends