We introduced one of Cisco’s new Switching Innovations before, the Cisco Catalyst 6800 Series Supervisor Engine 6T. In this article we will share some more detailed features of the Cisco Catalyst 6800 Supervisor Engine 6T.
The Supervisor 6T is made up of three main physical components:
● The Baseboard with Integrated MSFC6
● The 4th generation Enhanced Policy Feature Card (PFC4-E)
● The New 6 Tbps Switch Fabric
Supervisor 6T Board Layout
The Baseboard on the Supervisor 6T houses Front Panel ports, Integrated RP Complex, Forwarding ASIC (PFC4) and Switch Fabric daughter Boards. The Supervisor 6T supports two baseboard models that offer different levels of scalability based on the PFC4-E forwarding engine present. The two models are C6800-SUP6T (Lite) and C6800-SUP6T-XL (Heavy).
The following Table outlines some high level differences between two models.
Comparison of Supervisor 6T Baseboards
Hardware Options | C6800-SUP6T | C6800-SUP6T-XL |
|---|---|---|
| PFC | Lite | Heavy |
| System CPU | Dual Core 2.5Ghz | Dual Core 2.5Ghz |
| System Memory | 1x4GB | 1x4GB |
| IPv4/IPV6 Routing Capability | 256K/128K | 1024K/512K |
| Security and QoS ACL | 64K (Shared) | 256K (Shared) |
| Flexible NetFlow | 512K | 1024K |
| Multicast Routes (IPv6) | 128K | 128K |
| Number of Adjacencies | 256K | 1M |
| MAC Addresses | 128K | 128K |
| IPV4/IPV6 Routing | 720/390Mpps | 720/390Mpps |
In the following part we will compare the C6800-SUP6T to C6800-SUP6T-XL in the scalability, virtualization, security features, the NetFlow and Multicast features. This comparison may help you select and use the new Supervisor Engine 6T wisely.
C6800-SUP6T vs. C6800-SUP6T-XL
Base System Scalability
Attribute | C6800-SUP6T | C6800-SUP6T-XL |
|---|---|---|
| MAC entries | 128K | 128K |
| Routes | 256K (IPv4) 128K (IPv6) | Up to 1024K (IPv4) Up to 512K (IPv6) |
| ACL entries | 64K shared for QoS and security | 256K shared for QoS and security |
| NetFlow entries | 512K per PFC4/4XL | 1024K per PFC4/4XL |
| Multicast routes | Up to 128K (IPv4) Up to 128K (IPv6) | Up to 128K (IPv4) Up to 128K (IPv6) |
| IPv4 routing | In hardware Up to 780 Mpps* | In hardware Up to 780 Mpps* |
| IPv6 routing | In hardware Up to 390 Mpps* | In hardware Up to 390 Mpps* |
| Layer 2 bridging | In hardware Up to 780 Mpps | In hardware Up to 780 Mpps |
| Jumbo frame support | Up to 9216 bytes (for bridged and routed packets) | Up to 9216 bytes (for bridged and routed packets) |
| VLAN | 4K | 4K |
| Bridge domains | 16K | 16K |
| MPLS | MPLS in hardware to support use of Layer 3 VPNs and Ethernet over (EoMPLS) tunneling Up to 8192 VRFs, with a total of up to 256K forwarding entries per system | MPLS in hardware to support use of Layer 3 VPNs and EoMPLS tunneling Up to 8192 VRFs, with a total of up to 1024K forwarding entries per system |
| Logical interfaces | 128K | 128K |
| EtherChannel hash | 8 bits | 8 bits |
| VPLS | In hardware (up to 390 Mpps) | In hardware (up to 390 Mpps) |
| Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) | In hardware (up to 390 Mpps) | In hardware (up to 390 Mpps) |
| Network Address Translation (NAT) | Hardware assisted | Hardware assisted |
| Onboard memory | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Ingress buffers | 1.25 MB per 10-Gb port in 2:1 mode 2.5 MB per 10-Gb port in 1:1 mode (10 MB per port ASIC) | 1.25 MB per 10-Gb port in 2:1 mode 2.5 MB per 10-Gb port in 1:1 mode (10 MB per port ASIC) |
| Egress buffers | 250 MB per 10-Gb port in 2:1 mode 1 GB per 40-Gb port in 2:1 mode 500 MB per 10-Gb port in 1:1 mode 2 GB per 40-Gb port in 1:1 mode (2 GB per fabric interface and replication engine (FIRE) ASIC) | 250 MB per 10-Gb port in 2:1 mode 1 GB per 40-Gb port in 2:1 mode 500 MB per 10-Gb port in 1:1 mode 2 GB per 40-Gb port in 1:1 mode (2 GB per fabric interface and replication engine (FIRE) ASIC) |
QoS Features and Scalability
Feature | C6800-SUP6T | C6800-SUP6T-XL |
|---|---|---|
| Layer 3 classification and marking access control entries (ACEs) | 64K shared for QoS and security | 256K shared for QoS and security |
| Aggregate traffic rate-limiting policers | 16,348 | 16,348 |
| Flow-based rate-limiting method; number of rates | Per source address, destination address, or full flow; 64 rates | Per source address, destination address, or full flow; 64 rates |
| Layer 2 rate limiters | 20 ingress, 6 egress | 20 ingress, 6 egress |
| MAC access control lists (ACLs) featuring per-port and per-VLAN granularity | Yes | Yes |
| Distributed policers | Yes | Yes |
| Shared uFlow policers | Yes | Yes |
| Egress uFlow policers | Yes | Yes |
| Packet or byte policers | Yes | Yes |
| Per port per VLAN | Yes | Yes |
| Class of service (CoS) and differentiated services code point (DSCP)-based queue mapping | Yes | Yes |
| Deficit Weighted Round Robin Scheduler (DWRR) and Weighted Random Early Detection Scheduler (WRED) | Yes | Yes |
| Traffic shaping | Yes | Yes |
| Hierarchical QoS | 2-level | 2-level |
| Receive and transmit queues | Default: 1p7q4t Configurable: 2p6q4t | Default: 1p7q4t Configurable: 2p6q4t |
Security Features and Scalability
| Feature | C6800-SUP6T | C6800-SUP6T-XL |
| Port security | Yes | Yes |
| IEEE 802.1x and 802.1x extensions | Yes | Yes |
| VLAN and router ACLs and port ACLs | Yes | Yes |
| 1:1 mask ratio to ACE values | Yes | Yes |
| Security ACL entries | 64K shared for QoS and security | 256K shared for QoS and security |
| CPU rate limiters (DoS protection) | 57 | 57 |
| Unicast Reverse Path Forwarding (uRPF) check (IPv4/IPv6) | Up to 16 | Up to 16 |
| Number of interfaces with a unique ACL | 16K | 16K |
| RPF interfaces | 16 | 16 |
| Private VLANs | Yes | Yes |
| MAC ACLs on IP | Yes | Yes |
| Layer 2 and Layer 3 Cisco TrustSec® (Security Group Tagging and Security Group Access Control List) | Yes | Yes |
| IEEE 802.1ae (MACsec) Layer 2 encryption in hardware | Yes | Yes |
| CPU hardware rate limiters by PPS or BPS | Yes | Yes |
| Control Plane Policing (CoPP) for multicast | Layer 2 and 3 support | Layer 2 and 3 support |
| CoPP for exceptions (MTU, TTL) | Yes | Yes |
| CoPP exceptions NetFlow support | Yes | Yes |
| ACL labels | 16K | 16K |
| Port ACL | 8K | 8K |
| ACL dry run | Yes | Yes |
| Hitless ACL changes | Yes | Yes |
MPLS and Virtualization Features
Feature | C6800-SUP6T | C6800-SUP6T-XL |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Switching System (VSS) | Yes | Yes |
| Instant access | Yes | Yes |
| Label imposition and disposition (MPLS‑PE), swapping (MPLS‑P) | Yes | Yes |
| Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) | Yes | Yes |
| MPLS VPN | Yes | Yes |
| Virtual Route Forwarding (VRF) Lite | Yes | Yes |
| Easy Virtual Network (EVN) | Yes | Yes |
| QoS mechanisms using experimental (EXP) bits | Yes | Yes |
| MPLS-RSVP-TE | Yes | Yes |
| MPLS TE tunnels | 1K | 1K |
| MPLS differentiated services (diffserv)-aware traffic engineering (MPLS-DS-TE) | Yes | Yes |
| MPLS traceroute | Yes | Yes |
| EoMPLS | Yes | Yes |
| EoMPLS tunnels | 16K | 16K |
| IPv4 and IPv6 in IPv6 tunneling | Yes | Yes |
| IPv6 in IPv4 tunneling (Intra-Site Automatic Tunnel Addressing Protocol [ISATAP], 6to4, GRE) | Yes | Yes |
| QoS support for uniform, short pipe, and pipe mode tunnel | Yes | Yes |
| Native virtual private LAN services (VPLS) in hardware | Yes | Yes |
| Hierarchical VPLS | Yes | Yes |
| VPLS pseudo-wire | 4K | 4K |
| Native Layer 2-over-multipoint GRE | Yes | Yes |
| VRF-aware operational contexts | Yes | Yes |
| VPN NetFlow support | Yes | Yes |
| VPN-aware NAT | Yes | Yes |
| VRF-lite scalability | VLAN reuse per subinterface | VLAN reuse per subinterface |
| Per-VPN interface statistics | Yes | Yes |
NetFlow Features
| Feature | C6800-SUP6T | C6800-SUP6T-XL |
| NetFlow support in hardware | Yes | Yes |
| Flexible NetFlow | Yes | Yes |
| Sampled NetFlow | Yes | Yes |
| Ingress and egress NetFlow | Yes | Yes |
| L2 NetFlow | Yes | Yes |
| MPLS ingress and egress NetFlow | Yes | Yes |
| Copy-based sampling | Yes | Yes |
| Yielding NDE | Yes | Yes |
| Per-VRF NetFlow | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple exporters | Yes | Yes |
| IPFIX | Yes | Yes |
Multicast Features
| Feature | C6800-SUP6T | C6800-SUP6T-XL |
| IGMPv3 snooping in hardware | Yes | Yes |
| IPv6 MLDv2 snooping in hardware | Yes | Yes |
| PIM registers in hardware | Yes | Yes |
| Label Switched Multicast (LSM) | Yes | Yes |
| Ingress and egress replication in hardware | Yes | Yes |
More Related info about the Cisco Catalyst 6500/6800 Supervisor 6T Architecture, such as the Chassis Options for Supervisor 6T, Supported Chassis, Fan, and Power Supply for Supervisor 6T, Chassis Supervisor Slots, Supervisor 6T-Compatible Line Cards, etc. you can read here
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/catalyst-6500-series-switches/white-paper-c11-737405.html
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