User Guide

CHAPTER

37-1

Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide—Release 12.1 E

78-14099-04

Configuring the Switch Fabric Module

This chapter describes how to configure the Switch Fabric Module (SFM) for the Catalyst 6500 series

switches.

Note For complete syntax and usage information for the commands used in this chapter, refer to the

Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Cisco IOS Command Reference publication.

This chapter consists of these sections:

• Understanding How the Switch Fabric Module Works, page 37-1

• Configuring the Switch Fabric Module, page 37-3

• Monitoring the Switch Fabric Module, page 37-5

Understanding How the Switch Fabric Module Works

These sections describe how the Switch Fabric Module works:

• Switch Fabric Module Overview, page 37-1

• Switch Fabric Module Slots, page 37-2

• Switch Fabric Redundancy, page 37-2

• Forwarding Decisions for Layer 3-Switched Traffic, page 37-2

• Switching Modes, page 37-2

Switch Fabric Module Overview

Note The Switch Fabric Module is supported only with Supervisor Engine 2.

The Switch Fabric Module creates a dedicated connection between fabric-enabled modules and provides

uninterrupted transmission of frames between these modules. In addition to the direct connection

between fabric-enabled modules provided by the Switch Fabric Module, fabric-enabled modules also

have a direct connection to the 32-Gbps forwarding bus.

The Switch Fabric Module does not have a console. A two-line LCD display on the front panel shows

fabric utilization, software revision, and basic system information.