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Cisco Catalyst 6500 Competitive Positioning

Cisco Catalyst 6500 Competitive Positioning. Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions Updated February 2005. Comparison Overview: Enterprise Data Product Portfolio Snapshot. *Stackable 10/100/1000T & L3 option. Recent Catalyst 6500 Product Releases. Catalyst 6500 Product Announcements.

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Cisco Catalyst 6500 Competitive Positioning

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  1. Cisco Catalyst 6500 Competitive Positioning Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions Updated February 2005

  2. Comparison Overview:Enterprise Data Product Portfolio Snapshot *Stackable 10/100/1000T & L3 option

  3. Recent Catalyst 6500 Product Releases

  4. Catalyst 6500 Product Announcements • Supervisor Engine 32 (15 Mpps, 32 Gbps) • WS-SUP32-GE-3B (8 ports GE and PFC3B) – List price $15,000 • WS-SUP32-10GE-3B (2-ports 10GE and PFC3B) – List price $20,000 • 6000W AC power supply for the “E” series chassis - $5,000 • Feature upgrades to WS-6148A-xx modules • WS-6148A-GE-xx added support for Jumbo Frames, Enhanced QoS, PoE • WS-6148A-RJ-XX added support for TDR and PoE • WS-6196-21AF added support for PoE - $14,000 • “E” series chassis • C6509-E, C6506-E, C6503-E: priced the same as the previous versions • Investment protection takes hit • Claims purpose of release due to future power supplies that will not work in the non-E series chassis • DFC3B priced the same as the DFC3A ($7,500) • New DFC3B quoted to support 256K routes in WS-X67xx NIs • Higher capacity DFC3BXL is priced at $15K • Sup720 PFC-3BXL Memory upgrade • Higher capacity PFC works in conjunction with the DFC3BXL in the WS-X67xx NIs • More configuration complexity…..

  5. Understanding Catalyst 6500 Product Positioning

  6. Product Positioning • Cisco has capabilities to position multiple products in each product segment • Unsuspecting customers normally do not have an ‘apples to apples’ comparison due to Cisco’s strong marketing messaging and product complexity • Both Catalyst 6500 and 4500 switches can be configured with different capacity Supervisor Engines and NIs • Depending on what type of SE and NI combination, pricing and performance will be a factor • Alcatel sales needs to understand • Not all products are equal in features or price simply because it carries the same model product family

  7. Catalyst 6500: ‘the good’ – ‘the bad’ – ‘the ugly’ • Catalyst 6500 could be configured with “cheap” modules lacking performance and features at reasonable prices • Cisco sales will mislead the unsuspecting end-user with specifications of their higher-end products • Alcatel sales needs to identify such practices and educate the customer • Look for the following: Type of Supervisor Engine • Sup 1A & Sup 2 – Low end (15 Mpps to 30 Mpps per system) – wiring closet • Sup 2 w/ SFM – Standard performance (30 Mpps to 211 Mpps) – wiring closet • Sup 32 – Low performance (15 Mpps) but with 10GE uplinks options – wiring closet • Sup 720 – Best performance (30 Mpps to 400 Mpps) – backbone core • Type of NI • 61xx, 63xx & 64xx series modules – Low end (operates on 32 Gbps shared bus), lack buffers (128 KB to 512 KB shared) – wiring closet • 65xx series NIs – Standard performance (operates either on the 32 Gbps or 256 Gbps buses), better buffering (512 KB to 1MB) – backbone core • 67xx & 68xx – Best performance (up to 720 Gbps if all modules are equipped with CEF720 capable modules and DFC3’s), slightly better buffering (512Kb to 1.17 MB)

  8. Catalyst 6500 - Supervisor options • Supervisor 1A (15 Mpps, 32 Gbps) - $6K up to $30K depending on PFC and MSFC2 options (EOS: 3-25-05) • PFC optional - Basic security and QoS (L3/L4) • MSFC2 optional - Layer 3-4 forwarding • Supervisor 2 (30 Mpps, 32 Gbps) - $22K or $26.8K (256MB version) • PFC2 included - Layer 3-4 services, CEF • MSFC2 optional - Layer 3-4 forwarding • Supervisor 2 +SFM scales performance in combination with DFC equipped blades (210 Mpps, 256 Gbps) - $11K per SFM2 (up to 2 per switch) • Supervisor 32 (15 Mpps, 32 Gbps) - $15K (8-port 1GE) or $20K (2-port 10GE) • PFC3B included - Layer 3-4 services, (IPv6, MPLS – hardware ready – sw later) • MSFC2A included - Layer 3-4, CEF forwarding (L3 License Req. –> cost = tba) • No SFM support (32 Gbps share bus only) • SE-32 options: 2-port 10 GigE uplinks or 8-port 1 GigE (No support for 10GE NIs) • No support for DFC powered NIs, CEF720 (67xx series), dCEF720 (6804-10GE), or dCEF256 (6816-GBIC) • Supervisor 720 (400 Mpps, 720 Gbps) - $28,000 or $40,000 w/ PFC3BXL • PFC3 included - Layer 3-4 services, CEF, IPv6, MPLS • MSFC3 included - Layer 3-4 forwarding • SFM included - 400Mpps (IPv4), 200Mpps (IPv6), 720 Gbps

  9. Multiple Forwarding Capabilities Supervisor 720 • dCEF720 Interfaces • Local Distributed Cisco Express Forwarding Engine • Sustained performance at 400+Mpps using the 720Gbps Switch Fabric • aCEF720 Interfaces • Local accelerated Cisco Express Forwarding ASICs • Peak performance up to 400+Mpps using the 720Gbps switch fabric • Potentially upgradeable to dCEF720 (w/ DFC-3B) • dCEF256 Interfaces • Local Distributed Cisco Express Forwarding Engine using the 256Gbps SFM • CEF256 Interfaces • Centralized Cisco Express Forwarding • using the 256Gbps Fabric • Usually upgradeable to dCEF256 (w/ DFC-x on NI) • Classic Interfaces • Value Oriented Centralized Forwarding • Uses the shared 32Gbps Bus Supervisor 2 Supervisor 1A

  10. PFC MSFC Supervisor Engine CEF256 (65xx) Distributed Fabric Line Card 32 Gb/s Shared Bus Interface Line Card Fabric Line Card dCEF256 (65xx + DFC) 8 Gbps Distributed Fabric Line Card Accelerated Fabric Line Card Classic (61xx, 63xx, 64xx) aCEF 720 (6704, 6748) dCEF 256 (6816) 8 Gbps Catalyst 6500 Architecture Supervisor 720 20 Gbps SwitchFabric Module 8 Gbps 20 Gbps Distributed Fabric Line Card 20 Gbps dCEF 720 (6702), 6724 (single channel) Backplane

  11. Catalyst 6500 High-Density WS-X6724 1Gbps Module • WS-X6724-SFP supports single 20-Gbps channel connection to switch fabric on Supervisor Engine 720; all other 67xx interface modules support dual 20-Gbps channel connections to the switch fabric • WS-6724-SFP using dCEF upgrade: 30 Mpps sustained throughput per slot for modules equipped with DFC3B to support distributed forwarding • WS-6724-SFP using future option aCEF upgrade: 30Mpps peak per slot for modules equipped with DFC3B to support accelerated local forwarding • Buffer size per port: Rx=166KB & Tx=1.17MB • In comparison, ALA NIs support 16MB buffer size per Coronado ASIC

  12. Catalyst 6500 High-Density WS-X6724 1Gbps Module Comparison Queues Legend: 1p2q2t = 1 priority queue, 2 round robin queues, 2 thresholds

  13. Catalyst 6500 High-Density 10/100/1000 Module • WS-X6748-GE-TX: sustained throughput of 48 Mpps per slot when equipped with distributed forwarding cards (DFC3 - dCEF); up to 48 Mpps peak per slot for slots equipped with accelerated forwarding card version 3 (DFC3 – aCEF) • Connects to the switch fabric using dual 20-Gbps switch fabric channels • Supports 1.3MB buffers per port

  14. Catalyst 6500 10/100/1000 Module Comparison 1. Inline Power Legend: Both = Cisco inline power (available now) and IEEE 802.3af (via future field upgradeable daughter card) Cisco = Cisco inline power only; Upgr = shipped as data only but upgradeable to the inline power type specified No = inline power not supported 2. Queues Legend: 1p3q8t = 1 priority queue, 3 round robin queues, 8 thresholds

  15. Cisco’s 6500 Positioning View • Cisco’s view of positioning the Catalyst 6500 everywhere • Versatility, reusability, consistency • Realistically too expensive to be positioned at the edge • Unless using preconfigured bundles with low-end SE’s or recycling components within existing networks L2 L2/L3

  16. General Remarks Against Base Hardware • Enterprise modules not shipped with a DFC • Without DFC the unsuspecting customer reverts back to 15 Mpps to 30 Mpps (shared bus architecture) • With DFC price increases by $7,500 per module or $15K with the higher capacity XL options • 10/100/1000 modules are positioned as voice upgradeable • ‘Value’ modules performance is very low: 15/30 Mpps per chassis • ‘Performance’ modules have restriction: PoE and DFC are exclusive. If PoE is installed then ‘Perf.’ modules operate over the 32 Gbps bus • Current fabric enabled modules with DFCs need to be upgraded to DFC3 to operate at more than 30 Mpps ($7.5K/NI to upgrade) • Fan tray needs to be upgraded to support new Sup 720 or Sup 32 in older chassis or the new “E” version needs to be used

  17. Cisco Modular Product High-level Strengths and Weaknesses

  18. Catalyst 6500 Series • Cisco 6500 Series Strengths • Integrated IDS, VPN, Firewall, SSL and RMON II Modules • Switch fabric capacity of 32/256/720 Gbps, depending on type of modules and Sup Engines used • Higher 10/100/1000 Ethernet port density, WAN integration • VoIP options • Brand recognition • Three second fail-over from primary to secondary SE with special software configuration • Alcatel’s Advantage – OmniSwitch 8800 • Smart continuous switching during CMM fail-over • Affordable Layer 3 as opposed to Cisco’s expensive option (Sup 2 + MSFC2 = $22K or Sup 720 = $28K  + $7.5K per DFC in NIs) • Better price positioned, especially in redundant configurations • Layer 2 thru 4 QoS classification with better mapping capabilities

  19. Cisco Catalyst 6509 / 6513 6509 / 6513 major weaknesses • Expensive for the enterprise • Catalyst 6500 (with Supervisor 2 and 256 Gbps fabric or Sup 720); most expensive solution on the market • complex “fabric”-based architecture of the Catalyst 6500 drives up the overall cost of the solution • requires a Supervisor 2, MSFC 2, and SFM 256 Gbps switch matrix to achieve mid-level performance or top performance with the Sup 720 (both options at cost premium) • Limited investment protection • architecture limitations based on the type of NIs and Sup Engine used • See “Understanding Cisco” later in this presentation for more positioning info • Two code streams (CatOS & Cisco IOS) • Complex and confusing set of dual code streams makes it more difficult to manage the 6500 in a homogeneous manner • Certain new modules only work with IOS for Catalyst, further complicating the software maintenance of the switch

  20. Backbone Core Positioning

  21. Core positioning:Current Landscape for High End Core • Cisco – Catalyst 6500 • 20/40 Gbps per slot • Focus on Supervisor 720 + 67xx/68xx modules only • Extreme – BlackDiamond 10K • 20 Gbps per slot • Current Fabric featuring 20G (achieved w/ load sharing) • Foundry – BigIron MG8 • 40 Gbps per slot • All above products released throughout 2003 • Partial launch only – key HW/SW components are still missing • Support for IPv6, MPLS, 10G (2nd gen.) & strong availability • 4Q04 product releases (pricing tbd) • 3Com – Switch 8800 • 10/20 Gbps per slot (scalable to 20/40 G in late 2005) • Enterasys – Matrix X-Series • 20/40 Gbps per slot

  22. CSCO EXTR ALA 6509/ SE720 (C6816) 6816 8800 Core positioning (1):Performance driven: Wirespeed • Mid Size core– good positioning • Good pricing • Cisco lacks flexibility: slightest change leads to HW upgrade(module / supervisor / chassis) • FDRY single-point-of-failure in switch fabric • Large core- good positioning • Best pricing • Excellent performance: Tolly & TIC verified +67% +33% +19% -8% CSCO EXTR CSCO ALA FDRY 6509/ SE720 4507R/ SE5 FI-800 6808 7800 +44% +35%

  23. Core positioning (2):Value driven: High Density OS7000 Configuration High Density Fiber (Small/Medium Core) - Full redundancy High Density Fiber • Extends reach of 7000 to larger core requirements (still with full redundancy) • Cisco between +65% to >+100% • Extreme between >60% to >100% • Foundry at +50% • Extends reach of 7000 to lower end Core requirements (no redundancy) • Cisco between +50% and >+100% • Extreme at >+50% • Foundry at +41% • Extends reach of 8800 to very large campus core • Strong pricing positioning High Density Fiber (Small Core) - PSU redundancy only

  24. Core positioning:Backbone Core Switch • OmniSwitch 7800 Medium Core ( 24 GE Wire rate and 48 FE) • Good pricing • Cisco lacks flexibility: slightest change leads to HW upgrade (Module / Supervisor / Chassis) • FDRY single-point-of-failure in switch fabric • OmniSwitch 8800 Large Core ( 64 GE Wire rate and 48 FE) • Best pricing, but lacks high-density 10GE modules • Excellent performance: Tolly & TIC verified

  25. Core Positioning:Wirespeed Gigabit Fiber + 2 10GE (LR) • Alcatel and Cisco best price positioning w/ base components • Cisco’s Core GigE plus 10Gig backbone includes: Supervisor720 + WS-6724 + DFC3 + 10Gig LR Optics • WS-6724 = Single channel module -> access to the fabric at 1 x 20 Gbps (module configured w/ only 20 SFP optics) • Overall performance is up to 210 Mpps (including local switching) and not 400 Mpps • Cisco’s 6509 is priced 16% higher at starting point with redundant base components and 2-port 10GE (LR optics) backbone • Full load configuration (including 10GE ports) -> Cisco 6509 is priced 8% higher at 120 wire-rate gigabit fiber ports as compared to an OS-8800 w/ OS8-GNI-U8s (112 actual ALA ports) • OS8800 is not as competitive when multiple 10GE ports are required per switch

  26. Wirespeed 1GigE + 2-port 10GigE Core Configurations • Foundry MG8 – best density and price point, but fabric becomes single-point-of-failure + 8% (C6509) +12% (C6513) +16% (C6509) +27% (C6513)

  27. ALA vs Cisco Summary

  28. Competitive Summary • Two simple advantages when competing against Cisco • When mgmt/fabric redundancy is required • ALA can be positioned with a 20% to 50% price advantage depending on the SEs used (not all SEs support SSO) • When advanced L3 is required across the product lines • ALA price is $0 for OS6600, $1K for OS6800, and $2K for OS7000 • CSCO price is $2K for 3550, $4K for 3560 & 3750, $8K for 3750G-48, and $10K for 4500 • Cisco supports a greater variety of product families in every segment • Alcatel and Cisco are mentioned in the ‘same breath’ in securing the network • However, Cisco NAC (Network Access Control) framework is not widely supported in Cisco’s products yet, today only in edge routers • Alcatel’s AQE and Sygate & Fortinet partnerships are here today • OmniVista vs CiscoWorks LMS • OmniVista cleaner/tighter integration (OneTouch vs AutoQos)

  29. Any questions or comments?Please contact felipe.soriano@alcatel.com or (818) 878-4548

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