DATA SHEET SWITCH LAYER3

THE CATALYST® 4908G-L3 SWITCH IS A FIXED-CONFIGURATION LAYER 3 (L3) ETHERNET SWITCH FEATURING
WIRE-SPEED SWITCHING FOR IP, IPX®, AND IP MULTICAST. THIS NEW CATALYST SWITCH PROVIDES THE HIGH
PERFORMANCE THAT IS REQUIRED FOR MID-SIZE CAMPUS BACKBONES WITH JUST THE RIGHT PORT DENSITY.
IT IS IDEAL FOR AGGREGATING MULTIPROTOCOL TRAFFIC FROM MULTIPLE WIRING CLOSETS OR WORKGROUP
SWITCHES SUCH AS THE CATALYST 2900, CATALYST 3500, CATALYST 4000, OR CATALYST 5000 SWITCHES.

The Catalyst 4908G-L3 switch provides non-blocking routing
and switching for IP, IPX, and IP multicast while also offering
wire-speed Layer 2 switching for non-routable protocols such as
NetBIOS and DECnet local-area transport (LAT). This capability
allows network managers to augment their multiprotocol
backbones with the Catalyst 4908G-L3 without having to build
parallel networks, as is often required with IP-only switches.
Catalyst 4908G-L3 features at a glance:
• Eight ports of 1000BaseX Gigabit Ethernet with gigabit
interface converter (GBIC) support, all ports with Layer Three
switching capability at wire speed
• High Performance—over 11 Mpps Layer Three Switching and
Routing of IP, IPX, and IP Multicast
• 22 Gbps non-blocking switch fabric
• High Performance CPU with Cisco IOS® system software
• Quality of Service (QoS)—multiple queues with Weighted
Round Robin (WRR) scheduling
• Comprehensive management tools based on standard
CiscoWorks2000 applications
• Access List Support on all ports
Figure 1 Catalyst 4908G-L3 Fixed Configuration Wire Speed Layer Three
Switch
Introducing the Catalyst 4908G-L3
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 is a fixed-configuration Layer 3 Ethernet
switch with 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports utilizing modular GBIC
interfaces. The switch is ideal for backbone deployment in
mid-sized networks that require wire speed Layer 3 performance
but do not require the Gigabit Ethernet densities offered in the
Catalyst 6000 and Catalyst 8500 Series of switches. Another
application for the Catalyst 4908G-L3 is for server farm
aggregation where Layer 3 services are required.
Catalyst 4908G-L3 Overview
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 provides an aggregate throughput of close
to 12 Mpps for Layer 3 switching (it performs at wire speed for its
8 interfaces yielding an aggregate of 11,904 Mpps.) These data
rates apply not only to IP and IPX traffic but also to IP multicast and
bridged traffic and are a result of using high-speed
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology on each
port to perform true Layer 3 switching. The Catalyst 4908G-L3
supports a high-performance architecture with 22 Gbps bandwidth.
The switch fabric is capable of supporting all 8 Gigabit Ethernet
ports simultaneously at wire speed.
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 is housed in a 1.5 RU chassis and
can be provisioned with an optional external redundant power
supply. It supports a 22 Gbps shared-memory, fully non-blocking
switch fabric, a high-performance RISC processor which
provides the routing intelligence, and individual port based ASICs
for the Layer 3 switching. The Catalyst 4908G-L3 uses Cisco
Express Forwarding (CEF), which has been developed for the
Cisco 12000 Gigabit Switch Router (GSR), the Catalyst 8500,
and the Cisco 7500. This technology provides Layer 3 switching
based on a topology map of the entire network that is distributed
to each port based ASIC, allowing it to make autonomous
switching decisions without the involvement of a centralized
CPU.
Catalyst 4908G-L3 Layer 3 Highlights- IP at Mpps
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 provides a complete IP routing solution
without sacrificing any of the services that are required to build a
scalable network. The Catalyst 4908G-L3 is a feature-rich switch
with full Cisco IOS implementation that allows network
managers to continue to administer and manage their networks as
they do today while scaling their backbone bandwidths to gigabit
speeds. The Catalyst 4908G-L3 supports all the routing protocols
that are used today in mid-sized networks. These protocols
include:
• Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
• Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP)
• Enhanced IGRP (EIGRP)
• Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
• Routing Information Protocol (RIP) Versions 1 and 2
• Static routes
• Route redistribution
In addition to these routing protocols, the Catalyst 4908G-L3
supports all the additional protocols necessary to build scalable,
reliable networks, including:
• Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP)
• Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) 1 and 2
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Relay
• Cisco Group Management Protocol (CGMP)
• Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
• Gateway Discovery Protocol (GDP)
• ICMP Router Discovery Protocol (IRDP)
• Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) Relay
IPX Switching Feature Set
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 with its IPX wire-speed performance is
also a full-fledged IPX router with the enhancements only Cisco
IOS can offer. It provides basic services such as Novell NetWork
RIP and Service Advertising Protocols (SAPs), value-added
routing protocols such as Novell Enhanced IGRP, as well as route
distribution among all of these protocols. In addition, the Catalyst
4908G-L3 supports those features that help to make a large Novell
network scale. These features include:
• Get Nearest Server (GNS) response filtering and round-robin
GNS support
• Novell RIP
• SAP, protocol, and NetBIOS name filtering
• Equal-cost path load sharing
• Variable RIP and SAP timers
• Novell NetBIOS type 20 propagation support for legacy
applications that continue to be mission critical
• Novell-compliant IPX ping utility
This feature set as well as the wire-speed IPX switching make the
Catalyst 4908G-L3 unique in terms of switch platforms.
IP Multicast Switching and Routing
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 Switch supports IP multicast at wire
speeds across all its ports. As multicast applications such as
Microsoft NetShow and NetMeeting become more widely
deployed, end-to-end multicast support becomes increasingly
important with multicast routing protocols that are integral to a
consistent end-to-end multicast solution. The Catalyst 4908G-L3
supports both Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) sparse and
dense modes, and Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol
(DVMRP) interoperability for legacy applications. The Catalyst
4908G-L3 provides support for IGMP, Versions 1 and 2, and
CGMP server capabilities for integrating IP multicast support
with Catalyst wiring closet switches. These protocols are
necessary not only for IP multicast clients to join groups but also
for efficient leave processing, which saves bandwidth and
end-station CPU cycles.
Security
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 has the ability to prevent security
breaches via the use of both IP and IPX access lists. This is useful
in preventing users from accessing certain applications or
services. The Catalyst 4908G-L3 will support both inbound and
outbound access lists on all its Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. These
access lists can be defined similar to any Cisco IOS router as
standard IPX access lists as well as standard and extended IP
based access lists. Having both inbound and outbound control of
packets on the Gigabit Ethernets allows Network Managers to
prevent traffic both on egress as well as ingress.
Gigabit EtherChannel Technologies
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 supports Gigabit EtherChannel
technologies, allowing Network Managers to group up to four of
the Gigabit Ethernet ports into a channel.
Quality of Service
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 incorporates a centralized non-blocking
22 Gigabit shared-memory switching fabric. The rich QoS
capabilities of the switching fabric enable network managers to
protect mission-critical applications by supporting
delay-sensitive traffic, while managing bandwidth in the campus
backbone. The switching fabric supports Per-Flow Queuing
(PFQ), differentiated delay priorities using a WRR scheduler for
delay-sensitive applications, and differentiated loss priorities for
managing congestion and traffic policing and shaping. The fast
packet memory embedded in the switching fabric is allocated
dynamically on a per-queue (flow) basis. This dynamic allocation
used in conjunction with user-defined queue thresholds and
configurable queue scheduling weights ensures that
time-sensitive traffic is handled properly with no packet loss.
These thresholds and queuing weights can be dynamically
adjusted with Cisco Assure Policy Networking, allowing an
end-to-end QoS solution.
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 supports per-port input rate limiting,
output rate limiting, and traffic shaping on Gigabit Ethernet and
Fast Ethernet interfaces. The per-port rate limiting feature
provides the ability to rate limit the input and/or output traffic of
a port. The traffic rate of the port is monitored. The conforming
traffic is allowed, and the nonconforming traffic is dropped. The
per-port shaping feature provides the ability to shape the output of
a port. The output traffic rate of the port is monitored to verify that
the traffic leaves the interface at the user-configured rate. When
excess traffic comes into the switch, back pressure is applied from
the modules to the switch fabric, and the excess traffic gets queued
in the switch fabric. If the switch fabric queues overflow, the
excess traffic is dropped. The minimum rate is 32 kbps, with a
granularity of 32 kbps.
Comprehensive Network Management of CiscoWorks2000
Catalyst 4908G-L3 Series products are managed by Cisco
powerful CiscoWorks 2000 network management products
(option). The Essentials product suite leverages the power of the
intranet with browser-based access anywhere within the network.
Network managers can walk up to any browser console, simply
identify who they are via the access control interface, and
immediately begin checking on the uptime of each device, the
active software versions that are running the Catalyst 4908G-L3,
and print a Year 2000-compliant report. For drill-down real-time
device status information, the network operations staff can launch
the Cisco award-winning CiscoView application from their
fault-management station and at a glance check on the health of the
power supplies, line cards, and the operational status of each port.
For more sophisticated network-wide information, network
managers can launch the CiscoWorks for
Switched Internetworks (CWSI)-campus product bundle, which
automatically discovers the physical and logical representations
of the Catalyst switch networks. This object-based discovery
system offers detailed information on the location and type of
each switch within the network, the type of links that connect the
switches together, and displays integrity reports on the
configurations between each switch. All this information is
provided graphically within the topology interface with search
and location utilities. This topology interface offers a convenient
launching point for other applications within CWSI campus,
including the Remote Monitoring (RMON)
based traffic-analysis application.
Support for local, out-of-band management is delivered
through a terminal or modem attached to either of the two EIA/
TIA-232 interfaces; remote in-band management is available via
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Telnet client,
BOOTP, and Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP).
Summary
The Catalyst 4908G-L3 is a cost-effective, high-performance,
feature-rich Layer3 Ethernet switch ideally suited for mid-size
backbones that require Layer 3 switching in increments of 8 Gigabit
Ethernet ports. It supports wire speed routing and switching of IP,
IPX, IP Multicast across all interfaces. This new Catalyst has a
non-blocking, 22 Gbps architecture that enables all ports to L3
switch simultaneously at wire speed. All the Gigabit Ethernets
support standard GBIC technology, giving Network Managers the
flexibility to select and change gigabit interfaces in the Catalyst
4908G-L3 quickly,.
Technical Specifications
Performance
• 22 Gbps switching fabric
• Over 11 million PPS wire-speed forwarding rate for 64-byte
packets
• MIPs RISC CPU- R5000 CPU, 16 MM Flash, 64 MB DRAM
• Route Entries: 16,000 minimum/-32,000 maximum
• 12 MB memory architecture shared by all ports
• Packet forwarding rate for 64-byte packets:
• 1,488,000 PPS to 1000BaseX ports
• Includes RIP I and RIP II, OSPF, IGRP, EIGRP
Management
• SNMP Management Information Base (MIB) II
Standards
• IEEE 802.3x full duplex 1000BaseX ports
• IEEE 802.1D Spanning-Tree Protocol
• IEEE 802.1Q VLAN
• IEEE 802.3z 1000BaseX specification
• 1000BaseX (GBIC)
• 1000BaseSX
• 1000BaseLX/LH
• 1000Base ZX
Y2K
• Y2K compliant
Connectors and Cabling
• 1000BaseX GBIC ports: SC fiber connectors, single mode or
multimode fiber
• Console and auxiliary port: RJ-45 connectors, RS-232 serial
cabling
Indicators
• Per-port status LEDs
– Link up: illuminated Color—green
– Link down: not illuminated
Dimensions and Weight (H x W x D)
• 2.69 x 17.1 x 18 in (6.6 x 43.4 x 45.7 cm)
• One and half rack unit
• 18 lb (8.08 kg)
Environmental Conditions and Power Requirements
• Operating temperature: 32 to 113 F (0 to 45 C)
• Storage temperature: -4 to 149 F (-20 to 65 C)
• Operating relative humidity: 10 to 85% noncondensing
• Operating altitude: Up to 10,000 ft. (3000 m)
• Power supply output 175 W; BTU 820 per hour
• AC input voltage/frequency: 100 to 120/200 to 240 VAC
(autoranging) 50 to 60 Hz
Safety Certifications
• UL 1950
• CSA 22.2 No. 950
• EN 60950
• IEC 950
• AS/NZS 3260, TS001
• CE
Electromagnetic Emissions Certifications
• FCC Part 15 Class A
• EN 55022B Class A (CISPR 22 Class A)
• VCCI Class A
• AS/NZS 3548 Class A
• BCIQ
• CE Marking

WS-C4908G-L3 Catalyst 4908G-L3 switch, 8 port 1000BaseX
L3 Switch (GBIC) Included IP, IP Multicast,
Bridging. Note: GBIC modules need to be
ordered separately
FR4908GL3-IPX IPX Switching License
WS-G5484 = 1000BaseSX GBIC module
WS-G5486 = 1000BaseLX/LH GBIC module
WS-G5487 = 1000BaseZX GBIC module
CAB-GELX- Gigabit Ethernet multimode conditioning cable
PWR600-AC-RPS-NCAB 600W redundant AC power system without DC
power cables
CAB-RPSY-2218 Two-to-one DC Power cable (for RPS)
STKRACKMOUNT1.5RU= Catalyst 4908G-L3 rack mount kit (spare)
CON-SNT-WS-C49XX SMARTnet™ 8 x 5 x nbd
CON-SNTE-WS-C49XX SMARTnet 8 x 5 x 4
CON-SNTP-WS-C49XX SMARTnet 24 x 7 x 4
CON-OS-WS-C49XX SMARTnet Onsite 8 x 5 x nbd
CON-OSE-WS-C49XX SMARTnet Onsite 8 x 5 x 4
CON-OSP-WS-C49XX SMARTnet Onsite 24 x 7 x 4