cc/td/doc/product/lan/c2900xl/gbic
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Overview

Overview

The GigaStack GBIC (model WS-X3500-XL) adds port density and high-performance connectivity to supporting switches. When installed in a supporting switch, the GigaStack GBIC supports Gigabit connections in a cascaded stack or point-to-point configuration. The GigaStack GBIC autonegotiates the duplex setting of each port to maximize the bandwidth for your configuration.

Features

This section describes the GigaStack GBIC features:

Stack up to nine switches to form an independent backbone that can be managed with a single IP address. This stack gives the appearance of a single large switch for network management purposes. For this kind of connectivity, see the "Example 1: Cascaded Stack Connection" section.

You can also form a point-to-point link between two switches. The GigaStack GBIC supports one full-duplex link (in a point-to-point configuration) or up to eight half-duplex links (in a stack configuration) to other Gigabit Ethernet devices. For this kind of connectivity, see the "Example 2: Point-to-Point Connection" section.

For more information, see the "Minimum IOS Release for Redundant Loop Configurations" section and the "Cascaded Stack Connections with a Redundant Link" section

GigaStack GBIC LEDs

Figure 1-1 shows the LED locations on the GigaStack GBIC, and Table 1-1 describes the LED colors and their meanings.


Figure 1-1: GigaStack GBIC LEDs and Ports



Table 1-1: GigaStack GBIC LEDs
Color Meaning

Off

No link.

Green

Link present. This link occurs if there is connectivity with another network device and the GigaStack GBIC port.

Amber

Power-on self-test (POST) failure or use of an incorrect cable.

Flashing amber

Loop detection activated.

GBIC Module Slot LEDs

Figure 1-2 shows the GBIC module slot LED on the front of a supporting switch, and Figure 1-3 shows the GBIC LED location when the GigaStack GBIC is installed in the 1000BASE-X module.


Figure 1-2: GBIC Module Slot LED Location on a Switch



Figure 1-3: GBIC LED Location on a 1000BASE-X Module


Table 1-2 describes the switch and 1000BASE-X module GBIC slot LED colors and port status.


Table 1-2: Switch and 1000BASE-X Module GBIC Slot LEDs
Color Meaning

Off

No link, or port was administratively shut down.

Green

Link present.

Flashing green

Activity. Port is transmitting or receiving data.

Alternating green-amber

Link fault. Error frames can affect connectivity, and errors such as excessive collisions, cyclic redundancy check (CRC) errors, and alignment and jabber errors are monitored for a link-fault indication.

Solid amber

Port is blocked by Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and is not forwarding data.

Note   After a port is reconfigured, the port LED can remain amber for up to 30 seconds as STP checks the switch for possible loops.

Flashing amber

Port is blocked by STP and is sending or receiving packets.

Cabling Guidelines

The GigaStack GBIC uses the following Cisco proprietary cables. See Figure 1-4 and Table 1-3 for more information.

The maximum distance for a GBIC-to-GBIC connection is 1 meter. The GigaStack GBIC requires Cisco proprietary signaling and cabling. For more information about cabling, see "Connectors and Cables."


Figure 1-4: GigaStack GBIC Cables



Table 1-3: GigaStack GBIC Cable Part Numbers 
Part Number Cable Length

CAB-GS-50CM

50 cm

CAB-GS-1M

1 m

The 50-cm cable comes with the GigaStack GBIC. You can order additional cables.

Caution   Do not use standard IEEE 1394 cables with the GigaStack GBIC. You must use one of the Cisco proprietary cables (CAB-GS-50CM or CAB-GS-1M). If you use any other cable, you will not have connectivity.
Caution   Do not use the GigaStack GBIC with standard IEEE 1394 equipment. You might damage the equipment or lose data.

Switches Supporting the GBIC

Refer to the online GigaStack Gigabit Interface Converter Switch Compatibility Matrix listed with the GBIC documentation on www.cisco.com for the most current list of products supporting the GBIC.

Caution   Installing the GBIC in or connecting it to an unauthorized device might cause damage to the GBIC, the other device, or both.

Table 1-4 lists the switches and the module supporting the GigaStack GBIC.


Table 1-4:
Switch Series or Module Model Number Description
WS-X2931-XL module for Catalyst 2900 series XL switches

WS-X2931-XL

1 1000BASE-X port1

Catalyst 2900 XL switches

Catalyst 2912MF XL

12 100BASE-FX ports and 2 module slots

Catalyst 2924M XL

24 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 module slots

Catalyst 2950 switches

Catalyst 2950G-12-EI

12 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 2950G-24-EI

24 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 2950G-24-EI-DC

24 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots with DC-input power

Catalyst 2950G-48-EI

48 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3500 XL switches

Catalyst 3508G XL

8 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3512 XL

12 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3524 XL

24 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3524 PWR XL

24 autosensing 10/100 inline-power Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3548 XL

48 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3550 switches

Catalyst 3550-12G

2 autosensing 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports and 10 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3550-12T

10 autosensing 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3550-24-SMI
Catalyst 3550-24-EMI

24 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

Catalyst 3550-48-SMI
Catalyst 3550-48-EMI

48 autosensing 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 GBIC module slots

1The 1000BASE-X module provides one switched 1000-Mbps port in half-duplex, full-duplex, or autonegotiation mode for a GigaStack GBIC. The port supports the IEEE 802.3Z 1000BASE-X standard.
Switches and Module Supporting the GigaStack GBIC

Minimum IOS Release for Redundant Loop Configurations

To ensure support for redundant loop configurations when using the GigaStack GBIC in a cascaded stack configuration, make sure that every switch in the stack is running at least the minimum IOS Release listed in Table 1-5.


Table 1-5: Minimum IOS Release for Redundant Loop Configurations
Supported Switch Minimum IOS Release

Modular 2900 XL switches

12.0(5)XU (April 2000)

2950 switches

12.1(6)EA2 (December 2000)

3500 XL switches

12.0(5)XU (April 2000)

3550 multilayer switches

12.1(4)EA1 (May 2001)

Note   All switches in a series must run the same software version. For example, if the stack includes only Catalyst 2900 series XL and 3500 series XL switches, they must run Release 12.0(5)XU or later. If the stack includes a mixture of Catalyst 2900 series XL, 3500 series XL, 2950, and 3550 switches, all the 2900 XL and 3500 XL switches must run Release 12.0(5)XW or later, all the Catalyst 2950 switches must run Release 12.1(6)EA2 or later, and all the Catalyst 3550 switches must run Release 12.1(4)EA1 or later.

For more information, see the "Cascaded Stack Connections with a Redundant Link" section. For switch software upgrade information, refer to the release notes for your switch.

Deployment Examples

This section contains examples that use the GigaStack GBIC as a Gigabit uplink to aggregate traffic in a switched and shared network.

Example 1: Cascaded Stack Connection

Figure 1-5 shows the GigaStack GBIC cascaded in a half-duplex stack configuration.


Figure 1-5: Cascaded Stack Connection


Example 2: Point-to-Point Connection

Figure 1-6 shows the 3500 XL switch aggregating traffic by using a GigaStack GBIC as a full-duplex, point-to-point uplink connection.


Figure 1-6: Point-to-Point Connection



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Posted: Fri Mar 29 14:57:25 PST 2002
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