Cisco SM-X - Product Summary

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Product summary
In summary, the Cisco SM-X Layer2 EtherSwitch Service Modules enable a higher level of control and security
through the support of per port 802.1x and MACSec capabilities. Cisco SM-X EtherSwitch Service Modules
also offer enhanced PoE power levels with the introduction of IEEE 802.3at PoE+, broadening the span of
network equipment powered from the switch. By minimizing Operating Expenses (OpEx) without sacrificing any
advanced switching features, Cisco SM-X EtherSwitch Service Modules can help you maximize your Return On
Investment (ROI) for the network infrastructure and accelerate the deployment of productivity-enhancing
services to your enterprise branch offices or small to midsize business offices.
Table 5. How Cisco SM-X EtherSwitch Service Module addresses customer needs
Customer Needs
How Addressed by Cisco SM-X EtherSwitch Service Module
Scalability with High-Performance LAN
Traffic
● Isolation of LAN traffic and route between
ports on the Cisco SM-X EtherSwitch
Service Module.
● High Speed LAN connections.
● Layer 2 traffic is switched on-board the module.
● Traffic can be forwarded between service modules over the MGF without affecting
the router CPU.
● Maintain Switch to AP Reach at mGig (2.5G) speeds: Support for Access Extensions
and Uplinks.
● 10G Fiber connections to provide for High Speed Server or LAN backbone
connections.
Layer 2 Security
● Protecting the Integrity and Confidentiality of
all traffic on the Local Area Network.
● 1G Ethernet copper ports support MACSec to LAN end points.
● 2.5G (mGig) LAN MACSec to protect traffic to Access Points or High-Speed servers.
Applying L3 services to switched traffic
● Providing critical features like Inter-VLAN
Routing and Default Gateway services to
LAN-port connected users.
● Since the Switch module is L2 capable only, the host router’s Switch Virtual Interface
(SVI) is utilized for applying L3 services to traffic traversing the switch.
● An SVI service provides a limited set of L3 features and is fully operated in SW. As
such, throughput when using SVI will depend on the types and combination of
services applied to traffic.
● SVI throughput example: IPsec stream of mixed packet sizes from one of the 10G
uplink ports will be serviced by an ISR4461 platform’s SVI at an aggregated
throughput of 3.8Gbps.
Total TCO
● Scaling network infrastructure across
multiple sites.
● Increasing costs of operating multiple
devices at the branch office.
● Maximizing IT resources.
● An integrated switch solution lowers operating costs, simplifies troubleshooting, and
enables businesses to scale.
● Single Unified IOS software ensures the IT team only has to install and certify one
software vs two independent software as in the previous generation.
● The modules offer lower Mean Time To Repair (MTTR). One vendor means one
support center to decrease troubleshooting time and eliminate finger pointing among
vendors.
● Cisco SMARTnet
®
support covers both integrated services routers and Cisco
EtherSwitch devices.
Investment Protection
● Ensuring compatibility of your network with
future networks to deliver leading
technology.
● Cisco SM-X EtherSwitch Service Module and Cisco Catalyst switches both run the
same IOS-XE software ensuring that switches are aligned to provide a consistent
user experience.
● Cisco Catalyst and SM-X Etherswitch module both support the latest UADP 2.0 ASIC
ensuring cross platform support for latest innovations.