1-23
Catalyst 2900 Series XL and Catalyst 3500 Series XL Software Configuration Guide
78-6511-05
Chapter 1      Overview
Network Configuration Examples
Multidwelling Configuration
A growing segment of residential and commercial customers are requiring 
high-speed access to Ethernet metropolitan-area networks (MANs). Figure 1-6 
shows a configuration for a Gigabit Ethernet MAN ring using Catalyst 6500 
switches as aggregation switches in the mini-point-of-presence (POP) location. 
These switches are connected through 1000BASE-X GBIC ports.
The resident switches can be Catalyst 2900 XL and Catalyst 3500 XL switches, 
providing customers with either Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet connections to 
the MAN. Catalyst 2900 LRE XL switches can also be used as residential 
switches for customers requiring connectivity through existing telephone lines. 
The Catalyst 2900 LRE XL switches can then connect to another residential 
switch through a 10/100 connection.
All ports on the residential switches are configured as 802.1Q trunks with the 
protected port and STP root guard options enabled. The protected port option 
provides security and isolation between ports on the switch, ensuring that 
subscribers cannot view packets destined for other subscribers. STP root guard 
prevents unauthorized devices from becoming the STP root switch. All ports have 
CGMP enabled for multicast traffic management. Higher VLAN and VLAN ID 
(4096) support is ideal for more security flexibility.