Enterasys Matrix N1 User Manual

Distributed Forwarding Engines (DFEs)
TheMatrixN-SeriesDistributedForwardingEngines(DFEs)support
over18Gbpsofswitchcapacityperbladeanddeliverfullydistributed
switch management and route processing capabilities, where each
interface module is individually driven and managed by on-board
processors.Enterasysow-basednTERAASICs,togetherwithrmware
microprocessors, create a traffic control solution that delivers high
performanceandexibility.ThisdistributedASIC-basedarchitecture
increases processing power as modules are added for a higher level of
scalability at significantly smaller startup costs than competing solutions
whicharetypicallybuiltaroundcentralizedswitchfabricsandsupervisor
management modules.
DFEsareavailableinawidearrayofinterfacetypestoaddressvaried
networkrequirementsincluding10/100Base-TX,10/100/1000Base-
TX,100Base-FX,1000Base-Xand10-GigabitEthernet.SelectedDFE
modulesarealsoavailablewithintegratedPoE.SomeDFEsprovide
an added level of flexibility by including Network Expansion Module
(NEM)slots.Thisfurthersimpliesnetworkdesignandreducesthecost
ofnetworkdeployments.CurrentNetworkExpansionModules(NEMs)
includesupportforMatrixSecurityModulesforNACandIDS/IPS,six
1000Base-Xportsand10GigabitEthernetconnectivity.
Inadditiontoprovidingportexpansion,NetworkExpansionModules
allow enterprises to integrate security applications, including the award-
winningEnterasysDragon
®
IDS/IPStechnology,directlyintotheMatrix™
N-Series chassis with the Matrix Security Module. The Matrix Security
Module is an open, all-purpose processor that provides the capability
to add applications directly into the network switch infrastructure. The
first applications to be integrated onto the Matrix Security Module are
Dragon
®
IntrusionDefenseandEnterasysNetworkAccessControl.
DFEsaredesignedforimplementationfordifferentpositionswithin
network infrastructures, offering differentiated features and price points.
DiamondDFEshavebeenoptimizedforlargescalemultiuserpolicy
deployments in data center server farms and at the distribution and core
layersofthenetwork.DiamondDFEssupportthefullrangeofSecure
Networksfeatures,includingadvancedQualityofService(QoS)andper-
usertrafcratelimiting.Availablein10/100/1000,1000Base-Xand
10Gigabitcongurations,DiamondDFE’sincludeadditionalprocessing
power, memory, policy capacity expansion and advanced routing licenses
for medium to large enterprise backbone and distribution-layer routing
applications.
PlatinumDFEssupportthefullrangeofSecureNetworksfeatures,but
are primarily designed for deployment in access and distribution roles,
withsupportforupto1000downstreamusers/devicesonasingleport
(2000perchassis)withfulldistributedfault-tolerancecapabilities.
Theadvancedroutinglicense(N-EOS-L3)andper-portpolicycapacity
license(N-EOS-PPC)canbepurchasedinordertoprovidesimilar
multiuserauthenticationandroutingscalabilityastheDiamondDFEs.
PlatinumDFEsprovideabroadrangeofEthernetconnectivityranging
from10/100to10GigabitEthernet,includingsupportforPowerover
Ethernet.GoldDFEsaredesignedspecicallyforhigh-density,10/100,
10/100/1000and100FXnetworkedge/accessapplications,withoptions
for Power over Ethernet.
GoldDFEsdeliverscalableperformanceandexibilitytoensure
comprehensiveswitching,QoS,security,andbandwidthcontrol,
providing a more cost-effective option for customers deploying flow-
basedswitchingattheedgeofthenetwork.GoldDFEssupport2unique
usersperport(typicallyaworkstationandaVoIPhandset)incontrast
toPlatinumandDiamondwhichsupportupto1,000users/devices
perport.Throughanoptionalsoftwareupgrade(N-EOS-RED),Gold
DFEmodulescansupport1+1redundancyformissioncriticalnetwork
applications.
High Performance Distributed Architecture
The Matrix N-Series was designed from inception to support high
availability environments. The Matrix N-Series backplane is a point
to-point matrix design with fully meshed inter-switch links that provide
increased scalability and performance. Since there are no active
backplane components, there is no single point of failure. The inter-
switchlinkscansupportupto80Gbpsofswitchingcapacityperlink.
Totalsystemaggregateswitchingcapacityscalesto1.68Tbps.
The Matrix N-Series unique distributed architecture provides
considerable advantages when compared to solutions that rely on
centralised processing modules;
• N+6Highavailability
• Performancescalesasmodulesareadded
• Inherentbackwardscompatibilityandfutureproongprovidesmarket
leadingReturnonInvestment
• Scalability;PortDensityandPerformance
• LowLatency;Eachmodulehasaconnectiontoeveryothermodule
• Modulesareautomaticallyupgradedandconguredastheyare
plugged into the system
Fully Distributed Passive Backplane
ArchitecturalOverview
Page 3

Enterasys Matrix N1 Specifications

General

Brand	Enterasys
Model	Matrix N1
Category	Switch
Language	English