Yes but I can tell you that catOS is not the direction Cisco is going. There are several line cards, like OSM's, that only run in native mode and eventually catOS will be history. So if you are installing a new 6500(s) I would seriously consider native as going from one mode to another is currently quite painful.
For those that aren't familiar, native mode is like configuring 2900's or 3500's except every interface is a routed interface by default so for each port you want to be a layer 2 switchport you enter the "switchport" command etc. under each interface. Dave Rik wrote: > There was a discussion not long ago about the differences between native and > hybrid modes on a Cat6k. The following passages are from a white paper I > found on CCO, posted 9/5/2001. The interesting part is where it mentions > the IOS must reset all linecards in the chassis for a successful failover > from a failed sup. engine. A strong case, I think, to run CatOS on the > switch... > > BTW - Passed the written Saturday. I used the same books everybody else > did, so nothing new I can add about my "experience". ;-} > > Q. Which network-level resiliency options does the Catalyst 6000 family > support? > > A. For network-level resilience, Catalyst 6000 family switches also support > automatic recovery from failure using spanning tree per VLAN, and support > load sharing for faster link convergence using Cisco Fast EtherChannel or > Gigabit EtherChannel technologies. Load balancing with even higher > availability can also be accommodated using Cisco multimodule channeling, > where ports from different line cards can be aggregated into > higher-bandwidth links. Catalyst 6000 family switches are also capable of > load balancing across Layer 3 paths. For maximum availability, the Catalyst > 6000 family switches support Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), providing > fast cutover to a backup system in the event of a catastrophic failure. HSRP > is available between a pair of MSFC engines in the same chassis (Catalyst > OS), between two MSFC engines in different chassis, and between an MSFC and > an external router. (Caveats in Cisco IOS software for the Catalyst 6000 > family of switches are listed later in the document.) > > It is important to note that the Catalyst OS and Cisco IOS software for the > Catalyst 6000 family of switches images differ with respect to their > high-availability mechanisms. The Cisco IOS software for the Catalyst 6000 > family of switches supports high-availability functionality via a model akin > to that of the Catalyst 7500 series routers enhanced high system > availability (EHSA). Meaning that for a supervisor recovery, the standby > supervisor must first reset all line cards; in this case, a recovery will > take from 30 to 60+ seconds (configuration dependent). In addition, because > of the EHSA model being employed, the MSFCs are not configured independently > of one another when in a redundant configuration, meaning that currently > redundant MSFCs in a system running Cisco IOS software for the Catalyst 6000 > family of switches cannot employ HSRP between the MSFCs. The primary MSFC, > however, can run HSRP with an external router, and the standby MSFC will > become primary in the event of a failure (please refer to previous statement > with respect to supervisor recovery). > > -- > Rik Guyler -- David Madland CCIE# 2016 Senior Network Engineer Qwest Communications 612-664-3367 Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=21777&t=21713 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
