Introduction; Overview - Cabletron Systems SmartSwitch 6000 Installation & User Manual

1

Introduction

This chapter introduces the 6H202-24, 6H252-17, and 6H262-18 SmartSwitch 6000 interface
modules and provides information about how to obtain additional support from Cabletron
Systems.
Important Notice
Depending on the firmware version used in the SmartSwitches, some features described in this
document may not be supported. Refer to the Release Notes shipped with the device to determine
which features are supported.
1.1

OVERVIEW

The SmartSwitches shown in Figure 1-1 are Ethernet/Fast Ethernet interface modules for
Cabletron Systems 6C105 chassis. The 6H202-24 has 24 RJ45 switched ports. The 6H252-17 has
16 RJ45 switched ports and 1 slot for an optional High Speed Interface Module (HSIM) or Very
High Speed Interface Module (VHSIM), and the 6H262-18 has 16 RJ45 switched ports and 2 slots
for Gigabit Port Interface Modules (GPIMs).
The SmartSwitches can be used to connect individual high-bandwidth user devices, such as
workstations, or to provide a central switching point for multiple 10/100 Mbps Fast Ethernet
segments. The optional HSIMs provide one or more high speed uplinks to networking
technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI),
Wide Area Network (WAN) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Some HSIMs can provide
additional Fast Ethernet ports in varying media types. The optional VHSIMs provide very high
speed uplinks to networking technologies such as ATM and Gigabit Ethernet. The optional GPIMs
provide connectivity to Gigabit Ethernet using fiber optic cable.
SmartSwitch ports can be configured to control frame traffic several ways, including prioritizing
traffic flow according to protocol type. SmartSwitches can also be configured to establish Virtual
Local Area Networks (VLANs) and control the flow of frames associated with each VLAN
according to priority and Ether type. Detailed information about VLANs is provided in the Local
Management User's Guide.
Introduction 1-1