System Architecture; Stackable Architecture - Foundry Networks Switch and Router Installation And Configuration Manual

NetIron Layer 3 Switch
The NetIron Layer 3 Switch is used to build low-cost, wire-speed collapsed router backbones.
The NetIron Layer 3 Switch comes in either a 16-port or 24-port 10BaseT/100BaseTX configuration and either an
8-port or 16-port 100BaseFX Fiber configuration. Optional Fast Ethernet and Gigabit expansion modules are also
available for building large, fast Gigabit networks.
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Figure 9.9 NetIron 16-port Layer 3 Switch with a 2-port expansion module
TurboIron Layer 2 and Layer 3 Switches
The TurboIron is available as either a Layer 2 Switch or a Layer 3 Switch.
TurboIron Layer 2 Switches can be used to interconnect a stack of other switches for faster switching and access
over Gigabit links. They can also be stacked with other TurboIron switches in a network center to provide Gigabit
link connections to switches and server farms through the riser.
The TurboIron/8 comes standard with eight Gigabit 1000BaseSX, 1000BaseLX, or 1000BaseLH ports. TurboIron
Layer 3 Switches can be concentrated in a data center to provide additional port density for very high-
performance, centralized routing. A stack of TurboIron routers can provide connections to routers, switches, and
servers.
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Figure 9.10 TurboIron/8 8-port Layer 2 Switch or Layer 3 Switch

System Architecture

Chassis Architecture
Built on a fully non-blocking architecture, the chassis platform provides switching capacity in the core and on each
interface module. Each interface module utilizes a high bandwidth, shared-memory switching fabric. This local
switching fabric houses the forwarding engines and includes Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) that
provide packet switching functions such as priority handling. Each interface module also contains ASICs that
perform high speed Layer 2, Layer 3, and Layer 4 lookups and forwarding, including IP sub-net look ups and
packet modifications of IP and IPX packets. Additionally, each interface module has a full-duplex data path to the
backplane that provides separate priority queues for each module destination.

Stackable Architecture

Layer 2 Architecture
When a packet arrives at a Foundry Layer 2 Switch, a search for the MAC destination address is initiated. If the
MAC destination address is found, the packet's priority is determined. The packet is then forwarded to the
appropriate output port.
December 2000
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