Force10 Networks Force10 User Manual download pdf (Page 13)

Installing and Maintaining the E1200i System 13

The Force10 Networks E1200i system is a carrier-class, high-capacity aggregation router. The 16-slot

modular system provides two slots dedicated for Route Processor Modules (RPMs) and 14 slots for line

cards with Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 and routing capabilities.

Operating Overview

The E1200i system requires a Route Processor Module (RPM), at least one line card, and at least eight

Switch Fabric Modules (SFMs) for packet processing. The RPM is the core for routing and control

operations; all traffic destined to the E1200i terminates on the RPM. Routing table entries are built on the

RPM and directed to the forwarding information tables on the line cards.

Software processes, such as Telnet, SNMP, CLI, Layer 2, and Layer 3 functions, are divided among three

CPUs for redundancy and speed. Independent software images run on each CPU. Each CPU has its own

memory, which isolates processes from each other, increasing reliability. Operating the E1200i system

with redundant RPMs enables automatic fail-over redundancy.

Line cards perform all data forwarding operations. Each line card has Force10 Networks proprietary

ASICs — the flexible packet classification (FPC) ASIC and the Buffer and Traffic Manager (BTM) ASIC.

The FPC accepts packets, feeds packets to input/output ports, handles packet classification (access lists,

and Layer 2 and Layer 3 lookups), and packet-marking (Diffserv or 802.1p). The BTM is responsible for

all queuing operations.

The internal flash memory device shipped with the RPM contains the boot ROM and runtime images. Each

RPM accommodates an external flash memory card that can be used to copy and store system boot,

software images, and configuration files. For information about using a flash card, refer to Appendix A,

on page 75.

Chapter 2 The E1200i System

1 2 ... 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 ... 104 105

No comments

Force10 Networks Force10 User Manual Page 13