The following table compares the currently shipping Catalyst 6500 Series models.
| Name | VS-S2T-10G | VS-S2T-10G-XL | VS-S720-10G-3C | VS-S720-10G-3CXL | WS-SUP720-3B | WS-SUP720-3BXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Switching System (VSS) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Uplinks | 3 Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) based gigabit 1 10/100/100 (Management) 2 X2 Based 10Gb |
2 SFP based gigabit 1 10/100/100 2 X2 Based 10Gb |
2 SFP based gigabit | |||
| IPv4 Routing in Hardware (requires DFC3s) | Up to 720 megapackets per second (Mpps) | Up to 450 Mpps | Up to 400 Mpps | |||
| IPv6 Routing in Hardware (requires DFC3s) | Up to 360 Mpps | Up to 225 Mpps | Up to 200 Mpps | |||
| L2 Bridging in Hardware (requires DCF3s) | Up to 720 Mpps | Up to 450 Mpps | Up to 400 Mpps | |||
| Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) in Hardware for Layer 3 VPNs and Ethernet over MPLS (EoMPLS) Tunneling | Up to 8192 VRFs (VPN Routing and Forwarding) with a total of up to 256,000 routes per system. | Up to 8192 VRFs with a total of up to 1,000,000 routes per system. | Up to 1024 VRFs with a total of up to 256,000 routes per system. | Up to 1024 VRFs with a total of up to 1,000,000 routes per system. | Up to 1024 VRFs with a total of up to 256,000 routes per system. | Up to 1024 VRFs with a total of up to 1,000,000 routes per system. |
| Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) | In Hardware | |||||
| Network Address Translation (NAT) | Hardware Assisted | |||||
| Media Access Control (MAC) Entries (1K=1024) | 128K | 96K | 64K | |||
| Forwarding Entries (1K=1024) | 256K (IPv4) 128K (IPv6) |
1024K (IPv4) 512K (IPv6) |
256K (IPv4) 128K (IPv6) |
1024K (IPv4) 512K (IPv6) |
256K (IPv4) 128K (IPv6) |
1024K (IPv4) 512K (IPv6) |
| Netflow Entries (1K=1024) | 512K | 1024K | 128K | 256K | 128K | 256K |
| QoS Features | VS-S2T-10G | VS-S2T-10G-XL | VS-S720-10G-3C | VS-S720-10G-3CXL | WS-SUP720-3B | WS-SUP720-3BXL |
| Layer-3 Classification and Marking Access Control Entries (ACEs) | 64K shared for QOS / Security : 48K for Security, 16K for QoS | 256K shared for QOS / Security : 192K for Security, 64K for QoS | 32K dedicated for QoS | |||
| Aggregate Rate-Limiting Location | Ingress port or VLAN and egress VLAN or Layer-3 port | |||||
| Rate-Limiting Level Types | Committed Information Rate (CIR), Peak Information Rate (PIR) | |||||
| Aggregate Traffic Rate-Limiting Policers | 16348 | 1023 | ||||
| Flow-Based Rate-Limiting Method; Number of Rates | Per source address, destination address, or full flow; 64 rates | |||||
| MAC Access Control Lists (ACLs) Featuring per-Port/per VLAN Granularity | Yes | |||||
| Security Features | VS-S2T-10G | VS-S2T-10G-XL | VS-S720-10G-3C* | VS-S720-10G-3CXL* | WS-SUP720-3B | WS-SUP720-3BXL |
| Application Control Engine (ACE) Counters | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
| Port Security | Yes | |||||
| IEEE 802.1x and 802.1x Extensions | Yes | |||||
| VLAN, Router and Port ACLs | Yes | |||||
| Security ACL Entries | 64K shared for QOS / Security : 48K for Security, 16 K for QoS | 256K shared for QOS / Security : 192K for Security, 64K for QoS | 32K | |||
| Reflexive ACLs | 128K | |||||
| Unicast Reverse Path Forwarding (uRPF) Check in Hardware | 16 paths | Up to 6 paths | ||||
| CPU Rate Limiters (DoS Protection) Includes Control Plane Policing | 57 special case rate limiters | 10 special case rate limiters | ||||
| Private VLANs | Yes | |||||
| Number of Interfaces with Unique ACLs | 16K | 16K | 512 | 4K | 512 | 4K |
| MAC ACLs on IP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | Yes |
| Cisco TrustSec support | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| CPU HW rate limiters by pulse per second (PPS) or bits per second (BPS) | Yes | Yes | No (PPS only) | No (PPS only) | No (PPS only) | No (PPS only) |
| Control Plane Policing (CoPP) for Multicast | L2 & L3 support | - | - | - | - | |
| CoPP for Exceptions: Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), Time-to-Live (TTL) | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| CoPP Exceptions Netflow Support | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| ACL Labels | 16K | 16K | 512 | 4K | 512 | 4K |
| Port ACL | 8K | 2K | ||||
| ACL Dry Run | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| Hitless ACL Changes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| MPLS and Virtualization Features | VS-S2T-10G | VS-S2T-10G-XL | VS-S720-10G-3C | VS-S720-10G-3CXL | WS-SUP720-3B | WS-SUP720-3BXL |
| Label Imposition/Disposition (MPLS-PE), Swapping (MPLS-P) | Yes | |||||
| Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) | Yes | |||||
| Tag Distribution Protocol Support (TDP) | Yes | |||||
| MPLS VPN | Yes | |||||
| Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) Lite | Yes | |||||
| QoS Mechanisms Using Experimental (EXP) Bits | Yes | |||||
| MPLS with Resource Reservation Protocol Traffic Engineering (MPLS-RSVP-TE) | Yes | |||||
| MPLS Differentiated Services (DiffServ)-Aware Traffic Engineering (MPLS-DS-TE) | Yes | |||||
| MPLS Traceroute | Yes | |||||
| EoMPLS | Yes | |||||
| Native Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS in HW) | Yes | Yes | - | |||
| Native L2 over Multipoint GRE | Yes | Yes | - | |||
| VRF-aware Operational contexts | Yes | Yes | - | |||
| VPN Netflow support | Yes | Yes | - | |||
| VPN aware NAT | Yes | Yes | - | |||
| VRF-lite scalability | VLAN reuse per sub-interface | VLAN reuse per sub-interface | - | |||
| Per VPN Interface statistics | Yes | Yes | - | |||
| Feature | WS-X6704-10GE | WS-X6708-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6716-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6908-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10T-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6716-10T-3C/3CXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ports | 4 | 8 | 16 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Optics | XENPAK | X2 | X2 | X2 | Copper (RJ-45) connectors | X2 | No optics; Copper (RJ-45) connectors |
| Switch fabric connection | 40 Gbps (80 Gbps full duplex) | 40 Gbps (80 Gbps full duplex) | 40 Gbps (80 Gbps full duplex) | 80 Gbps (80 Gbps full duplex) | 40 Gbps (80 Gbps full duplex) | 40 Gbps (80 Gbps full duplex) | 40 Gbps (80 Gbps full duplex) |
| Oversubscription | 1:1 | 2:1 | 4:1 | 1:1 | 4:1 | 4:1 | 4:1 |
| Queues | Receive: 8q8t | Receive: 8q4t | Oversubscription mode: | Receive: 8q4t | Oversubscription mode: | Oversubscription mode: | Oversubscription mode: |
| Transmit: 1p7q8t | Transmit: 1p7q4t | Receive: 1p7q2t per port | Transmit: 1p7q4t | Receive: 1p7q2t per port | Receive: 1p7q2t per port | ||
| Transmit: 1p7q4t per port group | Transmit: 1p7q4t per port group | Transmit: 1p7q4t per port group | |||||
| Performance mode: | Performance mode: | Performance mode: | Performance mode: | ||||
| Receive: 8q4t per port | Receive: 8q4t per port | Receive: 8q4t per port | Receive: 8q4t per port | ||||
| Transmit: 1p7q4t per port | Transmit: 1p7q4t per port | Transmit: 1p7q4t per port | Transmit: 1p7q4t per port | ||||
| Onboard memory | 256 MB default, upgradeable to 512 MB or 1 GB | 1 GB default | 1 GB default | 2 GB default | 1 GB default | 1 GB default | 1 GB default |
| Port buffers | 16 MB per port | 200 MB per port | 90 MB per port group in oversubscription mode 200 MB per port in performance mode |
256 MB per port | 90 MB per port group in oversubscription mode 256 MB per port in performance mode |
90 MB per port group in oversubscription mode 200 MB per port in performance mode |
90 MB per port group in oversubscription mode 200 MB per port in performance mode |
| Maximum port density per chassis | 44 ports (6513-E) | 88 ports (6513-E chassis) | 176 ports (6509-E chassis) | 88 ports (6513-E chassis) | 176 ports (6513-E chassis) | 176 ports (6509-E chassis) | 130 ports (9-slot chassis) |
| Maximum port density per VSS | 88 ports | 176 ports | 352 ports | 176 ports | 352 ports | 352 ports | 260 ports |
| Hardware-based multicast replication (ingress and egress), per replication engine | Approximately 20 Gbps, 2 engines per module | Approximately 40 Gbps, 2 engines per module | Approximately 40 Gbps, 2 engines per module | Approximately 40 Gbps, 2 engines per module | Approximately 40 Gbps, 2 engines per module | Approximately 40 Gbps, 2 engines per module | Approximately 50 Gbps, 2 engines per module |
| Jumbo frame support for bridged and routed packets | Up to 9216 bytes | ||||||
| Can be used to form virtual switch link | - | Yes | Performance mode: Yes Oversubscription mode: No |
Yes | Performance mode: Yes Oversubscription mode: No |
Performance mode: Yes Oversubscription mode: No |
Performance mode: Yes Oversubscription mode: No |
| Forwarding Engine | WS-X6704-10GE | WS-X6708-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6716-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6908-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10T-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6716-10T-3C/3CXL |
| Centralized Forwarding Card (CFC) | Default | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Distributed Forwarding Card (DFC) | Optional: DFC3A, DFC3B, DFC3BXL, DFC3C, DFC3CXL | With DFC3C, supports 256K forwarding entries; with DFC3CXL, supports 1024K forwarding entries. | With DFC3C, supports 256K forwarding entries; with DFC3CXL, supports 1024K forwarding entries. | With DFC4, supports 256K forwarding entries; with DFC4XL, supports 1024K forwarding entries. | With DFC4, supports 256K forwarding entries; with DFC4XL, supports 1024K forwarding entries. | With DFC3C, supports 256K forwarding entries; with DFC3CXL, supports 1024K forwarding entries. | With DFC3C, supports 256K forwarding entries; with DFC3CXL, supports 1024K forwarding entries. |
| Queue Mapping and Scheduling | WS-X6704-10GE | WS-X6708-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6716-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6908-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10T-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6716-10T-3C/3CXL |
| Class of Service (CoS) | Yes | ||||||
| Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deficit Weighted Round Robin (DWRR) Scheduler | Yes | Yes | Oversubscription and performance mode | Yes | Yes | Oversubscription and performance mode | Oversubscription and performance mode |
| Weighted Random Early Detection Scheduler | Yes | Yes | Oversubscription and performance mode | Yes | Yes | Oversubscription and performance mode | Oversubscription and performance mode |
| Shaped Round Robin (SRR) Scheduler | No | Yes | Performance mode, at egress only | At egress only | Performance mode, at egress only | Performance mode, at egress only | Performance mode, at egress only |
| Supported Supervisor Engines | WS-X6704-10GE | WS-X6708-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6716-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6908-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10T-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6716-10T-3C/3CXL |
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching Supervisor Engine 720 with 10GE uplinks | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | Yes |
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching Supervisor Engine 2T | - | - | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
| Supervisor Engine 720 with any policy feature card (chassis will work in lowest common denominator mode) | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - | Yes |
| Virtual Switching Supervisor 2T (with CFC or DFC4 / DFC4XL on the 6704) | Yes | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Supported Chassis | WS-X6704-10GE | WS-X6708-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6716-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6908-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10T-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6716-10T-3C/3CXL |
| Any Cisco Catalyst 6500 E-Series (NEBS compliant: operating temperature up to 55°C) | Yes | ||||||
| C6509 NEB-A with Dual Fan Tray (NEBS compliant) | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Cisco 7600 Series with Dual Fan Tray (NEBS compliant) | Yes | Cisco 7604 and 7609 Series only | - | - | - | - | - |
| Non-E 6500 Series, such as Cisco Catalyst 6506, 6509, 6513, and C6509-NEB-A with Single Fan Tray (non-NEBS compliant: operating temperature up to 40°C) | - | Yes | Yes | - | - | Yes | Yes |
| Non-E 7600 Series with Single Fan Tray (non-NEBS compliant) | - | Cisco 7606, 7613, and 7609 Series only | - | - | - | - | - |
| Slot Requirements | WS-X6704-10GE | WS-X6708-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6716-10G-3C/3CXL | WS-X6908-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10T-2T/2TXL | WS-X6816-10G-2T/2TXL | WS-X6716-10T-3C/3CXL |
| Cisco Catalyst 6503-E | Any slot | ||||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6504-E | Any slot | ||||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6506 | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - | Any slot |
| Cisco Catalyst 6506-E | Any slot | ||||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6509 | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - | Any slot |
| Cisco Catalyst 6509-E | Any slot | ||||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6509-V-E | Any slot | ||||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6509-NEB-A | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - | Any slot |
| Cisco Catalyst 6513 with Supervisor 720 | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | - | - | - | Slots 9-13 only |
| Cisco Catalyst 6513-E with Supervisor 720 | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | - | - | - | Any slot |
| Cisco Catalyst 6513-E with Supervisor 2T | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only; (6704 must have CFC or DFC4 to operate with Supervisor 2T) | - | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only |
| Cisco Catalyst 7604 | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 7606 | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - | - | |
| Cisco Catalyst 7609 | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cisco 7613 Series | Slots 9-13 only | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Feature | WS-X6724-SFP | WS-X6748-SFP | WS-X6748-GE-TX | WS-X6824-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-TX-2T / 2TXL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ports | 24 | 48 | 48 | 24 | 48 | 48 |
| Optics | SFP | SFP | None. RJ-45 | SFP | SFP | None. RJ-45 |
| Queues per Port | Transmit: 1p3q8T; Receive: 2q8T | |||||
| Deficit Weighted Round Robin (DWRR) Scheduler | Yes | |||||
| Port Buffers | Receive: 166 KB; Transmit: 1.17 MB | |||||
| Onboard Memory | 256 MB default, upgradable to 512 MB or 1 GB | 256 MB default, upgradable to 512 MB or 1 GB | 256 MB default, upgradable to 512 MB or 1 GB | 1GB Default | 1GB Default | 1GB Default |
| Maximum port density (for 6513-E chassis) | 264 ports | 528 ports | 528 ports | 264 ports | 528 ports | 528 ports |
| Maximum port density per VSS | 576 ports | 1056 ports | 1056 ports | 528 ports | 1056 ports | 1056 ports |
| Hardware-based multicast replication, ingress and egress, per replication engine | Approximately 20 Gbps, 2 replication engines per module | |||||
| Jumbo frame support for bridged and routed packets | Up to 9216 bytes | |||||
| Forwarding Engine | WS-X6724-SFP | WS-X6748-SFP | WS-X6748-GE-TX | WS-X6824-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-TX-2T / 2TXL |
| Centralized Forwarding Card (CFC) | Default | Default | Default | - | - | - |
| Distributed Forwarding Card (DFC4 or DFC4XL) | - | - | - | Default | Default | Default |
| Distributed Forwarding Card (DFC3A, DFC3B, DFC3BXL, DFC3C, DFC3XL) | Optional | Optional | Optional | - | - | - |
| Supported Supervisor Engine | WS-X6724-SFP | WS-X6748-SFP | WS-X6748-GE-TX | WS-X6824-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-TX-2T / 2TXL |
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching Supervisor Engine 2T | Yes; 6724 must have CFC, DFC4, or DFC4XL to operate with Supervisor 2T | Yes; 6724 must have CFC, DFC4, or DFC4XL to operate with Supervisor 2T | Yes; 6724 must have CFC, DFC4, or DFC4XL to operate with Supervisor 2T | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching Supervisor Engine 720 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720 | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - |
| Supported Chassis | WS-X6724-SFP | WS-X6748-SFP | WS-X6748-GE-TX | WS-X6824-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-TX-2T / 2TXL |
| Any Cisco Catalyst 6500 E-Series (NEBS compliant: operating temperature up to 55°C) | Yes | |||||
| C6509 NEB-A with Dual Fan Tray (NEBS Compliant) | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - |
| Cisco 7600 Series (NEBS compliant) | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - | - |
| Slot Requirements | WS-X6724-SFP | WS-X6748-SFP | WS-X6748-GE-TX | WS-X6824-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-SFP-2T / 2TXL | WS-X6848-TX-2T / 2TXL |
| Cisco Catalyst 6503-E | Any slot | |||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6504-E | Any slot | |||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6506 | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 6506-E | Any slot | |||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6509 | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 6509-E | Any slot | |||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6509-V-E | Any slot | |||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6509-NEB-A | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 6513 with Supervisor 720 | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 6513-E with Supervisor 720 | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 6513-E with Supervisor 2T | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only; (6724 must have CFC, DFC4, or DFC4XL to operate with Supervisor 2T) | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only; (6724 must have CFC, DFC4, or DFC4XL to operate with Supervisor 2T) | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only; (6724 must have CFC, DFC4, or DFC4XL to operate with Supervisor 2T) | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only |
| Cisco Catalyst 7604 | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 7606 | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 7609 | Any slot | Any slot | Any slot | - | - | - |
| Cisco 7613 Series | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | Slots 9-13 only | - | - | - |
| Module | ACE | FWSM | WiSM | NAM | CSM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features | Supports: - Data center security - Application security - Virtual devices - Role based administration - L2-7 integration - Function consolidation - Cisco Application Networking Manager (ANM) |
Handles: - 5 Gbps throughput - 100,000 cells per second (CPS) - 1 million concurrent connections |
Supports: - 802.11a/b/g - IEEE 802.11n draft 2.0 standard |
Helps: - Optimize network resources - Troubleshoot performance issues - Ensure a consistent user experience |
Handles: - 320,000 CPS with SYN cookie - 150,000 CPS in Layer 4 - 65,000 CPS in Layer 7 - 1 million concurrent connections - 4 Gbps throughput - 1.25 million packets per second (PPS) |
| Works with All Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Chassis | Yes | ||||
| Supporting Supervisor Engines | ACE | FWSM | WiSM | NAM | CSM |
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching Supervisor Engine 720 and Supervisor Engine 720-10GE | Yes | ||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Virtual Switching Supervisor Engine 2T | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | - |
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 32 | - | Yes | - | Yes | Yes |
| Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 2 | - | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Slots Required | ACE | FWSM | WiSM | NAM | CSM |
| All Cisco Catalyst 6500 and 6500-E Series Chassis (except 6513 and 6513-E) | Any slot | ||||
| Cisco Catalyst 6513 Series Chassis | Any slot | Slots 9-13 only | Any slot | Any slot | |
| Cisco Catalyst 6513-E Series Chassis | Slots 1-6 and 9-13 only when used with Supervisor Engine 2T | Any slot | Slots 9-13 only when used with Supervisor Engine 720 and Supervisor Engine 720-10GE; | Any slot | Any slot |
For detailed compatibility information between current and end of sale products, see the Catalyst 6500 release notes.