Installation guide

Overview 1-21
Deployment Strategies
Desktop Switching Command Reference for more information.
• CiscoView application
The CiscoView device-management application displays the switch image that you can
use to set configuration parameters and to view switch status and performance
information. The CiscoView application, which you purchase separately, can be a
standalone application or part of an SNMP network-management platform. See the
CiscoView documentation for more information.
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) network management
You can manage switches by using an SNMP-compatible management station running
platforms such as HP OpenView or SunNet Manager. The switch supports a
comprehensive set of MIB extensions and MIB II, the IEEE 802.1D bridge MIB, and
four Remote Monitoring (RMON) groups. See the documentation that came with your
SNMP application for more information.
Deployment Strategies
This section provides examples of how you could deploy the 3500 XL switches in your
network.
• GigaStack GBIC aggregation solution
• Wiring closet aggregator solution
GigaStack GBIC Aggregation Solution
Figure 1-16 shows a Catalyst 3508G XL switch with GigaStack GBIC connections
aggregating full-duplex traffic from two Catalyst 2900 XL or 3500 XL switch stacks to an
enterprise switch (such as the Catalyst 8500). The two Catalyst 2900 XL or 3500 XL
switches are daisy-chained together using GigaStack GBICs in half-duplex mode, creating
an 1-Gbps independent stacking backplane. In this deployment, the uplink from the
Catalyst 3508G XL is either a Gigabit EtherChannel or a 1000BaseX connection.