Specifications

Chapter 6 Content Networking
6-8
Cisco Content Switching Module
Cisco Content Switching Module
The Cisco Content Switching Module (CSM) is a Catalyst 6500 line card that balances client
traffic to farms of servers, firewalls, SSL devices, or VPN termination devices. The CSM
provides a high-performance, cost-effective load balancing solution for enterprise and
Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks. The CSM meets the demands of high-speed
Content Delivery Networks, tracking network sessions and server load conditions in real
time and directing each session to the most appropriate server. Fault tolerant CSM
configurations maintain full state information and provide true hitless failover required for
mission-critical functions.
When to Sell
Key Features
• Market-leading performance—Establishes up to 150,000 Layer 4 connections per
second and provides high-speed content switching, while maintaining 1 million
concurrent connections
• Outstanding price/performance value for large data centers and ISPs—Features a low
connection cost and occupies a small footprint. The CSM slides into a slot in a new or
existing Catalyst 6500 and enables all ports in the Catalyst 6500 for layer 4 through
layer 7 content switching. Multiple CSMs can be installed in the same Catalyst 6500
for redundancy and scalable performance
• Uses the same Cisco IOS Command Line Interface (CLI) that is used to configure the
Catalyst 6500 Switch
Competitive Products
Specifications
Selected Part Numbers and Ordering Information
1
For More Information
See the Cisco Content Switching Module Series Web site at: http://www.cisco.com/go/csm
Sell This Product When a Customer Needs These Features
Cisco Content Switching
Module
• A high performance, L4 to L7 load balancing solution integrated with Cisco’s Catalyst 6500
• Load balancing for the highest traffic sights
• Support for up to 1,000,000 concurrent TCP connections
• Alteon/Nortel: Web Switching Module, Application Switch, and Web
Switches
• Radware: Web Server Director (WSD)
• F5 Networks: Big/IP
• Foundry Networks: ServerIron
• Resonate: Central Dispatch and Global Dispatch
Feature Cisco Content Switching Module (CSM)
Configuration Limits
512 total VLANs (client and server); 4000 virtual servers; 4000 server farms; 16,000 real servers; 4000
probes; 16,000 access control list (ACL0 items
Connections
1,000,000 concurrent TCP connections
150,000 connection setups per second-Layer 4 75,000 connection setups per second-Layer 7
Throughput
4 Gigabits-per-second total combined (client-to-server and server-to-client) throughput 1.25 million
packets per second
Catalyst Switch Platform Requirements
Native support (switch running Cisco IOS Software only
Hybrid Support (switch running IOS/CatOS)
Functions as a bus enabled line card-not fabric enabled
Multilayer switch feature card-MSFC or MSFC2
Cisco Content Switching Module
WS-X6066-SLB-APC Catalyst 6500 Content Switching Module