Cisco boosts speed and security

Cisco is upgrading its Catalyst Intelligent Switching range by adding support for 10Gb Ethernet and improving security and management functionality.

Software enhancements for the 6500 range include a CX-4 Xenpak module for supporting 10Gb Ethernet over copper transmission, an LX-4 module to support 10Gb Ethernet connections over multimode fibre and new web-based management tools to allow remote control by administrators.

Speaking at the CeBIT show in Hanover, Steven Shalita, senior manager for Cisco's local area network switches, said: "By allowing 10Gb over copper we're bringing the cost down from tens of thousands of dollars to under a thousand.

"We're enabling 10Gb over multimode fibre, which is the predominant medium for Gigabit Ethernet in the office today."

Alterations to the company's 4500 range include an expanded 10-slot 4510 chassis that can now fit 384 ports and adds a back-up power supply.

The networking giant also unveiled a new switch, the 3710G-16TD, which has 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports and a single 10Gb Ethernet uplink port allowing it to be stacked for speeds up to 32Gbps.

To boost security, Cisco's new management software has IP-based port guards that can close down specific ports immediately to stop the spread of worms such as Blaster.

Access control lists can now be set more easily, while support for 802.1x is built in to check user authentication.

The systems will be rolled out over the next three months.