Blog über Cisco Launches Costeffective Catalyst 8500L for Enterprise Edge Networking

As digital transformation accelerates, enterprises face growing demands for enhanced performance and flexibility at the network edge. With bandwidth requirements increasing and application scenarios becoming more complex, organizations urgently need cost-effective solutions for building high-performance edge networks. The Cisco Catalyst 8500L edge platform emerges as an attractive solution to these challenges.

Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series Edge Platform Overview

The Cisco Catalyst 8500 series represents Cisco's next-generation high-performance routers designed for modern edge networking, positioned as successors to the traditional Cisco ASR 1000 series aggregation services routers. While the ASR 1000 series has delivered exceptional performance, security, and rich feature sets since its 2008 debut, evolving network technologies and increasingly complex application scenarios have revealed limitations in meeting contemporary requirements.

The Catalyst 8500 series addresses these challenges through a new hardware architecture and software platform that delivers superior performance, enhanced security, and greater flexibility. The series supports traditional WAN, emerging SD-WAN, and managed service scenarios across multiple models. The C8500-12X4QC and C8500-12X models leverage Cisco QuantumFlow Processor™ technology to deliver 100Gbps to 200Gbps forwarding performance, while the C8500L-8S4X serves as an entry-level edge platform offering 20Gbps performance with feature parity to higher-end models.

Cisco Catalyst 8500L: Optimal Balance of Functionality and Cost

The Cisco Catalyst 8500L (C8500L-8S4X) fills the low-end market gap in the Catalyst 8500 product portfolio, delivering identical functionality to higher-performance models at 20Gbps throughput levels. This feature consistency provides significant advantages for network architects, enabling deployment of devices with identical capabilities and management interfaces across various network locations, thereby simplifying administration and maintenance.

Compared to the ASR 1001-X, the C8500L-8S4X offers superior performance and richer functionality while maintaining comparable pricing. For organizations considering upgrades from ASR 1001-X or ASR 1002-X platforms, both the C8500L-8S4X and C8500-12X represent ideal migration paths.

Common Features Across Cisco Catalyst 8500 Series

Before examining the unique characteristics of the Cisco Catalyst 8500L, it's essential to understand the shared features of the Catalyst 8500 series edge platforms:

• Dedicated processor cores: Each platform incorporates dedicated cores for data forwarding, encryption, control plane, and service plane operations, ensuring performance stability across functions.
• Redundant power supplies: All models support redundant AC or DC power configurations for enhanced reliability.
• Power switches: Independent switches on power modules facilitate maintenance and management.
• Replaceable fans: Modular fan components simplify maintenance and replacement.
• Flexible interfaces: Configurable 10G/1G interfaces accommodate diverse network topologies.
• High-speed interfaces: The C8500-12X4QC model provides 100G/40G interfaces for high-bandwidth requirements.
• Optional RFID hardware: Supports asset management through optional RFID components.

Distinctive Characteristics of Cisco Catalyst 8500L

The Cisco Catalyst 8500L differentiates itself primarily through its data plane architecture. The C8500L-8S4X utilizes a 12-core Intel® x86 architecture that handles all platform functions. Software configuration allows dynamic allocation of these cores to various functions including control plane, data plane, encryption, and service plane operations. This flexible architecture enables network administrators to optimize platform performance by adjusting resource allocation according to operational requirements.

The C8500L-8S4X delivers a compact 1U solution suitable for aggregation and edge networking with up to 20 Gbps performance. The platform features eight dedicated 1G interfaces and four flexible interfaces configurable as 1G or 10G connections. All interfaces remain active without requiring port licensing. While total throughput remains unrestricted, IPsec encryption throughput requires appropriate licensing. All interfaces support WAN MACsec without rate limitations.

Control Plane Architecture

The Catalyst 8500L incorporates an integrated control plane for routing processor functionality, with two cores permanently dedicated to control plane operations. This component manages:

• Router control plane operations including network control packets and connection establishment
• Synchronization between active and standby processes in dual Cisco IOS® redundancy configurations
• Code storage, management, and upgrades
• Onboard failure logging (OBFL)
• Interface control block and forwarding processor operation code distribution via Ethernet Out-of-Band Channel (EOBC)
• Command-line interface (CLI), alerts, network management, logging, and statistics aggregation
• System statistics recording, event logging, error tracking, and platform management interface maintenance
• Chassis management including hardware activation, image distribution, user configuration dissemination, and alert control
• Power input module monitoring, shutdown control, and alarm relay operation

Data Plane: Intel x86 Architecture and Flow-Based Forwarding

Unlike traditional Cisco enterprise edge platforms that utilize Cisco QuantumFlow Processor ASICs, the Catalyst 8500L employs Intel architecture for data plane processing. This approach delivers identical functionality to Catalyst 8500 platforms at lower performance levels and significantly reduced cost. The key differentiator lies in a novel flow-based forwarding algorithm specifically designed for the Catalyst 8500L.

This forwarding mechanism examines tunnel encapsulation internals to maximize flow diversity distribution across data plane cores. Hash distribution parameters vary by encapsulation type and may include:

• IPv4 source/destination addresses
• IPv6 source/destination addresses
• MPLS labels
• VLAN tags (single or double-tagged)
• UDP/TCP source/destination ports
• GRE, IPsec, and SD-WAN tunnel internals

Service Plane and Core Allocation

The Cisco IOS XE operating system supports application hosting capabilities similar to hypervisor systems. The x86 System-on-Chip (SoC) architecture provides flexible core allocation, with default configurations dedicating two cores each to control plane, queuing, and encryption functions, while six cores handle data plane operations. Service mode configurations reallocate these resources to support hosted applications, requiring only the addition of a 2TB M.2 NVME SSD drive.

Hardware Architecture and Specifications

The Intel x86 SoC serves as the system centerpiece, with cores dynamically allocated according to software configuration. Peripheral connections include:

• PCIe interfaces for optional storage, management Ethernet, and data plane Ethernet connections
• USB interfaces for primary flash storage and front-panel connectivity
• Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) for fan control, LED management, and console port operations
• Trust Anchor Module (TAm) for secure boot processes and runtime security maintenance

Memory and Storage

The Catalyst 8500L platform includes 16GB of boot flash memory and 16GB DRAM standard, expandable to 32GB or 64GB. Additional storage supports 2TB M.2 SATA SSDs.

Power and Cooling

Redundant 400W AC (PWR-CH1-400WAC) or DC (PWR-CH1-400WDC) power supplies operate in load-sharing mode for 1+1 redundancy. The cooling system incorporates six replaceable fans with N+1 redundancy, while power modules feature independent cooling fans. Airflow follows front-to-back directionality throughout the chassis.

Conclusion

The Catalyst 8500L edge platform delivers purpose-built solutions for modern WAN requirements at entry-level aggregation and edge throughput levels. Its innovative Intel x86 architecture combines efficient data plane processing with scalable control plane operations, comprehensive encryption capabilities, and optional service plane functionality. These advanced networking features complement eight dedicated 1G interfaces and four flexible 1G/10G connections in a compact form factor.

Collectively, the Catalyst 8500 and 8500L platforms provide enterprise-grade hardware with rich software features suitable for high-performance traditional routing as well as emerging SD-WAN and managed service applications.