The Cisco Distributed Forwarding Card 4 (DFC4), part number WS-F6K-DFC4-E, is designed to enhance the performance of Cisco Catalyst 6500 series switches by providing advanced hardware forwarding capabilities. It serves as a switching accelerator that greatly improves the processing of network traffic while offloading the central supervisor engine. This allows for more efficient and higher-capacity switching, especially in environments with demanding traffic loads.
The DFC4 is suitable for high-performance enterprise networks and data centres, supporting up to 40 Gbps of distributed forwarding per slot. Its key function is to locally switch and route traffic directly on the line card, which reduces latency and improves overall network performance. This reduces the burden on the core fabric and supervisor engines, which can instead focus on managing other network operations.
Among the primary features of the Cisco DFC4 is its ability to provide line-rate forwarding for IPv4, IPv6, and multicast traffic, making the card highly adaptable to modern networking requirements. It also supports technologies such as Quality of Service (QoS) and access control lists (ACLs), contributing to optimised bandwidth management and enhanced traffic filtering, which is crucial in large-scale environments.
Additionally, the DFC4 is compatible with a range of Cisco Catalyst 6500 line cards, and its integration into a network enables scalable solutions that cater to growing performance needs. This hardware-based packet forwarding solution is a critical component for customers looking to bolster the efficiency and scalability of their existing infrastructure.
EOL Technology Services provides crucial support for the Cisco WS-F6K-DFC4-E distributed forwarding card. We offer professional services such as troubleshooting and maintenance, as well as a comprehensive selection of replacement parts. No matter the task, we're here to help keep your networking equipment functioning efficiently.
