Cisco WS-C3560-8PC-S Installation Guide - Page 51

Chapter 1 Product Overview Network Configuration Examples Using gigabit GBIC modules on two of the switches, you can have redundant uplink connections to a gigabit backbone switch such as the Catalyst 3508G XL switch. If one of the redundant connections fails, the other can serve as a backup path. You can configure the stack members and the Catalyst 3508G XL switch as a switch cluster to manage them through a single IP address. • High-performance workgroup-For users who require high-speed access to network resources, use gigabit GBIC modules to connect the switches directly to a backbone switch in a star configuration. Each switch in this configuration provides users a dedicated 1-Gbps connection to network resources in the backbone. Compare this with the switches in a GigaStack configuration, where the 1-Gbps connection is shared among the switches. Using gigabit GBIC modules also provides flexibility in media and distance options: - 1000BaseSX GBIC module: Fiber connections of up to 550 m - 1000BaseLX/LH GBIC module: Fiber connections of up to 10 km - 1000BaseZX GBIC module: Fiber connections of up to 100 km • Redundant gigabit backbone-To enhance network reliability and load balancing for different VLANs and subnets, you can connect the Catalyst 3500 XL switches, again in a star configuration, to two backbone switches. If one of the backbone switches fails, the second backbone switch preserves connectivity between the switches and network resources. 78-6456-04 Catalyst 3500 Series XL Hardware Installation Guide 1-27