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Switching fabrics and Router Architecture

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone can explain me switching fabrics in a router architecture. A conventional router uses a BUS architecture but when switching fabric is introduced, what happens to the BUS and the architecture in general?

Im considering part of the BUS architecture:
a processor,
memory (buffers and routing table),
Network Ports.

Thanks in advance!

ECNSSMT

Hi u0369527,

The below urls gives you in techno jargon the information as described by Cisco.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns340/ns394/ns147/ns17/networking_solutions_package.html

http://www.networknewz.com/networknewz-10-20040205UnderstandingNetworkModelsTheCiscoNetworkDesignModel.html

The quick and dirty translation is you have an operational topology that is based on a layer2 switching. It's unified by the connection of the layer 2 devices (hopefully in a nice hierarchical structure of access, distribution and core). In the core, there should be nothing but fast switching (the delivery of data frames from source to destination). On the distribution and access levels are where all the other devices (PCs, routers, printers, etc) and ACLs (rules) are installed. This is your switch fabric.

VLANs are created to securely segregate the L2 traffic. Routers and/or L3 devices are used route IP (IPX, or Appletalk) traffic between (or to and from) VLANs, physically segregated L2 switches and the internet (or another site).

BUS architecture ??? In an extended network, routers provide the connections to create a hierarchical structure to enable the transition of data packets from one network to another. The closest thing to a bus architecture would be the joining of 2 or more peer routers connected almost sequentially to provide network routing services. If that is the case, the models are independent of each other but are not exclusive. Per the design of the network, inferences of either can be drawn out.

Regards,

u0369527

ASKER

Are you saying that the distribution level (routers) + access level is a switching fabric? I thought the switching fabric was some sort of huge router containing several interfaces (network cards) inside..
Please correct me if i'm wrong.
Also, by architecture I mean the layout of the inside of a router (CPU, RAM, ROM, NVRAM...).

u0369527

ASKER

I mean, I thought switching fabric was a component of a modern router?

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ECNSSMT

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u0369527

ASKER

thanks. everything is starting to make sense now, its just confusing to see many people using different semantics
Regards

ECNSSMT

Yikes, you will find that Cisco ( along with every major company) will have specifc ways of describing something and it is just getting accustom to the lingo. If anything else, if you have some free time, check out the Cisco website (or actually any vendor site) to see if they have seminars (sales pitches mostly) in your area. Check them out, check out their mind set, etc.

Regards,