Important Notice: Our web hosting provider recently started charging us for additional visits, which was unexpected. In response, we're seeking donations. Depending on the situation, we may explore different monetization options for our Community and Expert Contributors. It's crucial to provide more returns for their expertise and offer more Expert Validated Answers or AI Validated Answers. Learn more about our hosting issue here.

Are there any disadvantages in running DLSw+ on the MSFC?

April 26, 2017disadvantages dlsw+ msfc running

0

Posted

Are there any disadvantages in running DLSw+ on the MSFC?

1 Answer

0

Posted

A. Yes. Because the Catalyst 6500 does not support Token Ring, and Ethernet does not support Routing Information Field (RIF), DLSw+ has no way to determine whether end-station device MAC addresses are sourced locally or remotely. This can result in problems with bridge loops, which can cause a Systems Network Architecture (SNA) session disruption. DLSw+ is also process intensive; to run any significant volume of DLSw traffic on the MSFC is counterproductive to the real purpose of a Layer 3 switch. For example, you have greater granularity in router CPU power and scalability with a 7200 Network Processing Engine/Network Service Engine (NPE/NSE) to handle the workload and failover redundancy requirements, than with the MSFC. Note: You can run DLSw+ on an external router with an Inter-Switch Link (ISL) sub-interface instead of running DLSw+ on the MSFC.