The Cisco 4-port 10/100BASE-T Fast Ethernet Switch WAN Interface Card (WIC-4ESW) for Cisco 1700 Series modular access routers is an intelligent managed switch, offering small businesses and enterprise small branch office customers the option to integrate

The Cisco 4-port 10/100BASE-T Fast Ethernet Switch WAN Interface Card (WIC-4ESW) for Cisco 1700 Series modular access routers is an intelligent managed switch, offering small businesses and enterprise small branch office customers the option to integrate LAN switching and routing into one platform. The advanced capabilities of the WAN interface card (WIC), including VLAN support, Spanning Tree Protocol, and traffic prioritization, provide the flexibility for customers to deploy different network configurations.

Introduction

The Cisco 4-Port Fast Ethernet Switch WIC extends the capabilities of Cisco 1700 Series modular access routers, providing four additional Fast Ethernet ports for expanded network deployments. When installed in the WIC or WIC/VIC slot of the router, this 4-port 10/100BASE-T switch WIC enables delivery of LAN services for connecting PCs, printers, server farms, wireless access points, or other LAN devices. The 10/100BASE-T Fast Ethernet port onboard the Cisco 1700 Series router can be connected to an external DSL or cable modem to provide high-speed broadband services.

Managed Fast Ethernet Switch Features

The Cisco 4-Port Fast Ethernet Switch WIC is an intelligent Ethernet switch that provides several autodetect features, such as half- or full-duplex autosensing,

10/100BASE-T autosensing, and automatic crossover detection. These features reduce first-time configuration steps and allow for flexibility when your network architecture changes.

Because it is also a managed switch, the Cisco 4-Port Fast Ethernet Switch WIC offers more capabilities and business advantages than most integrated switching solutions available for routers and security appliances. Support for standards-based IEEE features such as 802.1Q VLAN, 802.1p traffic prioritization, and 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol makes the WIC a powerful component for Cisco 1700 Series modular access routers.

802.1Q VLAN technology allows devices such as hosts, servers, and printers that are connected to separate physical LANs to be grouped logically as though they were part of the same LAN. This provides ease of management and offers flexibility in deploying an optimized network solution.

IEEE 802.1p support allows the Cisco 4-Port Fast Ethernet Switch WIC to prioritize traffic flowing through the network, giving the highest priority to packets containing time-sensitive data, such as interactive voice and video traffic. Lower priority is given to data such as e-mail and FTP. This capability helps to optimize bandwidth utilization and to ensure reliable performance of business-critical applications.

The 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol prevents loops in a switched network by only allowing traffic through a single path to other parts of the network, where redundant paths are shut off until they are needed. This is essential in maintaining a reliable and highly available network.

Flexible Applications

When combined with the power of Cisco IOS Software, the Cisco 4-Port Fast Ethernet Switch WIC makes Cisco 1700 Series modular access routers highly flexible, allowing businesses to deploy many types of network applications such as the creation of a demilitarized zone (DMZ). A DMZ allows external Internet users to access public servers, including Web and FTP servers, while maintaining security for the company's private LAN through the use of Cisco IOS Firewall.

Consider the case of a small- or medium-sized company planning to implement an intranet, including an 802.11b WLAN and a Web server to host an internal Web site for employees. The company would also like to host an external Web site and an FTP server, so its customers can obtain product information and download sample files. In this case, a single Cisco 1700 Series modular access router configured with a Cisco ADSL WIC and a Cisco 4-Port Fast Ethernet Switch WIC can be deployed to meet these requirements. The external Web server and FTP server can be connected to two of the 10/100BASE-T ports on the Cisco 4-Port Fast Ethernet Switch WIC. A Cisco Aironet wireless access point and the internal Web server can be connected to the remaining two 10/100BASE-T ports, providing internal LAN services, intranet, and Internet access for employees.

Using 802.1Q VLAN technology and Cisco IOS Firewall, a DMZ can be created for the external Web and FTP servers, to separate and protect the internal network from the Internet. At the same time, 802.1p traffic prioritization will guarantee timely access to mission-critical business applications. These features greatly expand the power of Cisco 1700 Series modular access routers, allowing you to provide valuable services to your customers and employees with a single networking device.

Cisco WIC-4ESW