[c-nsp] Router/Switch Sizing terms

[Sami Joseph]

Hello,

I got confused from the many terms my vendor keeps talking about:

1) Backplane:
2) Switch Fabric
3) Switching Capacity
4) Forwarding performance

Can anyone please help me identify how a router/switch is compared or sized?

Is this information available in any document or book ? (definition of above
terms, and how a switch/router is measured)?

private messages are welcomed, please send me details if available, i really
need to understand this.

Thanks,
Ahmed