[c-nsp] Catalyst vs. Nexus

[James Slepicka]

 >>the 5010 will beat the 4900M in switching latency

Based on the numbers I have, there are some cases where the 4900M is a 
little faster.  It gets especially interesting when you toss 1Gb into 
the mix.  See http://slepicka.net/nexus5klatency.png.

I've deployed both -- 4900M in low-density 10Gb applications and Nexus 
5010/5020 in high-density 10Gb applications.  Other than some minor 
issues with the Nexus (off the top of my head, QoS support is limited -- 
probably due to the cut-through architecture -- and you can't connect a 
switch to a FEX port), I'm happy with them.

James


Darrin Machay wrote:
> Other than FCoE, the major difference is L3 switching. The 5010 is a
> Layer2-only device and the 4900M can do routing. If you're trying to
> shave off microseconds, the 5010 will beat the 4900M in switching
> latency. On the other hand, the 4900M is modular and well suited for
> mixed, low-density 1gig/10gig deployments.
>
>
> Darrin Machay
>
> YJT Solutions
> 440 South LaSalle St, Suite 3990
> Chicago, IL 60605
> Office: 312-362-4712
> Cell: 312-961-6977
> Darrin.Machay at YJTSolutions.com
> www.YJTSolutions.com 
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cisco-nsp-bounces at puck.nether.net
> [mailto:cisco-nsp-bounces at puck.nether.net] On Behalf Of Michael Malitsky
> Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 4:12 PM
> To: cisco-nsp at puck.nether.net
> Subject: [c-nsp] Catalyst vs. Nexus
>
> Hello,
>
> I am working on the first 10Gig deployment in a small data center.  Main
> driver is a SQL database, so there will be a bunch of SQL servers
> virtualized using VMware, running against a SAN over iSCSI.
>
> I've done some research and it looks like I can build the network using
> a Catalyst 4900M or a Nexus 5010, at about the same cost.  I am familiar
> with the Catalyst family, but have no experience with the Nexus.  At
> this point, the only major difference I see is that Nexus supports Fibre
> Channel (which I don't need).  For being different product families, I
> am having a hard time understanding what the major differences are.  Can
> anyone enlighten me?  
> If anyone has hands-on experience with both and willing to share, that
> would be most appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Michael Malitsky
>
>
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