The Cisco Catalyst^® 6800 Family Switches offer a variety of 10-Gigabit Ethernet modules. Working in conjunction with the Catalyst^® 6500-E/6807-XL Supervisor Engine 2T/2TXL (VS-S2T-10G & VS-S2T-10GXL), they can serve different needs on campus deployments. The family includes three modules: the Catalyst 6800 32-port, 16-port, and 8-port 10-Gigabit Ethernet Fiber Modules.

The modules support hardware-based multicast replication, quality of service (QoS), access control lists (ACLs), jumbo frames, and low latency to enable secure and predictable performance for bandwidth-intensive applications. All three share a common ASIC architecture and support the same set of features in hardware. They support Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP/SFP+), 10/100/1000M GLC-T (1G copper SFP) transceivers, and 100M FX. The modules are designed to meet the increasing demand for aggregation of 10-Gigabit Ethernet streams in campus deployments, as well as for high-density 10-Gigabit Ethernet transport in the core.

The modules consist of port groups of eight ports each. The 32-port and 16-port modules can operate in either of two modes: 1) oversubscribed mode (default), which provides for maximum port density, using all of the ports with 2:1 oversubscription; and 2) performance mode, which uses half of the ports, enabling line rates and double the port buffer size. The mode of operation can be changed for each eight-port port-group (mixed mode), and is described in more detail in the following sections. The eight-port 10-Gigabit Ethernet Module always operates in performance mode.

The modules are based on the WS-X6904-40G module and provide the same level of advanced enterprise features and large table sizes that have proven essential to successful operation as a campus aggregation or core switch. They include hardware features such as Virtual Switching System (VSS), Instant Access (IA), Location ID Separation Protocol (LISP), Security Group Tagging (SGT) and Access Control (SGACL), MACsec (802.1ae), traffic shaping, and hierarchical quality of service (HQoS), among others. The line cards are also the first to launch with front-facing passive UHF RFID technology, providing the latest Auto-ID capabilities for asset management.