C1-C4506-E Cisco ONE Catalyst 4500 E-Series 6 Slots Switch Chassis

Chassis Architecture and Physical Specifications

The C4506-E chassis is engineered for high-performance, mid-density deployments. Its 6-slot design offers a versatile framework for mixing and matching various line cards and supervisor engines to create a customized switching solution.

Form Factor and Slot Configuration

The chassis is a 6-rack-unit (6RU) high enclosure, designed for standard 19-inch rack mounting. Of its six slots, the strategic allocation is key to its functionality:

Slots 1 and 2: These are dedicated to the Supervisor Engine. The system operates with a single supervisor for standard operation, but these dual slots allow for a redundant supervisor configuration, enabling stateful switchover (SSO) and non-stop forwarding (NSF) for maximum uptime.
Slots 3 through 6: These four slots are for network interface line cards (often called modules). This is where you add your Ethernet ports—Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, 10-Gigabit Ethernet, or even PoE/PoE+ capabilities—to connect to the rest of your network.

Backplane Performance: The Switching Fabric

The performance heart of the C4506-E is its switching fabric. The "E-Series" designation marks a major upgrade here. This chassis features a 240 Gbps shared switching fabric. It's crucial to understand that this is a fabric designed for wire-speed performance on all slots simultaneously when populated with compatible E-Series line cards and supervisor engines. This capacity ensures that inter-module traffic and traffic to centralized services (like a firewall module) does not become a bottleneck.

Understanding Shared vs. Distributed Fabric

Unlike some higher-end chassis with fully distributed fabrics, the 4500 E-Series utilizes a centralized, shared fabric architecture. This design is highly cost-effective and provides more than enough bandwidth for the vast majority of enterprise distribution and core layer requirements, supporting aggregated Gigabit and 10-Gigabit Ethernet densities with ease.

Cooling and Environmental Design

Reliability hinges on proper thermal management. The C4506-E features a sophisticated, field-replaceable fan tray with multiple fans operating in a load-sharing, redundant configuration. The system supports front-to-back airflow, which is the standard for most data center and wiring closet environments, aligning with hot aisle/cold aisle containment strategies. The fan tray intelligently adjusts speed based on temperature sensors throughout the chassis, optimizing cooling and acoustics.

The Importance of Redundancy: Deploying Dual Supervisors

For mission-critical deployments, using two identical supervisor engines in slots 1 and 2 is a best practice. In this setup, one supervisor is active, while the other is in standby. They synchronize configuration and state information (using SSO). In the event of an active supervisor failure, the standby supervisor assumes control typically within sub-second timeframes, with minimal disruption to network traffic (NSF). This is a non-negotiable feature for core network nodes.

Flexibility Through Line Cards and Modules

The true power of modular chassis lies in the ability to select interface modules that match your exact connectivity needs. The C4506-E supports a wide array of Catalyst 4500 E-Series line cards.

Types of Interface Modules

High-Density Gigabit Ethernet

Modules like the WS-X4648-RJ45-E offer 48 ports of 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet with PoE+ (802.3at) support, ideal for connecting IP phones, wireless access points, and desktop computers from a single module.

10-Gigabit Ethernet Uplinks and Server Connectivity

For high-speed aggregation, modules such as the WS-X4712-SFP+E provide 12 ports of 10-Gigabit Ethernet using SFP+ optics. These are used for backbone links, connections to data center servers, or as high-capacity uplinks from access switches.

Service Modules: Integrating Network Functions

Beyond simple switching, the Catalyst 4500 can host integrated service modules, transforming it into a consolidated services platform.

Wireless LAN Controller Module (WS-X4580): Allows the chassis to directly control Cisco Aironet access points, eliminating the need for an external WLC appliance.
Network Analysis Module (NAM): Provides deep packet inspection and network performance monitoring, giving administrators visibility into application performance and traffic flows.

PoE and PoE+ Capabilities

Many line cards offer Power over Ethernet (PoE) or the higher-wattage PoE+. It is critical to calculate the total power budget required by all connected devices (phones, APs, cameras) and ensure the chassis's power supplies can deliver that power, plus overhead for the chassis itself. PoE planning is a essential step in deployment.

Power Subsystem and Redundancy

A resilient network device requires a resilient power design. The C4506-E chassis supports multiple power supply configurations to meet availability and capacity needs.

Power Supply Options

The chassis accepts AC and DC power supply units (PSUs) with varying wattages (e.g., 1400W AC, 2800W AC). The higher-wattage supplies are necessary for fully populating the chassis with high-power PoE+ line cards.

Load-Sharing and Redundant Modes

The system can be configured with one or two power supplies. With two, they can operate in:

Redundant Mode: One power supply carries the entire load, while the other remains on standby, activating only if the primary fails. This maximizes availability.
Combined Mode (Load Sharing): Both power supplies share the electrical load simultaneously. This improves efficiency and can provide additional power headroom for PoE, but if one fails, the remaining supply must be able to handle the entire load or the system will power down.

Power Management and PoE Budgeting

The supervisor engine provides detailed power management. Administrators can view power consumption per module, set power priorities for PoE ports (to ensure critical devices like phones stay powered during a shortage), and monitor the available power budget in real-time. Properly sizing and configuring the power subsystem is as important as selecting the right line cards.

Key Feature Highlights

Advanced Security

Includes features like ACLs (standard, extended, VLAN-based), port security, DHCP snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI), and IP Source Guard to protect the network infrastructure and connected endpoints.

Quality of Service (QoS)

Sophisticated classification, policing, marking, and queuing mechanisms to ensure voice, video, and critical application traffic receive priority across the network, minimizing latency and jitter.

High Availability Protocols

Beyond supervisor redundancy, the platform supports Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), and Gateway Load Balancing Protocol (GLBP) for default gateway redundancy, and link aggregation (EtherChannel) for link-level resilience.

Primary Use Cases and Applications

The Cisco Catalyst 4506-E chassis excels in specific roles within the traditional three-tier enterprise network model.

Enterprise Distribution Layer

Its most classic role. Here, it aggregates traffic from dozens of access switches (Catalyst 2960, 3650, 3850 series), performs inter-VLAN routing, enforces security and QoS policies, and provides uplinks to the network core. Its modularity allows for a mix of high-density Gigabit Ethernet for downlinks and 10-Gigabit Ethernet for core uplinks.

Mid-Size Network Core

For small to mid-sized campuses or enterprise branches, a properly configured C4506-E with redundant supervisors and power supplies can serve as a highly available core switch, routing traffic between distribution blocks and to data center or internet edge resources.

Consolidated Services Block

By integrating a WLC module or a NAM, the chassis becomes a consolidation point for both switching and critical network services, simplifying management and reducing the number of physical devices that need to be maintained and powered in a wiring closet.