The Catalyst 4500 and 6500 are chassis switches: each is built from a chassis, a supervisor engine, line cards and power supplies, and each of those has its own part number and its own list of what it fits. This guide covers the 4500 and 6500 supervisors and cards, the Cisco 7600 RSP720, the port adapters and Communication Media Module, the power supplies, and the X2, XENPAK and GBIC optics these switches take. Every figure comes from Cisco data sheets, installation guides and end of sale notices, listed under Sources.
The short answer
Start from the chassis, then pick a supervisor it takes, then line cards that run at that supervisor's per slot speed. On a 4500 the E-Series chassis are the ones the WS-X4748 cards need; on a 6500 the E-Series chassis are the ones the Supervisor Engine 2T needs. Cisco names the Catalyst 9400 to follow the 4500E and the Catalyst 9600 to follow the 6500.
The supervisors side by side
| Supervisor | Chassis | Switching | Uplinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| WS-X45-SUP8-E | 4503-E, 4506-E, 4507R+E, 4510R+E | Up to 928 Gbps, 48 Gbps per slot, 250 Mpps IPv4 | Up to 8 x 10GE SFP+ |
| WS-X45-SUP6L-E | 4503-E, 4506-E, 4507R-E, 4507R+E | 280 Gbps (136 Gbps in 4503-E), 225 Mpps IPv4 | 2 x 10GE X2 |
| WS-X4516-10GE | Catalyst 4500 | 136 Gbps, 102 Mpps | 2 x 10GE X2, 4 x GE SFP |
| WS-SUP720-3B | Catalyst 6500 | 720 Gbps fabric, up to 400 Mpps IPv4 with DFC3 | Not stated |
| VS-S2T-10G | 6500 E-Series, C6807-XL | 2.08 Tbps fabric, 80 Gbps per slot | 3 x GE SFP, 2 x 10G X2 |
| RSP720-3C-GE | Cisco 7600 | 720 Gbps fabric | 2 x GE |
| C9400-SUP-1 | C9404R, C9407R, C9410R | Up to 1.44 Tbps, 80 Gbps per slot, 900 Mpps IPv4 | 8 x 10GE SFP+, 2 x 40GE QSFP |
Catalyst 4500
The Supervisor Engine 8-E, WS-X45-SUP8-E, gives up to 928 Gbps of centralized switching, 48 Gbps per slot, 250 Mpps IPv4 and 125 Mpps IPv6, with up to 8 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ uplinks, 4 GB of memory and a 2.0 GHz quad core CPU. It fits the 4503-E, the 4506-E in slot 1, the 4507R+E in slots 3 or 4 and the 4510R+E in slots 5 or 6. The Supervisor Engine 6L-E gives 280 Gbps, 136 Gbps in a 4503-E, and 225 Mpps with 2 10GE X2 uplinks, and the Supervisor V-10GE, WS-X4516-10GE, gives 136 Gbps and 102 Mpps with 2 10GE X2 and 4 GE SFP uplinks.
The WS-X4748-RJ45V+E has 48 10/100/1000 RJ-45 ports with PoE+, and the WS-X4748-UPOE+E 48 with UPOE, each at 48 Gbps per slot; Cisco lists them for the E-Series chassis only: the 4503-E, 4506-E, 4507R-E/R+E and 4510R-E/R+E. The classic WS-X4548-GB-RJ45 has 48 10/100/1000 RJ-45 ports at 6 Gbps per slot.
Catalyst 6500
The WS-C6506 chassis is 12 RU and the WS-C6509 15 RU, each with one or two power supplies; the WS-C6509-E moves air side to side, in at the right side and out at the left. The Supervisor Engine 720, WS-SUP720-3B, integrates a 720 Gbps switch fabric and forwards up to 400 Mpps IPv4 with DFC3. The Supervisor Engine 2T, VS-S2T-10G, gives a 2.08 Tbps fabric and 80 Gbps per slot, with 3 GE SFP and 2 10G X2 uplinks, and fits the E-Series chassis only: the 6503-E, 6504-E, 6506-E, 6509-E, 6509-V-E and 6513-E, and the C6807-XL.
The WS-X6748-GE-TX is a 48 port 10/100/1000 RJ-45 CEF720 module with dual 20 Gbps fabric channels (40 Gbps), which the WS-F6700-DFC3A upgrades to distributed forwarding; the WS-X6748-SFP has 48 Gigabit Ethernet SFP ports on the same dual channels. The WS-CAC-3000W supply gives 3000 W at 200 to 240 VAC and 1400 W at 100 to 120 VAC.
7600 RSP720, port adapters and the CMM
The RSP720 is the Route Switch Processor 720 for Cisco 7600 Series routers, with an integrated 720 Gbps switch fabric. Port 1 is a 1 Gbps SFP and port 2 a 1 Gbps SFP or 10/100/1000 RJ-45. The RSP720-3C-GE carries the PFC3C and MSFC4 and draws 6.66 A at 42 V; the RSP720-3CXL-GE carries the PFC3CXL and MSFC4, draws 7.33 A at 42 V, needs larger power supplies and a high-speed fan tray, and fits every 7600 chassis except the CISCO 7603 and OSR-7609.
The PA-MC-2T1 and PA-MC-4T1 are 2 and 4 port multichannel T1 port adapters with RJ-48C connectors, and the PA-MC-2T3+ has 2 T3 ports (44.736 Mbps) on BNC connectors; they fit Cisco 7200 series routers, VIP in 7000 and 7500 series routers, and the Cisco 7600 Enhanced FlexWAN. The WS-SVC-CMM has 4 port adapter slots for the Catalyst 6500 with Supervisor Engine 2, 32 or 720 and for the Cisco 7600, and the WS-SVC-CMM-ACT adds 128 voice channels of conferencing and transcoding (G.711, G.729 or G.723), up to 4 per CMM.
Power supplies and optics
The C6800-XL-3KW-AC is a 3000 W AC supply for the Catalyst 6807-XL, up to 4 per chassis, giving 3000 W at 200 to 240 VAC and 1400 W at 100 to 120 VAC on an IEC60320/C19 cord of 14 ft (4.3 m). The PWR-2700-AC is a 2700 W AC supply for the Cisco 7606 and 7606-S.
The X2-10GB-LRM reaches 220 m on multimode fiber at 1310 nm on dual SC connectors, and fits the Catalyst 6500 8 and 16 port 10GbE fiber modules, the Supervisor Engine 2T, the 7600 RSP720-10GE and the WS-X6708-10GE; Cisco names the SFP-10G-LRM to replace it. The X2-10GB-CX4 reaches 15 m over CX4 copper on an InfiniBand 4x connector. The XENPAK-10GB-ER+ reaches 40 km over single-mode fiber at 1550 nm with DOM, and the XENPAK-10GB-SR runs at 850 nm up to 300 m on 50 micron OM3 multimode. The WS-G5484 is a 1000BASE-SX GBIC for multimode fiber only. The SFP-10G-LR reaches 10 km on single-mode fiber at 1310 nm with a dual LC connector and draws 1 W.
What to check before you buy
- On a 4500: an E-Series chassis for WS-X4748 cards, and the slot the Supervisor Engine 8-E takes in each chassis.
- On a 6500: an E-Series chassis or the C6807-XL for the Supervisor Engine 2T.
- On a 7600: the RSP720-3CXL-GE needs larger supplies and a high-speed fan tray, and does not fit the CISCO 7603 or OSR-7609.
- On a 10GbE module: the optic form, X2 or XENPAK, and the fiber it runs on.
Lifecycle: what the dates mean
Cisco gives October 30, 2020 as the end of sale date for the WS-X45-SUP8-E, the WS-X4748 cards and the WS-X4596-E fan tray, and names the C9400-LC-48P and C9400-LC-48U to follow the WS-X4748-RJ45V+E and WS-X4748-UPOE+E. October 30, 2020 is also the end of sale date for the WS-C6506-E and the VS-S2T-10G, with the Catalyst 9600 Series, the C9606R chassis and the C9600-SUP-1 supervisor named to follow. The C9400-SUP-1 reached end of sale on April 30, 2025, with the C9400X-SUP-2 named to follow. XENPAK-10GB-ER+, LRM and SR reached end of sale on September 30, 2015 and the X2-10GB-CX4 on January 31, 2017.
Where to look
Each family has its own page listing what is in stock: the Catalyst 4500, the Catalyst 6500, the Catalyst 9300 and 9400, the RSP720, port adapters, Cisco power supplies and Cisco transceivers. Pages in stock today include the WS-C6509-E, the WS-X45-SUP8-E, the WS-X4748-UPOE+E, the RSP720-3CXL-GE, the C6800-XL-3KW-AC and the SFP-10G-LR. For the whole maker, read the Cisco guide. Request a quote for a part that is not listed, or sell the chassis you retire.
Sources
- Cisco Catalyst 4500E Supervisor Engine 8-E Data Sheet
- Cisco Catalyst 4500 Supervisor Engine 6L-E Data Sheet
- Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Line Cards Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Catalyst C4500E Series
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Catalyst 4500 Supervisor Engine 6L-E
- Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Supervisor Engine V-10GE
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Catalyst 4500E Series Supervisor Engine
- Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Installation Guide: Product Overview
- Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Supervisor Engine Guide: Supervisor Engines
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 2T Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Catalyst 6506-E, Catalyst 6509-E
- Cisco Catalyst 6500/Cisco 7600 Series Supervisor Engine 720 Data Sheet
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series 10/100 and 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Interface Modules Data Sheet
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Mixed Media Gigabit Ethernet Modules
- Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Installation Guide: Power Supply Specifications
- Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Installation Guide: Preparing for Installation
- Cisco Catalyst 9400 Supervisor Engine Modules Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series Supervisor 1 Module
- Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series Switches Data Sheet
- Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series Switches Data Sheet (PDF)
- Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches Data Sheet
- Guide to Supported Hardware for Cisco 7600 Series Routers
- Multichannel DS1/PRI Port Adapter Installation and Configuration: Overview
- PA-MC-2T3+ Multi-Channel T3 Port Adapter Installation and Configuration: Overview
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series and Cisco 7600 Series Communication Media Module
- Cisco Catalyst 6807-XL Modular Switch Data Sheet
- Cisco Catalyst 6807-XL Switch Hardware Installation Guide: Power Supply Specifications
- Cisco Catalyst 4948 Switch Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Catalyst 4948E Ethernet Switch
- Cisco 10GBASE SFP+ Modules Data Sheet
- Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series 10 Gigabit Ethernet Interface Modules Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Gigabit Ethernet GBIC Modules
- Cisco 10GBASE SFP+ Modules Data Sheet (web)
- Cisco 10GBASE X2 Modules Data Sheet
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco 10GBASE-LRM X2 Module
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco 10GBASE XENPAK Modules
- End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco 10GBASE-CX4 X2 Modules
