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Switching Fabric

typesh

Hey!

Can someone help me understand the term "switching fabric?"

I have come across it a few times in my readings.

Wikipedia: Switched fabric, switching fabric, or just fabric, is a network topology where network nodes connect with each other via one or more network switches (particularly via crossbar switches, hence the name).

Does this mean the switching fabric is like a LAN?

I keep thinking of [fabric] material when I come across this term.

Thank you.

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Comments

120nm4n

I've always understood switching fabric to be all of the backend hardware and software that moves data around, specifically in a switch, i.e., everything it takes to receive a packet, process it, and send it out.

ncsugrad2002

120nm4n wrote: »

I've always understood switching fabric to be all of the backend hardware and software that moves data around, specifically in a switch, i.e., everything it takes to receive a packet, process it, and send it out.

basically.

you'll see switches rated by how much total data their switching fabric can support. you'll see something like "switching fabric supporting 32Gb/s

a lot of people don't realize that even if you have gigabit ports everywhere on a switch you can't max all of them out at the same time unless your 'switching fabric' can support it.

tiersten

Look at the difference between a bus and a switch fabric.

bmauro

ncsugrad2002 wrote: »

basically.

you'll see switches rated by how much total data their switching fabric can support. you'll see something like "switching fabric supporting 32Gb/s

a lot of people don't realize that even if you have gigabit ports everywhere on a switch you can't max all of them out at the same time unless your 'switching fabric' can support it.

This is a very good point. I just recently went to a Nexus 7K training - and that came up as well. That even if you have a 10G line card, every port is not a dedicated 10G. They oversubscribe the backplane (ie switching fabric).

120nm4n

ncsugrad2002 wrote: »

basically.

you'll see switches rated by how much total data their switching fabric can support. you'll see something like "switching fabric supporting 32Gb/s

a lot of people don't realize that even if you have gigabit ports everywhere on a switch you can't max all of them out at the same time unless your 'switching fabric' can support it.

That's actually where I got my information. Switch fabric speed was one of the key factors I used when I was comparing switches to replace my company's old setup.

JavonR

I've heard many people also refer to this as the Backplane. IE: switch backplane supports 32gb/s or 720gb/s.

typesh

So this "fabric" is the entire set of hardware (aka Backplane?) and the speed which all devices together can support?

ncsugrad2002

typesh wrote: »

So this "fabric" is the entire set of hardware (aka Backplane?) and the speed which all devices together can support?

yep. you got it.

typesh

Thank you all!