Cisco WS-X6500-SFM2 enterprise networking (router/Catalyst switch/UCS families) Switch / Carrier Ethernet Line Card

The Cisco WS-X6500-SFM2 is a Catalyst 6500-series Switch Fabric Module 2 (SFM2), the second-generation central crossbar switching fabric card for the platform. Fitted alongside a compatible supervisor engine such as Supervisor Engine 2, the SFM2 gives fabric-enabled line cards a dedicated high-speed crossbar connection.

This substantially increases the chassis’s aggregate switching bandwidth compared with the earlier shared-bus architecture used on classic (non fabric-enabled) Catalyst 6500 deployments. SFM2 succeeded the original first-generation Switch Fabric Module, offering greater per-slot bandwidth to support higher-density Gigabit and emerging 10-Gigabit line cards as they became available. Catalyst 6500 chassis built around a centralised-fabric architecture with SFM2 remain in service on established data-centre and enterprise-core networks. Tech-Star (UK-based, shipped worldwide) inspects and tests each unit before dispatch; confirm compatibility with your specific supervisor and line-card mix before ordering.