Cisco WS-X6K-S2-MSFC2
Catalyst 6500 Supervisor 2U, 128MB Supervisor, 256MB MSFC2
Product Highlights
What's Included
128MB DRAM Switch Processor (1x MEM-S2-128MB)
32MB Flash Route Processor
16MB Flash Switch Processor
Maintaining uptime and performance in a large campus or data center switching environment demands a reliable, feature-rich supervisor engine at the heart of your Catalyst 6500 chassis. The Cisco WS-X6K-S2-MSFC2 is the Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 2, a comprehensive control-plane module that ships with factory-installed PFC2 (Policy Feature Card 2) and MSFC2 (Multilayer Switch Feature Card 2) daughter cards.
This supervisor engine provides two 1000BASE-X GBIC uplink ports for Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, a CEF-based forwarding architecture for hardware-accelerated Layer 2–4 switching, and support for the crossbar Switch Fabric Module to scale system bandwidth up to 256 Gbps with fabric-enabled line cards. The integrated MSFC2 delivers multilayer routing intelligence running Cisco IOS, while the PFC2 handles high-speed hardware forwarding decisions.
As shipped in this configuration, the module includes 128MB DRAM on the Switch Processor and 256MB DRAM on the Route Processor (MSFC2), along with 32MB and 16MB of bootflash respectively. The WS-X6K-S2-MSFC2 is compatible with all Catalyst 6500 Series chassis — including the 6503, 6506, 6509, and 6513 — and supports dual-supervisor redundancy configurations for high-availability deployments. Please note that this product is End-of-Life (EOL) and is available as a replacement spare or for sustaining existing infrastructure.
Features & Benefits
Integrated Multilayer Switching & Routing
The WS-X6K-S2-MSFC2 combines the Supervisor Engine 2 base board with factory-installed PFC2 and MSFC2 daughter cards. The PFC2 provides hardware-based Layer 2–4 forwarding using Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF), while the MSFC2 runs Cisco IOS to handle routing protocols, Spanning Tree, and VLAN Trunking Protocol — delivering a complete control and forwarding plane in one module.
High-Bandwidth Fabric Architecture
Supervisor Engine 2 provides an interface to the optional crossbar Switch Fabric Module, enabling fabric-enabled line cards to scale aggregate system bandwidth up to 256 Gbps. This distributed forwarding architecture supports high-density Gigabit Ethernet deployments without creating bottlenecks at the supervisor level.
Dual-Supervisor Redundancy
Deploy two supervisor engines in any Catalyst 6500 chassis (6503, 6506, 6509, or 6513) for sub-3-second failover. Synchronized protocol states between the active and standby supervisors ensure minimal disruption during a switchover, and the uplink ports on the standby supervisor remain fully functional.
Flexible Management & Monitoring
A shared console/auxiliary port provides local or remote access to both the Supervisor Engine 2 (CatOS) and the MSFC2 (IOS) from a single connection. In-band management via SNMP, Telnet, BOOTP, and TFTP is supported, along with SPAN and RSPAN for traffic monitoring and troubleshooting.
Gigabit Ethernet Uplinks
Two 1000BASE-X GBIC slots provide flexible Gigabit Ethernet uplink connectivity. By selecting the appropriate GBIC transceivers (sold separately), you can connect over multimode fiber, single-mode fiber, or copper — adapting the supervisor to your specific cabling infrastructure.
Deployment Scenarios
Enterprise Campus Distribution / Core Layer
The WS-X6K-S2-MSFC2 is well-suited for Catalyst 6500 deployments at the campus distribution or core layer, where multilayer switching, inter-VLAN routing, and high-availability redundancy are essential. Dual-supervisor configurations with sub-3-second failover help maintain uptime for mission-critical campus networks.
Data Center Aggregation
In data center environments running legacy Catalyst 6500 chassis, this supervisor engine provides the CEF-based forwarding and fabric support needed to aggregate traffic from multiple server-facing line cards. The 256 Gbps fabric scalability ensures headroom for high-density Gigabit Ethernet modules.
Replacement Spare for Existing Catalyst 6500 Infrastructure
As an EOL product, the WS-X6K-S2-MSFC2 is an ideal replacement spare for organizations sustaining existing Catalyst 6500 deployments. Keeping a spare supervisor on hand minimizes downtime risk while you plan a migration to newer platforms.
General
Interfaces & Ports
Daughter Cards
Memory
Physical
Compatibility
Compatibility Notes
Compatible Chassis:
- Cisco Catalyst 6503 (WS-C6503)
- Cisco Catalyst 6506 (WS-C6506)
- Cisco Catalyst 6509 (WS-C6509)
- Cisco Catalyst 6513 (WS-C6513)
Installation Requirements:
- Must be installed in chassis slot 1 or slot 2 (supervisor engine slots).
- Two GBIC transceivers are required for the 1000BASE-X uplink ports (sold separately).
- Low-speed fan trays provide sufficient cooling; no special fan tray required.
Software:
- Runs Cisco CatOS on the Supervisor Engine and Cisco IOS on the MSFC2.
- Also supports Cisco IOS Software (Native Mode) depending on software release.
Memory (as included in this configuration):
- 128MB DRAM on Switch Processor (MEM-S2-128MB)
- 256MB DRAM on Route Processor / MSFC2 (MEM-MSFC2-256MB)
- 16MB Bootflash on Switch Processor
- 32MB Bootflash on Route Processor
Note: This product has reached End-of-Life (EOL). Cisco no longer sells or manufactures this item. Third-party maintenance and support options are available.
Downloads & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
| Part Number | Product | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| WS-X6K-S2U-MSFC2 | Catalyst 6500 Supervisor 2U with MSFC2 | Higher-memory variant with 256MB DRAM on the Supervisor Engine (vs. 128MB on the WS-X6K-S2-MSFC2) |
| WS-X6K-SUP1A-MSFC2 | Catalyst 6000 Supervisor Engine 1A with MSFC2 | Previous-generation Supervisor 1A; lacks Switch Fabric Module interface and CEF-based distributed forwarding support |
| WS-SUP720-3B | Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 720-3B | Next-generation supervisor with integrated 720 Gbps crossbar fabric, MSFC3, and PFC3B — significant performance upgrade |
| WS-SUP32-GE-3B | Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 32 | Mid-range supervisor with 8 GE uplinks, PFC3B, and MSFC2A — positioned between Sup2 and Sup720 |