About Catalyst 8500 Series

The Cisco Catalyst 8500 is a Layer 3-enhanced ATM switch that seamlessly integrates wire-speed Layer 3 switching and ATM switching, eliminating the need to make a technology choice. The Catalyst 8500 family delivers campus and metropolitan network solutions with scalable performance, lower cost of ownership, and intranet-based application features to deliver increased business productivity. Unlike old first- or second-generation ATM switches that force customers to have a costly, inefficient, multi-system solution, the Catalyst 8500 switch provides an integrated ATM and Gigabit Ethernet solution in a single chassis