Ethernet Power

Consumption for
Cisco Switches

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2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Introduction
Why is network power
consumption important?
How can we measure it?
How much power do
Ethernet switches consume?

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Network Power Consumption

Customers calculating total cost of ownership
need to factor in power consumption.
Likewise, power consumption contributes to
a companys carbon footprint.
Miercom was commissioned by Cisco to measure
power consumption in Ethernet switches

Power Consumption Examples

33 watts is the power consumed by a ceiling fan at
average speed.
60 watts is the power required to light an incandescent bulb.
80 watts is the power consumed by an average PC.
200 watts is the power consumed by an average LCD.

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Miercom Measures Power Consumption

Device Under Test
Cisco Catalyst 2960 48TC-L
Cisco Catalyst 2960G-48-TC-L
Cisco Catalyst-3750G-48PS
Nortel BayStack 5510-48T
HP ProCurve 2650
Cisco Catalyst 3560E-48PD
Cisco Catalyst-3750E-48PD-F

Traffic Generator

KillAWatt

3Com 5500G-E
HP ProCurve 3500yl-48G

5% and 100% throughput

traffic generated
Frame size sequence: 64, 128,
256, 512, 1024, 1280, and
1518 bytes
Layer 2 and Layer 3 tested
1GE and 10GE tested
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KillAWatt is used to
measure the power
consumption for each
device under test.

Results: 100% Throughput

Power Consumption at 100%
Fast Ethernet

GE, no PoE

Up to 10 Gig + PoE
205

212

161
142
122

143

129

56
37

Cisco
2960

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HP ProCurve
2650

Cisco
2960G

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Nortel Baystack Cisco 3560-E

5510

Cisco Public

Cisco 3750E

Cisco 3750-G

3Com 5500
G-E

ProCurve
3500yl

Results: Layer 2 Switches

Power Consumption of Layer 2 switches at 100%
140
Supports Gigabit Ethernet

120

100

80

The Cisco WS-C2960G supports

Gigabit Ethernet. The other
switches support only Fast
Ethernet, which results in
increased power consumption.

60

40

20

0
Cisco WS-C2960

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HP Procurve 2650

Cisco Public

Cisco WS-C2960G

Results: Layer 3 Switches

Power Consumption of Layer 3 switches at 100%
250
Supports Gig E 10/100/1000. Stackable
Supports up to 10 Gig - Fixed
Supports up to 10 Gig - Stackable
200

150

100

50

0
Cisco 3560-E Nortel Baystack Cisco 3750-G
5510
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Cisco 3750E

3Com 5500G-E

HP3500yl
7

Results: Layer 3 for Cisco, HP, and 3COM

Layer 3: Cisco 3750-E vs. HP 3500yl vs. 3Com 5500GE
Cisco3750ECuUplinks100%

Power Consumption (Watts)

240

Cisco3750EFiberUplinks100%
220
Cisco3750E2x10GBUplinks100%
200

HP3500yl48Cuuplinks100%
HP3500ylfiberuplinks100%

Cisco switches consume 33%

less power than 3Com and HP
switches

180
160

HP3500yl2x10GBUplinks100%
3Com5500GECuUplinks100%

140

3Com5500GEFiberUplinks100%

120

3Com5500GE2x10GBUplinks100%
64

128

256

512

1024

1280

1518

Packet Size (Bytes)

The Continued Innovation in the Cisco E Series is Proven Once Again

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Results: E Series Improvements

Layer 3: Cisco 3750-E vs. 3750-G Series
170

Cisco 3750-E Cu Uplinks 100%

Power Consumption (Watts)

165
160
Cisco 3750-E 2x10G Uplinks 100%
155
150
Cisco 3750-G Fiber Uplinks 100%

145
140
135

Cisco 3750-E Fiber Uplinks 100%

130
125
Cisco 3750-G Cu Uplinks 100%

120
64

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128

256
512
1024
Packet Size (Bytes)

2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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1280

1518

Observation
Financial Saving
Comparative study
Cisco 3750-E

HP Procurve 3500yl
Power per switch

212 W

Power per switch

143 W

Power in a 3-switch rack

636 W

Power in a 3-switch rack

429 W

Heat dissipated in BTU

(1 W = 3.41 BTU)

2168.76 BTU

Heat dissipated in BTU

(1 W = 3.41 BTU)

1462.89 BTU

Power consumed in cooling

1 BTU

0.105 W

Power consumed in cooling

1 BTU

0.105 W

Power consumed for cooling

227.71 W

Power consumed for cooling

153.60 W

Total power consumed by

switch

863.71 W

Total power consumed by

switch

582.60 W

Cost per Kwh

10 cents

Cost per Kwh

10 cents

Cost per day

$2.07

Cost per day

$1.39

Cost per year

$ 755.98

Cost per year

$ 510.36

$245.62 is saved per 3-switch rack by a Cisco switch when compared to a HP switch
Over a 5-year period: $1228.10
1000 racks: $1,228,100.00
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10

Observation Continued
Financial Saving
More use for energy expense
Run a PC and a 3750E at the cost
of a HP 3500yl !

Environmental Benefits
Reduce your Co2 emission by 55 ton.
Decrease your carbon footprint

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11

A Watt Saved
Is A Watt Earned

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