The Cisco LightStream 1010 is a 5 Gbps modular switch designed for use in either the workgroup or the campus, depending on the nature of the interfaces employed. The Cisco LightStream 1010 uses a five-slot, modular chassis featuring the option of dual, fault-tolerant, load-sharing power supplies.

The central slot in the Cisco LightStream 1010 is dedicated to a single, field-replaceable ATM switch processor module (ASP) that supports both the 5 Gbps shared memory, fully nonblocking switch fabric, together with its feature card, and the high-performance RISC processor that provides the central intelligence for the device. Uniquely, the ASP module feature card can also be upgraded in the field, allowing the switch to track changing ATM specifications. The remaining slots support up to four hot-swappable carrier modules (CAMs), each of which, in turn, can support up to two hot-swappable port adapter modules (PAMs), for a maximum of eight PAMs per switch, supporting a wide variety of desktop, backbone, and wide-area ATM interfaces.

The Cisco LightStream 1010 offers the sophistication and depth of functionality required for true ATM production deployment. Advanced traffic management mechanisms allow for the support of current, bursty, best-effort traffic, while also delivering the quality of service (QOS) guarantees required for the applications of the future. Available bit rate (ABR) congestion control support allows the Cisco LightStream 1010 to slow traffic sources before congestion becomes excessive, while support for the ATM Forum PNNI protocols allows networks of Cisco LightStream 1010s to scale to hundreds of nodes while still delivering interoperable, QOS-based routing. Value-added capabilities allow for ATM access lists and load sharing across redundant links. All of this sophistication is hidden, however, by the true standards-based, plug-and-play capabilities of the Cisco LightStream 1010, and advanced management functions allow for unprecedented levels of network visibility and control.