The 4- and 8-port Cisco® Gigabit Ethernet LAN/WAN modules offer small to medium-sized business and enterprise branch-office customers a combination of switching and routing integrated into a single module within the Cisco Catalyst™ 8000 Edge Platforms Family. Integrating switched LAN ports and Layer 3 WAN ports into a single module will greatly reduce your company's Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

These LAN/WAN modules provide line-rate Layer 2 switching across all onboard Gigabit Ethernet ports with full feature parity to the Cisco 4000 Series Integrated Services Routers (ISR 4000) Network Interface Modules (NIMs). In addition, the modules support enhanced features such as LAN MACsec on all ports, as well as 802.1X Change of Authorization (CoA) and posture validation. All three modules come with an option for configuring the two highest-numbered ports as native Layer 3 ports. Once configured as native Layer 3, these ports have full feature parity to the embedded WAN ports of the Catalyst 8300 and 8200 Series Edge platforms. All ports are also 128-/256-bit Media Access Control Security (MACsec)? capable with LAN MACsec switchto-switch supported on all ports in Layer 2 mode, plus 256-bit WAN MACsec with Tag-in-Clear supported on ports in Layer 3 mode. LAN MACsec Switch-to-host, for user-facing downlink ports, is not supported at First Customer Shipment (FCS) of these modules.

The 4- and 8-port Gigabit Ethernet LAN/WAN modules provide maximum flexibility though a wide range of connectivity options plus software-configurable Layer 2 and Layer 3 support. The modules accelerate applications such as Ethernet WAN access, Cisco SD-WAN, and other high-speed connectivity options to the LAN, top-of-rack data center switches, and servers. SD-WAN and Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager (vManage) support is available on all three modules.

Integration of these combined LAN switches and WAN ports with Cisco IOS® XE Software allows network administrators to manage a single device using Cisco management tools or the router Command-Line Interface (CLI) for LAN and WAN management needs. This approach reduces network complexity, lowers maintenance contract costs, and lessens staff training needs. It also simplifies software qualification efforts and delivers a consistent user experience at branch offices.