Line Card

A Line Card is a modular hardware component used in network devices such as switches and routers. It provides physical network ports and the functionality required to send and receive data. Depending on its design, a Line Card can support different interfaces, transmission speeds and networking technologies, including Ethernet at 10, 40, 100 or higher Gigabit speeds. In modular chassis systems, organisations can adapt the number and type of available ports by installing different Line Cards. The cards communicate with other components of the network device through the backplane or switching fabric. Line Cards therefore enable scalable expansion of high-performance network hardware and are commonly used in data centres, campus networks, carrier infrastructures and large enterprise networks.