The Cisco Catalyst 5000 Versatile Interface Processor 2 (VIP 2) module occupies an additional slot in the Catalyst 5000 Series chassis and provides hardware support for two port or service adapters, which are interchangeable with those currently supported on the Cisco 7200 and 7500 Series routers.The Cisco 5000 VIP 2 is based on a RISC engine optimized for input/output functions. A key feature of the VIP technology is its ability to provide additional interfaces for the Catalyst 5000 family. In addition, the Catalyst 5000 VIP 2 can receive route information from the RSM. Based on route data received from the RSM, a VIP 2 can make its own switching decisions between the interfaces that are resident on the module. This feature, called distributed switching, is just one of many features supported by the VIP technology.