Now that you know which switch features are used at which layer in a hierarchical network, you will learn about the Cisco switches that are applicable for each layer in the hierarchical network model. Today, you cannot simply select a Cisco switch by considering the size of a business. A small business with 12 employees might be integrated into the network of a large multinational enterprise and require all of the advanced LAN services available at the corporate head office. The following classification of Cisco switches within the hierarchical network model represents a starting point for your deliberations on which switch is best for a given application. The classification presented reflects how you might see the range of Cisco switches if you were a multinational enterprise. For example, the port densities of the Cisco 6500 switch only makes sense as an access layer switch where there are many hundreds of users in one area, such as the floor of a stock exchange. If you think of the needs of a medium-sized business, a switch that is shown as an access layer switch, the Cisco 3560 for example, could be used as a distribution layer switch if it met the criteria determined by the network designer for that application.
Cisco has seven switch product lines. Each product line offers different characteristics and features, allowing you to find the right switch to meet the functional requirements of your network. The Cisco switch product lines are:
Catalyst Express 500
Catalyst 2960
Catalyst 3560
Catalyst 3750
Catalyst 4500
Catalyst 4900
Catalyst 6500
Catalyst Express 500
The Catalyst Express 500 is Cisco's entry-layer switch. It offers the following:
Forwarding rates from 8.8 Gb/s to 24 Gb/s
Layer 2 port security
Web-based management
Converged data/IP communications support
This switch series is appropriate for access layer implementations where high port density is not required. The Cisco Catalyst Express 500 series switches are scaled for small business environments ranging from 20 to 250 employees. The Catalyst Express 500 series switches are available in different fixed configurations:
Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
Up to 24 10/100 ports with optional PoE or 12 10/100/1000 ports
Catalyst Express 500 series switches do not allow management through the Cisco IOS CLI. They are managed using a built-in web management interface, the Cisco Network Assistant or the new Cisco Configuration Manager developed specifically for the Catalyst Express 500 series switches. The Catalyst Express does not support console access.
To learn more about the Cisco Express 500 series of switches, go to http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6545/index.html.
Catalyst 2960
The Catalyst 2960 series switches enable entry-layer enterprise, medium-sized, and branch office networks to provide enhanced LAN services. The Catalyst 2960 series switches are appropriate for access layer implementations where access to power and space is limited. The CCNA Exploration 3 LAN Switching and Wireless labs are based on the features of the Cisco 2960 switch.
The Catalyst 2960 series switches offers the following:
Forwarding rates from 16 Gb/s to 32 Gb/s
Multilayered switching
QoS features to support IP communications
Access control lists (ACLs)
Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
Up to 48 10/100 ports or 10/100/1000 ports with additional dual purpose gigabit uplinks
The Catalyst 2960 series of switches do not support PoE.
The Catalyst 2960 series supports the Cisco IOS CLI, integrated web management interface, and Cisco Network Assistant. This switch series supports console and auxiliary access to the switch.
To learn more about the Catalyst 2960 series of switches, visit http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6406/index.html.
Catalyst 3560
The Cisco Catalyst 3560 series is a line of enterprise-class switches that include support for PoE, QoS, and advanced security features such as ACLs. These switches are ideal access layer switches for small enterprise LAN access or branch-office converged network environments.
The Cisco Catalyst 3560 Series supports forwarding rates of 32 Gb/s to 128 Gb/s (Catalyst 3560-E switch series).
The Catalyst 3560 series switches are available in different fixed configurations:
Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
Up to 48 10/100/1000 ports, plus four small form-factor pluggable (SFP) ports
Optional 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity in the Catalyst 3560-E models
Optional Integrated PoE (Cisco pre-standard and IEEE 802.3af); up to 24 ports with 15.4 watts or 48 ports with 7.3 watts
To learn more about the Catalyst 3560 series of switches, visit http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps5528/index.html.
Catalyst 3750
The Cisco Catalyst 3750 series of switches are ideal for access layer switches in midsize organizations and enterprise branch offices. This series offers forwarding rates from 32 Gb/s to 128 Gb/s (Catalyst 3750-E switch series). The Catalyst 3750 series supports Cisco StackWise technology. StackWise technology allows you to interconnect up to nine physical Catalyst 3750 switches into one logical switch using a high-performance (32 Gb/s), redundant, backplane connection.
The Catalyst 3750 series switches are available in different stackable fixed configurations:
Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
Up to 48 10/100/1000 ports, plus four SFP ports
Optional 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity in the Catalyst 3750-E models
Optional Integrated PoE (Cisco pre-standard and IEEE 802.3af); up to 24 ports with 15.4 watts or 48 ports with 7.3 watts
To learn more about the Catalyst 3750 series of switches, visit http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps5023/index.html.
Catalyst 4500
The Catalyst 4500 is the first midrange modular switching platform offering multilayer switching for enterprises, small- to medium-sized businesses, and service providers.
With forwarding rates up to 136 Gb/s, the Catalyst 4500 series is capable of managing traffic at the distribution layer. The modular capability of the Catalyst 4500 series allows for very high port densities through the addition of switch port line cards to its modular chassis. The Catalyst 4500 series offers multilayer QoS and sophisticated routing functions.
The Catalyst 4500 series switches are available in different modular configurations:
Modular 3, 6, 7, and 10 slot chassis offering different layers of scalability
High port density: up to 384 Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet ports available in copper or fiber with 10 Gigabit uplinks
PoE (Cisco pre-standard and IEEE 802.3af)
Dual, hot-swappable internal AC or DC power supplies
Advanced hardware-assisted IP routing capabilities
To learn more about the Catalyst 4500 series of switches, visit http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps4324/index.html.
Catalyst 4900
The Catalyst 4900 series switches are designed and optimized for server switching by allowing very high forwarding rates. The Cisco Catalyst 4900 is not a typical access layer switch. It is a specialty access layer switch designed for data center deployments where many servers may exist in close proximity. This switch series supports dual, redundant power supplies and fans that can be swapped out while the switch is still running. This allows the switches to achieve higher availability, which is critical in data center deployments.
The Catalyst 4900 series switches support advanced QoS features, making them ideal candidates for the back-end IP telephony hardware. Catalyst 4900 series switches do not support the StackWise feature of the Catalyst 3750 series nor do they support PoE.
The Catalyst 4900 series switches are available in different fixed configurations:
Up to 48 10/100/1000 ports with four SFP ports or 48 10/100/1000 ports with two 10GbE ports
Dual, hot-swappable internal AC or DC power supplies
Hot-swappable fan trays
To learn more about the Catalyst 4900 series of switches, visit http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6021/index.html.
Catalyst 6500
The Catalyst 6500 series modular switch is optimized for secure, converged voice, video, and data networks. The Catalyst 6500 is capable of managing traffic at the distribution and core layers. The Catalyst 6500 series is the highest performing Cisco switch, supporting forwarding rates up to 720 Gb/s. The Catalyst 6500 is ideal for very large network environments found in enterprises, medium-sized businesses, and service providers.
The Catalyst 6500 series switches are available in different modular configurations:
Modular 3, 4, 6, 9, and 13 slot chassis
LAN/WAN service modules
PoE up to 420 IEEE 802.3af Class 3 (15.4W) PoE devices
Up to 1152 10/100 ports, 577 10/100/1000 ports, 410 SFP Gigabit Ethernet ports, or 64 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports
Dual, hot-swappable internal AC or DC power supplies
Advanced hardware-assisted IP routing capabilities
To learn more about the Catalyst 6500 series of switches, visit http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps708/index.html
The following tool can help identify the correct switch for an implementation: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/products_promotion0900aecd8050364f.html
The following guide provides a detailed comparison of current switch offerings from Cisco: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/switches/ps5718/ps708/networking_solutions_products_genericcontent0900aecd805f0955.pdf.
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