Cisco's current line of switches focus on providing intelligence at the network edge, where one network exchanges data with another one. The demand for intelligence at the edge of the network is fueled largely by four key developments:
- Growth in desktop computing ability
- Proliferation of throughput-intensive programs
- Presence of confidential information on the network
- Larger variety of devices, such as Voice over IP phones and WLAN bridges
The latest corporate applications require more bandwidth and create a need to classify and manage network traffic. Applications like ERP and Voice over IP must have a higher priority to network bandwidth than less time-critical processes such as FTP or, for messaging, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. It is no longer justifiable, for instance, for a big file transfer assigned to one port on a switch to increase the delay, and reduce the intelligibility, in voice traffic destined to a different port on the same switch. This condition is avoided by ensuring that voice processes are properly identified and prioritized across the network.
Cisco switches implement exceptional Quality of Service (QoS) to make sure that traffic is identified and prioritized, and that congestion is avoided. Set up of QoS is greatly simplified via automatic QoS, a feature that detects Cisco IP phones and sets up the switch for the appropriate categorization and exit buffering. This optimizes traffic hierarchies and system accessibility without forcing your IT department to implement a complicated configuration plan.
With Catalyst switches for small and midsize businesses, Cisco allows organizations to realize the full advantages of incorporating intelligent services into their networks. Catalyst Series switches make it possible to install capabilities that make the connectivity environment highly available to accommodate real time requirements, scalable to support growth, safe so as to protect confidential information, and configurable for differentiating and controlling traffic flows to enhance network efficiency.
Catalyst 2950 Family of Switches
Catalyst 2950SX-24, 2950-24 and 2950-12 non-modular, managed 10/100 switches offer basic workgroup networking for small to midsize businesses. These wire-rate desktop appliances deliver IOS Software features for simple data, video, and voice control at the edge of the network.
Cisco 2950G-12, 2950G-24, and 2950G-48 Series switches are stackable switches that offer wire-rate connections to the desktop and Gigabit uplink connectivity using a variety of optional Gigabit Interface Converter products. These appliances, as well as the Catalyst 2950T-24 and 2950C-24 products, offer smart services like resiliency, protection, and QoS to the edge of the network using the simple Cisco Cluster Management Suite (CMS) web-based utility. These switches also come with Cisco Enhanced Image (EI) Software installed to implement intelligent services.
The Catalyst 2950C-24 Series provides 24 10/100 ports plus 2 fixed 100BASE-FX ports. The Catalyst 2950T-24 offers a smooth migration path to Gigabit by using in-place twisted-pair cabling environments with 24 10/100 ports plus 2 fixed 10/100/1000BASE-T uplinks. Incorporated in the Cisco Catalyst 2950 Series is the Cisco Cluster Management Suite (CMS) Software web interface, which enables support personnel simultaneously to configure and troubleshoot multiple Cisco Catalyst desktop products utilizing a standard web browser.
Cisco Catalyst 3560 Switches
Cisco’s Catalyst 3560 Series is a line of fixed-configuration switches that includes IEEE 802.3af and prestandard Power over Ethernet functionality in 10/100 and 10/100/1000 Ethernet implementations. Cisco's Catalyst 3560 is a proven Layer 2 switch for midsize business LAN access or satellite-offices, combining both Gigabit Ethernet and Power over Ethernet (PoE) options for maximum efficiency and investment protection while facilitating the deployment of new technology including Voice over IP, wireless connectivity, video surveillance, and remote video kiosks. Customers can deploy networkwide smart features including high-end QoS, rate management, access control lists (ACLs), multicast administration, and fast IP routing with the ease of conventional LAN switching.
The Catalyst 3560 Series switch is provided with a powerful set of capabilities that permit network expandability and higher resilience via IP routing as well as a full suite of Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) improvements aimed to maximize throughput in an access Layer LAN. Enhancements to the standard Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), including PVST+, and Port Fast, as well as innovations like as Flex Links, optimize network uptime. Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus supports Data Link Layer load sharing on backup links to efficiently use the extra bandwidth associated with a redundant architecture.
Efficient technologies such as Open Shortest Path First, Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol, Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), static routing, and PBR increase network scale; Protocol Independent Multicast maximize system resources; and Virtual Route Forwarding Lite protects traffic. data.
Catalyst 3750 Series Switches
For midsized organizations and corporate local sites, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series switch facilitates integration of converged technologies and accommodates changing business needs by providing setup flexibility, ability to manage unified network traffic, and management-free configuration of intelligent network functions. Also, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series is optimized for high-volume Gigabit Ethernet environments and incorporates a diverse range of switches that comply with access, aggregation, or small-system backbone-connectivity requirements.
Cisco's Catalyst 3750 switch is offered with either the IP Base or the IP Services image. The IP Base image functions include advanced QoS, rate-management, access control lists (ACLs) access control lists, and simple static and Routing Information Protocol (RIP) routing support. The IP Services image offers a richer set of enterprise network features, including sophisticated hardware-based IP unicast and multicast routing.
Cisco StackWise technology is an architecture designed for Gigabit interfaces. This technology is designed to respond to additions, deletions, and redeployments while providing constant operation. Cisco StackWise technology unites as many as nine individual switches into one functional device, using special stack-interface cables and stacking software. Any of the switches can be any combination of the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series switches and Cisco's Catalyst 3750-E Series. The stack operates as an individual switching unit that is managed by a control switch, selected from among the stack of switches. The master switch automatically creates and updates all the switching and optional routing databases. A deployed stack can accept new switches or remove existing devices with no operational discontinuity.
Catalyst 4500 Series Switches
Cisco's Catalyst 4500 Series switches are designed for large company LAN access, branch offices, Network Layer distribution locations, small and midsize businesses (SMBs), and metropolitan Ethernet deployments. The Catalyst 4500 family comprises a series of enclosures ranging from three to 10 expansion slots and a line of control engines offering up to 136 Gbps of layers 2 through 4 switching. Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series switches accept an extensive set of line modules, including high-density 10/100 Ethernet, 10/100/1000 Ethernet (either one with Power over Ethernet [PoE] options), 100BASE-FX, 100BASE-LX10, plus 1 and 10 Gigabit Ethernet.
The Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series has a price-performance selection of enclosures: Cisco's Catalyst 4510R (10 slots) with redundant supervisor option), Catalyst 4507R (seven slots) with redundant supervisor capability), Cisco's Catalyst 4506 (six expansion slots) and Cisco Catalyst 4503 (three expansion slots).
Catalyst 4948 Family Switches
The Catalyst 4948 Series switch is a wire-rate, low-latency, Layer 2-4, 1 rack unit fixed-configuration unit for the data center. Based on the proven Catalyst 4500 switch hardware and software architecture, the Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series offers exceptional throughput and reliability for low density aggregation of high performance servers and workstations. Speed and expandability of intelligent system services is enabled with specialized resources known as ternary content addressable memory (TCAM). Ample TCAM resources (64,000 entries) support high feature capacity, offering wire-speed routing/switching performance with simultaneous support of services that include Quality of Service (QoS) and security. This helps ensure expandability for today's network requirements with plenty of room for future growth.
The Cisco Catalyst 4948 switch offers 48 ports of wire-speed 10/100/1000 Ethernet with four alternative ports that can support optional 1000BASE-X Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) optics. Industry-leading reliability and serviceability are delivered with available internal 1 + 1 redundant hot-swappable A-to-B failover power units and redundant cooling fans.
The Catalyst 4948 Series switch can isolate discrete data link layer traffic at the same time, while conserving IP address capacity. The Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series can defend against man-in-the-middle and IP spoofing attacks to the rest of network with no change to the server configuration.Such assaults can be recorded by the Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series switch for security analysis.
Catalyst 6500 Switches
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switch is a high-performance modular switch/router engineered for convergence of data center, campus, and Wide Area Network in a single device. Enterprise Wide Area Network, Internet access, data center connectivity functions such as Multiprotocol Label Switching, resilience, QoS, and security together with IOS Software modularity offer fast ROI in the LAN and extend that advantage to the WAN.
Cisco Catalyst 6500 switches offer a broad selection of connectivity technologies ranging from DS0 to OC192/STM64, 10Mbps to 10-Gbps modules. Catalyst 6500 Series switches form the core of corporate Wide Area Network architectures by offering leading IP routing, hardware-enabled IPv4, IPv6, Multiprotocol Label Switching, and outstanding speed integrated in a single platform. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series is the top Cisco Layer 3 switching platform for the corporate Wide Area Network, connectivity, aggregation, and core edge of the corporate network with benefits in scalability and versatility that include 720 Gbps integrated switch fabric performance with Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720, the power to expand up to 400 Mpps switching/routing performance with intelligent forwarding, 32 Gbps design for slower WAN aggregation, a fast CPU for Layer 3 protocol convergence and stability, as well as scalable IP routing and MPLS functions accelerated in hardware with no throughput impact.
How Progent Can Assist You with Cisco Switches
Progent's CCIE and CCNP qualified consultants can help you choose and deploy Cisco switches in a manner that make sense for your existing competitive requirements and your strategy for future growth. Progent's Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts can provide world-class technical support for complex network problems, and Progent's remote service professionals can monitor your network traffic and uncover early-stage problems and resolve them before they seriously disturb productivity. Progent's CISM and CISSP qualified security engineers can assist you to develop a company-wide security plan and deploy Cisco switches so as to help support your security plans.
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