Cisco's current generation of smart switches focus on offering intelligence at the network edge, where one network environment exchanges data with another. The demand for intelligence at the edge is fueled largely by four key trends:

• Growth in PC processing ability
• Proliferation of throughput-consuming programs
• Expansion of confidential information on the network
• Greater variety of devices, e.g. IP phones and wireless LAN bridges

Cisco switches deliver industry-leading QoS to make sure that traffic is differentiated and prioritized, and that congestion is avoided. Set up of Quality of Service (QoS) is greatly simplified via automatic Quality of Service, a feature that detects Cisco IP phones and automatically configures the switch for the appropriate classification and egress queuing. This enhances process hierarchies and network accessibility without requiring your IT group to implement a complicated configuration strategy.

With Catalyst switches for small and medium-size organizations, Cisco allows businesses to get the full advantages of adding smart services into their infratstructure. Cisco's Catalyst switches allow you to install capabilities that make the network infrastructure resilient to handle real time needs, expandable to facilitate future growth, secure so as to protect confidential data, and capable of classifying and controlling traffic flows to improve network operations.

Catalyst 2950 Series
Cisco Catalyst 2950-24 and 2950-12 non-modular, managed 10/100 switches offer basic workgroup networking for small to midsize businesses (SMBs). These wire-speed desktop switches offer IOS Software functions for simple data, video, and voice control at the edge of the network.

Catalyst 2950G-12, 2950G-24, and 2950G-48 switches are stackable switches that offer wire-speed connectivity to the desktop and Gbit uplink connectivity using several optional Gbit Interface Converter (GBIC) uplinks. These devices, as well as the Cisco Catalyst 2950T-24 and 2950C-24 products, offer intelligent services such as resiliency, security, and quality of service to the edge of the network using the convenient Cisco Cluster Management Suite Software web utility. These appliances also come with Cisco Enhanced Image (EI) Software installed to support intelligent services.

The Catalyst 2950C-24 provides 24 10/100 Ethernet ports as well as 2 dedicated 100BASE ports. The Catalyst 2950T-24 switch offers a smooth migration solution to Gigabit by utilizing in-place copper wiring environments with 24 10/100 ports plus 2 dedicated 10/100/1000 Ethernet uplinks. Incorporated in the Cisco 2950 Series is the Cisco Cluster Management Suite Software web interface, which enables network managers simultaneously to configure and troubleshoot several Cisco Catalyst desktop switches using a conventional browser.

Catalyst 3560 Switches
The Catalyst 3560 family is a selection of fixed-configuration switches that features IEEE 802.3af and prestandard PoE functionality in 10/100 and Gigabit Ethernet implementations. The Catalyst 3560 is a proven Layer 2 switch for midsize business network connectivity or branch-offices, offering both 10/100/1000 and Power over Ethernet (PoE) configurations for optimal productivity and investment protection while streamlining the deployment of the latest technology including VoIP, wireless connectivity, video monitoring, and remote video kiosks. Customers can activate comprehensive smart features including high-end quality of service, rate limiting, access control lists, multicast management, and fast IP routing while maintaining the ease of traditional LAN switching.

The Catalyst 3560 family switch is equipped with a robust set of features that permit network scalability and enhanced resilience through IP routing as well as a full complement of Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) improvements aimed to increase throughput in a Layer 2 network. Improvements to the standard STP Protocol, such as PVST+, and Port Fast, as well as advances such as Flex Links Layer 2 interfaces, maximize network uptime. PVST+ supports Layer 2 load sharing on backup connections to exploit the additional capacity inherent in a redundant architecture.

Efficient routing mechanisms including OPSF, EIGRP, BGP, static routing, and PBR improve network scale; PIM optimizes network resources; and VRFLite protects traffic. data.

Catalyst 3750 Family Switches
For mid-size businesses and corporate local offices, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series simplifies deployment of converged technologies and accommodates evolving competitive environments by providing setup versatility, ability to manage unified network traffic, and automatic configuration of intelligent system services. In addition, Cisco's Catalyst 3750 switch is engineered for high-density Gigabit Ethernet environments and incorporates a diverse range of switches that comply with connectivity, aggregation, or small-system backbone-interface requirements.

Cisco's Catalyst 3750 switch is offered with either the IP Base image or the IP Services image. The IP Base image functions include industry-leading quality of service (QoS), rate-management, access control lists (ACLs) access control lists, and basic static and RIP routing support. The IP Services image offers a richer selection of enterprise-class functions, such as sophisticated hardware-based IP unicast/multicast routing.

StackWise technology is an architecture designed for 1000 Ethernet. This technology is designed to react to additions, deletions, and relocations while maintaining constant performance. StackWise technology combines as many as nine separate switches into a single functional device, using custom stack-interface cables and stacking software. Any of the switches can be any mix of the Catalyst 3750 switches and the Catalyst 3750-E Series. The stack behaves as an individual switching device that is directed by a master switch, chosen from among the stack of switches. The master switch automatically builds and updates all the switching and optional routing tables. A working stack can accept new switches or remove old members with no service interruption.

Cisco Catalyst 4500 Switches
Cisco's Catalyst 4500 switches are targeted for large company Local Area Network connectivity, local offices, Network Layer distribution locations, small and medium-sized businesses, and metropolitan (metro) Ethernet installations. The Cisco Catalyst 4500 family consists of a selection of enclosures ranging from 3 to 10 slots and a set of supervisor mechanisms delivering as high as 136 Gbps of layer 2 through layer 4 switching. Cisco's Catalyst 4500 family switches support an extensive set of line cards, including dense 10/100, 10/100/1000 Ethernet (both with 802.3af Power over Ethernet [PoE] options), 100BASE-FX, 100BASE-BX-D, Gigabit Ethernet, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

The Catalyst 4500 Series has a value-oriented range of chassis: Cisco Catalyst 4510R (10 expansion slots) with backup supervisor option), Cisco Catalyst 4507R (seven expansion slots) with backup supervisor option), Cisco Catalyst 4506 (six slots) and Catalyst 4503 (three slots).

Catalyst 4948 Switches
The Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series switch is a wire-speed, low-latency, layer 2 through layer 4, single rack unit fixed-configuration unit for the data center. Utilizing the tested Catalyst 4500 Series switch hardware and software architecture, the Catalyst 4948 Series switch provides exceptional throughput and reliability for multilayer aggregation of high performance servers and workstations. Speed and expandability of smart system services is made possible with specialized technology known as ternary content addressable memory (TCAM). Ample TCAM resources (64K entries) enable high function density, offering wire-rate routing/switching throughput with simultaneous support of features such as QoS and protection. This allows expandability for today's network needs with plenty of room for future expansion.

The Catalyst 4948 Series switch provides 48 ports of wire-rate 10/100/1000BASE-T with four available wired ports that can support optional 1000BASE-X Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) CWDM transponders. Industry-leading dependability and serviceability are provided with available internal redundant hot-swappable A-to-B failover power supplies and hot-swappable fans.

The Cisco Catalyst 4948 switch can isolate discrete data link layer traffic concurrently, while conserving IP address capacity. The Cisco Catalyst 4948 can prevent IP spoofing attempt to the remainder of community with no change to the server configuration.These assaults can be logged by the Catalyst 4948 switch for security analysis.

Catalyst 6500 Series Switches
The Catalyst 6500 Series switch is a high-throughput modular switch/router designed for convergence of data center, corporate campus, and Wide Area Network in a single device. Enterprise WAN, Internet access, data center connectivity features such as Multiprotocol Label Switching, resilience, quality of service, and security combined with IOS Software versatility provide fast ROI in the LAN and expand that value proposition to the WAN.

Catalyst 6500 Series switches offer a broad array of interface options spanning from DS0 to OC192/STM64, 10Mbps to 10-Gbps modules. Catalyst 6500 Series switches form the core of corporate Wide Area Network infrastructure by providing leading IP routing technologies, hardware-enabled IPv4 and 6, MPLS, and high-performance incorporated in one platform. The Catalyst 6500 Series is the top Cisco Layer 3 switch for the enterprise Wide Area Network, access, aggregation, and core edge of the corporate infrastructure with benefits in expandability and flexibility that include 720 Gbps switch fabric backplane capacity with Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Supervisor Engine 720, the ability to expand up to 400 million packets per second performance with intelligent forwarding, 32 Gbps design for low-speed WAN aggregation, a high-speed CPU for Layer 3 protocol convergence and consistency, as well as scalable IP routing and MPLS operation accelerated in silicon without throughput impact.

How Progent's Experts Can Help You with Cisco Catalyst Switches
Progent's CCIE qualified service experts can help you select and deploy Cisco switches in a way that make sense for your existing IT needs and your plans for future expansion. Progent's Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts can provide enterprise-class troubleshooting for the most challenging network problems, and Progent's remote service specialists can monitor your system operations and detect early-stage problems and resolve them so they don't significantly impact productivity. Progent's CISA certified security consultants can show you how to develop a comprehensive security strategy and implement Cisco Catalyst switches so they help enforce your security plans.

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