Cisco's current line of switches focus on providing intelligence at the edge of the network, where one network environment communicates with another one. The need for intelligence at the edge is fueled primarily by four important trends:

• Growth in desktop computing power
• Introduction of throughput-intensive applications
• Expansion of highly sensitive data on the network
• Greater variety of devices, e.g. Voice over IP phones and wireless LAN access points

Cisco switches deliver exceptional Quality of Service (QoS) to make sure that network traffic is identified and prioritized, and that congestion is avoided. Set up of Quality of Service is dramatically streamlined via automatic Quality of Service, a process that senses Cisco IP phones and automatically configures the switch for the appropriate classification and egress queuing. This enhances traffic prioritization and network availability without forcing your network management group to devise a complex set up strategy.

Through Catalyst switches for small and medium-sized businesses, Cisco allows businesses to realize the full advantages of incorporating smart services into their networks. Cisco's Catalyst switches make it possible to deploy capabilities that make the connectivity environment resilient to handle real time requirements, expandable to facilitate growth, safe so as to guard sensitive data, and configurable for classifying and controlling traffic flows to optimize network efficiency.

Catalyst 2950 Line
Catalyst 2950-24 and 2950-12 fixed-configuration, managed Ethernet switches offer fundamental workgroup connectivity for small to medium-size companies. These wire-speed desktop switches offer IOS Software features for simple mixed-media traffic services at the network edge.

Cisco 2950G-12, 2950G-24, 2950G-48, and 2950G-24-DC Series switches are stackable switches that offer wire-rate connections to the desktop and Gigabit uplink capability by means of several available Gbit Interface Converter (GBIC) uplinks. These switches, as well as the Catalyst 2950T-24 and 2950C-24 devices, offer smart features such as availability, security, and quality of service (QoS) to the network edge using the simple CMS Software web utility. These devices also come with Cisco Enhanced Image Software incorporated to provide intelligent services.

The Cisco Catalyst 2950C-24 Series provides 24 10/100 Ethernet ports as well as 2 dedicated 100BASE ports. The Cisco Catalyst 2950T-24 Series offers a smooth upgrade solution to Gigabit by using existing twisted-pair cabling environments with 24 auto-sensing 10/100 ports plus two dedicated 10/100/1000BASE-T uplinks. Incorporated in the Cisco Catalyst 2950 is the CMS web-based interface, which allows users simultaneously to set up and repair several Cisco Catalyst desktop devices utilizing a standard browser.

Catalyst 3560 Family Switches
Cisco’s Catalyst 3560 Series is a line of fixed-configuration switches that features IEEE 802.3af and prestandard PoE functionality in 10/100 Ethernet and 10/100/1000 configurations. The Catalyst 3560 is an ideal Layer 2 switch for small enterprise LAN connectivity or branch-offices, offering both Gigabit and Power over Ethernet (PoE) configurations for optimal productivity and fast ROI while streamlining the installation of the latest applications such a Voice over IP, WiFi, video monitoring, and remote video kiosks. Customers can deploy networkwide intelligent services including advanced QoS, rate limiting, ACLs, multicast administration, and broadband IP routing while maintaining the ease of conventional LAN switching.

The Catalyst 3560 Series is equipped with a powerful array of capabilities that permit network scalability and enhanced resilience through IP routing as well as a complete complement of STP improvements aimed to increase throughput in an access Layer network. Enhancements to the standard Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), such as Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+), Uplink Fast, and Port Fast, plus innovations like as Flex Links interfaces, optimize network uptime. PVST+ allows for Layer 2 load balancing on redundant links to exploit the additional bandwidth inherent in a redundant architecture.

Efficient routing mechanisms such as Open Shortest Path First, EIGRP, Border Gateway Protocol, static routing, and Policy Based Routing improve network capacity; PIM maximize system resources; and Virtual Route Forwarding Lite secures traffic. data.

Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series Switches
For mid-size organizations and enterprise local offices, Cisco's Catalyst 3750 Series switch facilitates integration of converged technologies and adapts to changing business needs by offering configuration flexibility, support for unified network traffic, and automatic set up of smart system services. In addition, the Cisco Catalyst 3750 switch is optimized for high-density Gigabit deployments and includes a diverse selection of switches that meet connectivity, aggregation, or small-network backbone-interface requirements.

Cisco's Catalyst 3750 switch is offered with either the IP Base or the Services image. The IP Base image functions include industry-leading quality of service (QoS), rate-limiting, access control lists (ACLs) access control lists, and basic static and Routing Information Protocol routing support. The IP Services image provides a richer set of enterprise-class features, including sophisticated built-in IP unicast/multicast routing.

Cisco StackWise technology is an architecture designed for Gigabit interfaces. Cisco StackWise is designed to react to installs, deletions, and redeployments while maintaining consistent operation. StackWise technology combines as many as 9 separate switches into one functional unit, using custom stack-interface cables and stacking utilities. The individual switches can be any mix of the Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series switches and the Cisco Catalyst 3750-E Series switches. The stack behaves as a single switching appliance that is managed by a control switch, selected from among the member switches. The master switch automatically builds and keeps current all the switching and optional routing tables. A deployed stack can accept new members or delete existing switches with no service interruption.

Catalyst 4500 Family Switches
Cisco's Catalyst 4500 Series switches are designed for enterprise Local Area Network connectivity, local offices, Layer 3 distribution locations, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and metropolitan (metro) Ethernet deployments. The Catalyst 4500 Series consists of a series of chassis containing from three to 10 slots and a set of supervisor engines offering as high as 136 Gbps of layer 2 through layer 4 switching. Catalyst 4500 Series switches support an extensive variety of interface cards, including high-density 10/100 Ethernet, 10/100/1000 (both with PoE availability), 100BASE-FX, 100BASE-LX10, plus Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

The Cisco's Catalyst 4500 family offers a value-oriented range of enclosures: Cisco Catalyst 4510R (10-module capacity) with redundant supervisor option), Cisco's Catalyst 4507R (7 expansion slots) with redundant supervisor capability), Catalyst 4506 (6 slots) and Cisco's Catalyst 4503 (three slots).

Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series Switches
The Catalyst 4948 switch is a wire-rate, low-latency, layer 2 through layer 4, 1 rack unit (RU) fixed-configuration switch for top-of-rack aggregation. Based on the proven Catalyst 4500 Series switch design, the Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series provides exceptional performance and dependability for low density aggregation of high performance servers and desktops. High performance and expandability of intelligent system services is made possible with specialized mechanisms called TCAM. Ample TCAM resources (64K entries) enable high function capacity, offering wire-rate routing and switching throughput with concurrent provisioning of features such as Quality of Service (QoS) and protection. This allows scalability for current traffic requirements with plenty of capacity for future expansion.

The Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series provides 48 ports of wire-rate 10/100/1000 Ethernet with 4 available ports that can support optional 1000BASE-X Small Form-Factor Pluggable CWDM transponders. Industry-leading reliability and serviceability are provided with optional AC or DC 1 + 1 hot-swappable A-to-B failover power units and redundant fans.

The Cisco Catalyst 4948 Series can separate different Layer 2 network traffic concurrently, while conserving IP address space. The Catalyst 4948 switch can halt man-in-the-middle threats to the rest of network with no adjustment of the server setup.Such attacks can be logged by the Catalyst 4948 Series for analysis.

Catalyst 6500 Family Switches
The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switch is a high-performance modular switch and router designed for consolidation of data center, campus, and Wide Area Network in one system. Enterprise Wide Area Network, Internet connectivity, data center access functions such as Multiprotocol Label Switching, high availability, quality of service, and protection combined with Cisco IOS Software modularity provide fast ROI in the Local Area Network and expand that value proposition to the WAN.

Catalyst 6500 Series switches offer a broad array of connectivity protocols ranging from DS-0 to OC-48, 10BASE-T to 10-GE modules. Catalyst 6500 Series switches form the foundation of corporate WAN architectures by offering leading IP routing technologies, hardware-enabled IPv4 and 6, MPLS, and outstanding speed integrated in one device. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series is the top Cisco Layer 3 switching solution for the corporate WAN, connectivity, aggregation, and core edge of the enterprise infrastructure with benefits in expandability and flexibility that include 720 Gbps switch fabric performance with Catalyst 6500 Supervisor Engine 720, the ability to scale up to 400 Mpps switching/routing performance with intelligent forwarding, 32 Gbps bus-based architecture for low-speed Wide Area Network aggregation, a high-speed processor for Layer 3 protocol convergence and consistency, plus scalable IP routing and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) functions accelerated in silicon without throughput deterioration.

How Progent's Experts Can Help You with Catalyst Switching Solutions
Progent's CCIE and CCNP qualified engineers can assist you to choose and deploy switches in a manner appropriate for your current business needs and your strategy for future expansion. Progent's CCIE offer world-class technical support for the most challenging network problems, and Progent's on-line support specialists can monitor your system operations and uncover early-stage problems and resolve them so they don't seriously impact your network. Progent's CISA qualified network security specialists can assist you to develop a comprehensive security policy and implement Cisco Catalyst switches so as to help enforce your security plans.

For more details concerning Progent's consulting support for Cisco solutions, pick a subject: