The Cisco switch product lines below comprise the fixed configuration Cisco switches available:
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.
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 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.
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
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.
Stackable switches can be interconnected using a special backplane cable that provides high-bandwidth throughput between the switches. StackWise allows you to interconnect up to nine switches using fully redundant backplane connections. As you can see in the figure, switches are stacked one atop of the other, and cables connect the switches in daisy chain fashion. The stacked switches effectively operate as a single larger switch. Stackable switches are desirable where fault tolerance and bandwidth availability are critical and a modular switch is too costly to implement. Using cross-connected connections, the network can recover quickly if a single switch fails. Stackable switches use a special port for interconnections and do not use line ports for inter-switch connections. The speeds are also typically faster than using line ports for connection switches.
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