Cisco Switches

Cisco Switches Product Overview:

Cisco's network switches are commonly branded under the Catalyst name and while they are usually associated with Ethernet switching, different interfaces have always been made available to users. 

Throughout its history, Cisco has acquired many companies and re-branded them as Catalyst products. Take for example the 5000 and 6000 series that are based on Crescendo Communication technology and the 1700, 1900 and 2800 series from Grand Junction Networks or the Catalyst 3000 by Kalpana. 

Latest additions such as the Catalyst 6500 switches now come with interchangeable parts, along with ISR switch modules in them that make them fully integrated devices.

The Catalyst OS 

Initially all Catalyst switches operated using the CatOS or the Cisco IOS. This changed as newer products were introduced especially in the modular chassis series. 

With layer 2 functions coming into the picture and layer 3 elements, the CatOS and IOS became distinct operating systems to handle each feature. The latest switches through Cisco eliminate the need for CatOS. 

Presently, the Catalyst 6500 uses the 12.2(33)SXJ IOS. Some switches also come with web based graphical interface modules directly hosted on a HTTP server hardwired into the switch. In those switches, 'ip http-server' browser command is a default factory setting. 

Interfaces 

All modern Catalyst models now come with Ethernet interfaces that offer as high as 10Gbit/s. A few even allow Asynchronous Transfer Mode for WANs while other models can easily support E1, T1 or ISDN PRI interfaces for PSTN connections.  

Almost all legacy models under the Catalyst banner have layer 2 capabilities such as trunking, CoS or QoS and are fully manageable. Those switches which can use IOS will also function as routers thus automatically making them layer 3 devices and with UDP and TCP filtering the switches naturally become capable of handling layer 2 to layer 4 operations. 

Almost all chassis based Catalyst models use the concept of field replaceable supervisor cards. Chassis models offer higher flexibility and power with a greater backbone speed. The end result is isolated components that need individual replacement or repairs in case of failures. 

Naturally, it reduces the time required to replace an entire switch along with cables and wires. It also offers a unique solution to use redundant supervisor engines to help with supervisor failures. This will help make sure restoration times are below 90 seconds while allowing clients to upgrade the supervisor engine even after a purchase for additional features. This will allow for greater performance without losing out on investment for other switches. 

Another great advantage of Catalyst switches is that they off-load processing from the supervisors thus allowing the line cards to exclusively switch traffic in ports of the same card. This eliminates the need for additional processing power and doesn't put any load on the backplane. All basic Layer 2 switching is taken care of by the line card and in some cases even complex operations. 

The Catalyst Series 

Cisco follows a rapid development policy with all its products and this is evident even in the Catalyst series that has evolved rather quickly. Today you can find usually two basic types of Catalyst switches, one is a fixed configuration series and the other are modular switches. 

The fixed configuration series offers one to two rack units with 12 to 80 ports while in the modular switches, you can decide on every single component and its capacity as everything is individually installed. 

Usually Cisco Catalyst switches all have names that begin with WS-C and the model number or the model line. At the end of the number a letter signifies the special feature followed by the total port numbers (8, 12, 24 or 48) and any additional features denoted by more alphabets.

Cisco Switch Pricing 

The prices of new Cisco switches for the enterprise can vary from hundreds of dollars to over a hundred thousand dollars plus for a loaded modular switch.  If you're considering used Cisco switches, prices are typically at least half of new, if not more.

Used Cisco Switch Equipment 

Buyers are often surprised to find out that all of the current switches they are presently buying new are available on the used market.  

Working with a quality used Cisco reseller like Vibrant allows you to gain access to a huge stock of both current and EOS/EOL switch inventory, fully tested and guaranteed.  Since we have the switches on hand, we can deliver faster than anyone, all at an incredible value.

Why Cisco Catalyst Switches? 

Cisco offers switches with a variety of Ethernet-based platforms that manages simple connectivity to higher level multilayer intelligent services. Moreover, Cisco comes with various interfaces, extensible functionality and higher port densities for greater network access or coverage. 

The entire Catalyst series delivers configurations that augment small and medium sized enterprises, wiring closets in a single system without compromising on the ease of management or the need for additional modules. 

They are high performance switches offering solutions for large enterprises as well as public service providers who deal with heavy traffic as well as mid-sized businesses dealing with Internet, IP telephony, ERP or e-commerce. 

In short, the entire Cisco Catalyst series is geared towards small, medium and large businesses, regardless of their needs.  

Vibrant Technologies has any model of Cisco Switch you might need.  All equipment is thoroughly tested and inspected and ports are tested with simulated enterprise network traffic.  We guarantee every switch and provide ongoing support so that we can deliver the best network switching value on the market.

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