Cisco Catalyst
Cisco Systems' Cisco Catalyst 3550-12T and Cisco Catalyst 2950T-24 switches are also a well-matched pair for the network-upgrade scenario. The Catalyst 3550-12T is a Layer 3 aggregation switch with 10 autonegotiating 10/100/1000Base-T ports and two hot-swappable GBIC slots that you can use for stacking or to provide an additional two Gigabit Ethernet ports. The Catalyst 3550-12T also has a connector for a Cisco redundant power supply. The cost per Gigabit port, nearly $1000, puts this switch at the high end of the price range but is, at least in part, a function of the switch's high level of built-in functionality. If you manage a large network, the extra features, such as fully dynamic IP routing and advanced Quality of Service (QoS) options, might be well worth the cost.
The Catalyst 2950T-24 is a 24-port autonegotiating 10/100Base-T switch with two autonegotiating 10/100/1000Base-T uplink ports. This switch, like its big brother, uses a modified version of Cisco's Internet Operating System (IOS) 12.1. Thus, any experience you might have with Cisco IOS is helpful in configuring these switches.
Cisco Catalyst 3550-12T and
Cisco Catalyst 2950T-24 |
Contact: Cisco Systems * 408-526-7208 or 800-553-6387
Web: http://www.cisco.com
Price: Catalyst 3550-12T:
$9995 for 10-port 10/100/1000Base-T copper
managed switch;
Catalyst 2950T-24: $2395 for 24-port
10/100Base-T managed switch with two Gigabit Ethernet copper uplinks
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Dell's PowerConnect
At the time of writing, Dell had just thrown its hat into the Gigabit Ethernet switch ring with the release of its PowerConnect line of switches. These switches are the least expensive of those I tested and thus should be popular with small to midsized organizations that want to deploy Gigabit Ethernet but don't need Layer 3 functionality. Indeed, the Layer 2—capable PowerConnect 5012 provides 10 autonegotiating 10/100/1000Base-T ports for only $140 per port. The PowerConnect 5012 also has two GBIC slots for fiber uplinks.
The PowerConnect 3024 is Dell's managed Fast Ethernet desktop switch. Like the other vendors' desktop switches, the PowerConnect 3024 provides 24 autonegotiating 10/100Base-T ports. On the back, the switch has two built-in Gigabit Ethernet stacking ports that you can use with proprietary cables to stack an additional five switches. It also has two uplink ports that are 10/100/1000Base-T by default but can be used instead with fiber uplink modules that you purchase separately. Like the products from 3Com and Cisco, the Dell switches are well suited to upgrade an existing Fast Ethernet network.
| PowerConnect 5012 and PowerConnect 3024 |
Contact: Dell * 800-234-9999
Web: http://www.dell.com
Price: PowerConnect 5012:
$1399 for 10-port 10/100/1000Base-T copper managed switch with two GBIC ports; PowerConnect 3024: $756 for 24-port 10/100Base-T
managed switch with two Gigabit Ethernet copper uplinks
(switchable to fiber with separately purchased modules)
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