Description
Product Overview
The Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S is a type of network switch manufactured by Cisco Systems. This switch is designed for small to medium-sized businesses, providing reliable connectivity solutions for various networking needs. In this detailed guide, we’ll delve into the features, benefits, and applications of the Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S Layer2 Managed Switch.
Understanding Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Managed Switch
The Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S Layer2 Managed Switch is a rack-mountable Ethernet switch that offers 24 ports for Ethernet connectivity. Additionally, it includes 2 Combo Gigabit Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) ports, providing flexibility in network expansion and connectivity options. Let’s explore its features in detail.
Features of Cisco Layer2 Managed Switch
- 24 Ports Ethernet Connectivity: The switch comes equipped with 24 Ethernet ports, allowing users to connect multiple devices such as computers, printers, IP phones, and other networked devices to the network.
- Layer2 Managed Switch: As a Layer2 managed switch, the Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S offers advanced features for network management and control. This includes VLAN support, Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities, and security features.
- Rack Mountable Design: The switch is designed to be mounted on a standard 19-inch rack, allowing for efficient utilization of space in network infrastructure setups.
- Combo Gigabit SFP Ports: In addition to the Ethernet ports, the switch features 2 Combo Gigabit SFP ports. These ports support both copper and fiber optic connections, offering flexibility in network expansion and connectivity.
- Power over Ethernet (PoE) Support: The Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S supports Power over Ethernet (PoE), enabling the switch to provide power to connected PoE-enabled devices such as IP phones, wireless access points, and surveillance cameras, simplifying deployment and reducing cable clutter.
Benefits of Cisco Managed Switch
- Enhanced Connectivity: With 24 Ethernet ports and 2 Combo Gigabit SFP ports, the switch provides enhanced connectivity options, allowing businesses to easily connect a variety of devices to the network.
- Improved Network Management: As a Layer2 managed switch, the Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S offers advanced network management capabilities, enabling administrators to configure and control network settings, optimize performance, and ensure security.
- Flexible Deployment: The rack-mountable design of the switch makes it easy to deploy in various network environments, whether it’s a small office setup or a larger enterprise network.
- Power over Ethernet (PoE) Support: The PoE support simplifies the deployment of PoE-enabled devices by eliminating the need for separate power sources and reducing cable clutter, resulting in a cleaner and more organized network setup.
- Cost-Effective Solution: The Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S offers a cost-effective networking solution for small to medium-sized businesses, providing reliable performance, advanced features, and scalability at an affordable price point.
Applications of Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S Layer2 Managed Switch
- Small to Medium-Sized Businesses: The Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a reliable and cost-effective networking solution to connect their various devices and support their day-to-day operations.
- Educational Institutions: Schools, colleges, and universities can benefit from the Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S switch to provide reliable connectivity for students, faculty, and administrative staff, supporting activities such as online learning, research, and administrative tasks.
- Healthcare Facilities: Hospitals, clinics, and healthcare facilities can utilize the switch to establish a robust network infrastructure that supports critical healthcare applications, patient care systems, and medical devices while ensuring security and compliance with regulations.
- Retail Stores: Retail businesses can deploy the Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S switch to connect POS systems, inventory management systems, security cameras, and other devices, enabling seamless operations and improving customer experiences.
- Hospitality Industry: Hotels, resorts, and hospitality businesses can leverage the switch to provide reliable Wi-Fi connectivity, support guest services, and manage various smart devices and amenities, enhancing the overall guest experience.
Key Features and Benefits of Cisco Catalyst Switch
The WS-C2960+24PC-S Cisco Catalyst Managed 24 Ports Ethernet Switch is a powerful and versatile switch that provides a range of key features and benefits for businesses and organizations. Some of the key features and benefits include:
- High-speed performance: The switch provides 24 10/100 Ethernet ports and 2 SFP uplink ports, allowing for fast and reliable data transfer.
- Advanced security: The switch supports advanced security features such as 802.1x port-based authentication and Access Control Lists (ACLs) to help protect networks from unauthorized access and threats.
- Easy management: The switch can be easily managed and configured through a web-based interface, allowing for simple and convenient setup and maintenance.
- Energy efficiency: The switch is Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) compliant, which helps to reduce power consumption and costs.
- Quality of Service (QoS): The switch supports QoS features, providing the ability to prioritize different types of traffic to ensure that critical applications receive the bandwidth they need.
- High availability: The switch supports redundancy features such as Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) to help ensure that networks remain up and running in the event of a failure.
- Compatibility: The switch is compatible with a wide range of Cisco devices, making it easy to integrate into existing networks.
- Scalability: The switch can be easily expanded to support growing network needs by stacking multiple switches together.
- LIFETIME Warranty: The switch comes with a lifetime warranty, providing peace of mind and protection against hardware failure.
Firmware Upgrade and Software Management
The WS-C2960+24PC-S Cisco Catalyst Managed 24 Ports Ethernet Switch allows for the upgrading and management of its firmware and software through different methods. Some of the key features include:
- Cisco IOS Software: The switch runs on Cisco IOS software, which is a widely used and highly-regarded networking operating system that can be easily upgraded to the latest version to fix bugs and improve performance.
- Web-based Interface: The switch can be managed and configured through a web-based interface, which also allows for upgrading the firmware by uploading the new image to the switch and installing it.
- Cisco Network Assistant: The switch can be managed and configured using Cisco Network Assistant, a powerful network management tool that simplifies setup and maintenance, it also allows to upgrade of the firmware and software of multiple devices at once.
- TFTP: The switch firmware can also be upgraded using Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP), where the new firmware image is uploaded to a TFTP server and the switch is configured to retrieve the image from the server and install it.
- Auto-Upgrade: The switch also supports the Auto-Upgrade feature, which allows for automatic upgrades of the firmware and software when new versions become available.
- Rollback: The switch firmware upgrade also allows for a rollback feature, in case the upgrade causes issues, it’s possible to revert to the previous version of the firmware.
- Backup: Before upgrading the firmware, it’s recommended to backup the switch configuration, in case the upgrade causes issues and the switch needs to be restored to its previous state.
Compatibility and Interoperability
The WS-C2960+24PC-S Cisco Catalyst Managed 24 Ports Ethernet Switch is designed to be highly interoperable and compatible with a wide range of other Cisco devices and networking technologies. Some of the key compatibility and interoperability features include:
- Cisco IOS Software: The switch runs on Cisco IOS software, which is a widely used and highly-regarded networking operating system that is compatible with a wide range of Cisco devices.
- Cisco EnergyWise: The switch is compatible with Cisco EnergyWise, a technology that allows devices to communicate and share power usage information, enabling organizations to reduce energy consumption and costs.
- Cisco StackWise Plus: The switch can be stacked with other Cisco Catalyst 2960-Plus series switches, allowing for easy scalability and high availability.
- Cisco Network Assistant: The switch can be easily managed and configured using Cisco Network Assistant, a powerful network management tool that simplifies setup and maintenance.
- Cisco Discovery Protocol: The switch supports the Cisco Discovery Protocol, which allows for automatic discovery and configuration of Cisco devices on the network.
- Cisco Smartports: The switch supports Cisco Smartports, which provides pre-configured security and QoS policies, making it easy to deploy and maintain secure and high-performing networks.
- Other vendor’s devices: The switch is also compatible with a wide range of non-Cisco devices, such as servers, storage, and other networking equipment, ensuring that it can be easily integrated into existing networks.
General Information about this Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S
- Manufacturer: Cisco
- Model Number or SKU # WS-C2960+24PC-S
- Product Line: Catalyst
- Product Series: 2960
- Product Model: 2960+24PC-S
- Product Name: Catalyst 2960+24PC-S Ethernet Switch
- Product Type: Ethernet Switch
Interfaces/Ports
- Total Number of Network Ports: 26
- Uplink Port: Yes
- Number of PoE (RJ-45) Ports: 24
- Port/Expansion Slot Details: 24 x Fast Ethernet Network
- Port/Expansion Slot Details: 2 x Gigabit Ethernet Uplink
- Port/Expansion Slot Details: 2 x Gigabit Ethernet Expansion Slot
Performance
- Ethernet Technology: Gigabit Ethernet
- Network Technology: 10/100/1000Base-T
- Network Technology: 10/100Base-TX
I/O Expansions
- Number of Total Expansion Slots: 2
- Expansion Slot Type: SFP
- Shared SFP Slot: Yes
- Number of SFP Slots: 2
Network & Communication
- Layer Supported: 2
Management & Protocols
- Manageable: Yes
- Management-
- CiscoWorks
- IEEE 802.1Q VLAN
- IEEE 802.1p
- CLI
- DHCP
- Telnet
- Syslog
- SNMP v1, v2c, v3
- HTTP
- RMON 1, 2
Memory
- Standard Memory: 64 MB
- Memory Technology: DRAM
- Flash Memory: 32 MB
Power Description
- PoE (RJ-45) Port: Yes
- Input Voltage: 110 V AC
- Input Voltage: 220 V AC
- Power Source: Power Supply
- Redundant Power Supply: Yes
Miscellaneous
- Additional Information
- LAN Lite Image
- Green Compliant Yes
- Green Compliance Certificate/Authority RoHS-5
In summary, the Cisco WS-C2960+24PC-S Catalyst 2960-Plus 24PC-S Layer2 Managed Switch offers a comprehensive networking solution for small to medium-sized businesses and various other industries. With its robust features, benefits, and flexible deployment options, it serves as a reliable foundation for building scalable and efficient network infrastructures. Whether it’s enhancing connectivity, improving network management, or supporting specific applications, this switch caters to diverse networking needs effectively.
