3750s stack or Catalyst 6500?

[bruno_villeneuve]

Hi guys,

i'm working in a government health network and we actually have a Cisco Catalyst 4503 as a Core Switch with a bunch of 2960Gs and 2950, etc. My question is regarding the best solution to have for having the Core Switch to change.

Scenario 1: 4x Catalyst 3750 24 Ports and 1x 3750 12 ports all 5 stacked

Scenario 2: 1x Catalyst 6500 48 ports and another one 24 ports SFPs

I think both scenarios would be approximatly the same cost or around it, but it's not a matter of money. I would like to know what would be the best solution for us for scalability, fault tolerance, network management, etc.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Bruno

[Amit Aneja · Accepted solution]

Bruno,

The only flaw that I see going for 6500 is that it doesn't give me redundancy in terms of chassis. If you are planning to go for two supervisors in the chassis, it will be a better option.

1) You can add/remove modules from 6500 as & when you want without having to pay for any other switch, I assume that the modules would be cheaper than buyig a whole new switch.

2) It gives you more backplane speed.

3) Hardware forwarding.

4) Most of routing & other functions would be handled in hardware.

Overall, 6500 is much more advanced than 3750.

So, I would go for 6500. For more details, I would suggest going through the datasheet of both these switches.

Regards,

Amit

[bruno_villeneuve]

Indeed i'm looking at the features provided and I think the 6500 would definetly be a better solution.

Just for being able to add and remove modules and having LMS integrated? Don't need to buy a software management for the switch. I'm gonna have to read a lot more about it.

Thanks for your answer

[ankugarg]

Better to go with 6500 for core switch...

[glen.grant]

  Why not a newer 4506-E chassis with the latest supervisor ?

[bruno_villeneuve]

I'm not familiar with those models and datasheet but can you provide the differences?

[Leo Laohoo]

Hi Bruno,

3750 vs Cat 6500E.  Gee whiz.  Where do I start.

Ok, here's the dig.  One of my pet no-no's with 3750 is the number of switches in a stack.  If, for example, your stack is made up of 7 or more switches then I'd recommend you stick with a 6500E chassis.  Depending on what the size of the network is, Cisco is recommending that your core 6500 use the Sup2T, distro using the Sup720 and access using the Sup32.  If your network is not that large then using the Sup720 in your core and distro is also a good way of doing things.  The reason why I don't recommend 3750 stack of more than 7 is because in some cases, trying to configure something will cause or generate a "lag" from the time you hit the Enter key and the time for the cursor to come back.  It's good that you work in a healthcare environment because you may need a defribilator when this happens.  I know I wish I had one nearby.

We are in the midst of upgrading our old (as in purchased 7 years ago) 3750 (plain and not G/E/X) switches.  We noticed that if we have a stack of more than three 3750 in a stack, it's cheaper just to get a 4510R+E with Sup7 card.  This setup is also better.

One more thing, whatever you do or say, DO NOT go for plain 3750 or 3750G.  These basic models will be end-of-sale very soon.  The 3750 models to consider is the 3750X.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

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Posting

Whether to use a 3750 stack vs. a 6500 or 4500 chassis depends on many factors beyond just simple port counts.  For example, there are multiple "flavors" of Ethernet line cards for the 6500 (and 4500), which might look the same on the outside but internal features (and card costs) can vary considerably.

There are also "flavors" of 3750s, such as the major series (original, V2, -E and -X), but there can be an occasional subtle differences within a family.  For instance, the 12 fiber port original 3750 has some enhancements which are negated when mixed with other models in the same family (also an issue when mixing the different 3750 families).

If you describe what you consider the issues with your 4503, might help define what's required of a possible replacement, including a variant within that series (as suggested by Glen).

[boulest]

This is a great topic. I recently did a comparison study on the exact thing. I recommend the best way to make this decision is to first list your required functions that you need to have in the switch, then compare both 6500-E and the 3750 to see if both can provide you the functions you are looking to have. After this technical evaluation, you can look at the price and the support. If you have multiple locations and each will have different port count, so you may be better off with 3750. Also the new stackable cable for 3750 is much better than the old one. On the other hand, make a list of the functions that you would lose if you go with the 3750 such as “it is slower backplane than the 6500, and it is small switch so Cisco may decide to EOL at any time, much sooner than the 6500-E”

I personally like the chassis base switches as you can also incorporate your “FW, NAM, VPN accelerator/concentrator, etc”  for much cheaper price. Also you get smartnet on the chassis and not on the line cards, so in the long term this pays off.

[Leo Laohoo]

Well, the post I've made, 3750 vs 6500E, is really out of date.

This is because the 3850 "will be" superseding the 3750 and the introduction of the 6800-X, 6807-X and 6800IA switches.