Cisco 2960 vs 3560 Switch

[dantheciscoman]

Hi,

I'm trying to decide between the 2960 and 3560 switch for one of my production networks. What are the pros/cons of each? From Cisco's website it says 2960 is beter suited for a small branch office and the 3560 is better suited for medium-sized or enterprise networks. How does Cisco define these terms? By throughput? I also know that the 3560 switch offers layer 3 routing but I do not really require this feature.

Thanks.

[Leo Laohoo]

The lines of which is better between the two is getting blurred since the release of the newer 2960S.

We've stopped purchasing 2960/2960G switch in favour of the 2960S.  One of the major benefits is the ability to stack a maximum of 4 2960S to form one logical switch.  The 2960S, particularly models that have a "D" in it's product ID (or PID), supports SFP+ 10Gb interface (up to 2 SFP+ or 2 SFP 1 Gb or a combination of both).

The 2960S PoE series comes into different "flavours".  All PoE support up to 30.0 watts but you can have the "full power" which can support all 48-ports at 30.0w or the half.  When I mean "half", I mean that it will support up to 24-ports of 30.0w (first come, first serve, until full) or 48-ports of standard 15.4 w.

One good thing about the 3560 is that it is a Layer 2/Layer 3.  If you change your mind and you want to go Layer 3 switching, then it's a case of getting the license, download the correct IOS and enable IP routing.

If you are bent (no offense intended) with just plain Layer 2, then the 2960S, in my humble opinion, is my first choice.  This is then followed by my second choice of the 2960S. 

[lal.antony]

I agree with Leolaohoo. Basically between 2960 and 3560 main difference is Layer 3 capabilities on the 3560 range.

If you can give us your requirements for the switch maybe I can assist in more specific range and model. Also below Cisco Product Advisor might be helpful to find out for yourself some of the options when it comes to switches.

http://www.ciscowebtools.com/productadvisor/switches.asp

Hope this helps, please rate.

Cheers

Lal Antony

www.lalantony.com

[Latchum Naidu]

Hi,

2900 series switches are L2 only switches. Meaning that you can setup VLANs but you won't be able to route between then.
3500 series switches are L3 switches. Hence you will be able to route between VLANs.
Essentially think of the 3500 as a cut-down 24port ethernet router.
The primary difference between a full blown router are a L3-switch is the capabilities of the router

Primary difference between 2960 and 3560 = Layer 3 and PoE
These switches are built as workgroup switches, not high-traffic, high availability data center switches.
Depending on how you aggregate or connect the switches to the rest of the network will determine what is best for you.

Cisco Catalyst 2960 LAN Base switches support only up to 15.4W on PoE ports. The Cisco Catalyst 2960-24PC-L can support 24 simultaneous full-powered PoE port at 15.4W for maximum powered-device support. The Cisco Catalyst 2960-24LT-L24 has 24 10/100 ports with 8 simultaneous full-powered PoE ports at 15.4W. For support of higher than 15.4W, Cisco Catalyst 3560-E and 3750-E series switches are recommended.

Please rate the helpfull posts.

Regards,
Naidu.

[AYMAN SEAF]

cisco 2960 are layer 3 with ios 15