Good low-density (~24-port) 1/10GbE switch?

Joseph Da Rosa · ‎10-23-2012

We're looking for Cisco switches with the following attributes to serve as the core switches in a production network:

1U (or close), fixed config
20 or more 1GbE copper ports
4 or more 1/10GbE fiber ports (SFP+)
Not ridiculously expensive

So far the closest fit we've found for these requirements is the SG500X-24. However, since the SG500X-24 is a "small business" switch we're concerned that the reliability may not be up to the levels of Cisco's enterprise switches, the support level may not be sufficient, the 12MB packet buffer may not be enough to support wire-speed operation (or efficient communication between hosts on 1GbE and 10GbE ports), and so on. But in looking through Cisco's entire current switch line (a daunting task...) this seems to be the switch that best fits the specifications above.

So it would be very helpful to get answers to any of these questions:

Do you have a suggestion for a more appropriate switch that fits the listed requirements?
Do you know of any reasons why the SG500X-24 would be a poor choice for a production network?
Have you had positive experiences with using the SG500X-24 as a mission-critical switch?

Thanks!

Leo Laohoo · ‎10-24-2012

Is your switch going to perform Layer 2 or Layer 3? MPLS?

4 or more 1/10GbE fiber ports (SFP+)

Is this a SINGLE unit? For the Cisco Catalyst range, if you stack a 2960S or a 3750X together, you'll get the requirement for >4x10Gbps port.

Joseph Da Rosa · ‎10-24-2012

Just basic layer 2, no MPLS. And yes, we want 4 or more 1/10GbE fiber/SFP+ ports in each individual switch.

It looks like either the Catalyst 2360 or 4948E would be candidates as well since they each have 4 10GbE ports (though I'm not clear if those ports can connect at 1GbE as well--I assume so but the product pages weren't clear). But at 48 1GbE ports each they have higher port density than we need, and they also cost a good bit more than the SG500X-24.

Joseph Da Rosa · ‎12-24-2012

Just a followup for anyone who happens across this forum posting in the future: we went with the SG500X-24, and thus far it's working out very well--the 10GbE ports appear to operate at near wire speed (based on iperf testing) and interoperability with other devices is good. A very good switch at a very good price.