Installing Cisco Switches

[stinger27]

So I am starting a new job as an administrator. I have lots of experience except in the networking part. The first project I am going to be tasked with is installing cisco switches.

We are using CBS350. We are going to be installing 5 total. So going to stack 2 of them in 2 different locations. I am new to cisco but can learn and pick up fast. The 5th one can be used as a core switch or are core switches a special type you have to order?

This is a smaller business but is growing and expanding extremely fast so want to setup it up for future proofing.

I am making this post for some advice, pointers, don't and do's and any material online that you can send me way to help me out. Thanks so much!

[Reza Sharifi]

The 5th one can be a core switch if it has the proper amount of ports. For example; if you are using the fiber ports from the 2 stacks to the 5th switch (core) and each stack has 2 connections, you need a switch that has at least 4 fiber interfaces. That said, when you use a switch as a core switch or aggregation switch you want that switch to be a more powerful full switch than your access port switches, but if you don't have a whole lot of traffic traversing these switches then that 5th switch should do the job. Do the CBS350 stack switches come with fiber ports for uplinks? What is the exact model number?

HTH