Trying to change the system mode of an SRW208MP switch to layer 3

[vzvonarov1]

I'm trying to configure a layer 3, SRW208MP switch to do some basic routing, but I can't seem to configure it's routing table. At first, I couldn't find any options to give a VLAN an IP anywhere. I searched the console interface, as well as the web interface. The manual made no mention of anything either.

After hitting this dead end, I updated the firmware to the latest version, and the console interface got a new menu with the name "System Mode (Layer 2/Layer 3)". Unfortunately, it only allows me to view the mode, not change it, and the mode is currently set to Layer 2, Standalone. Is there some kind of procedure that I need to follow to change the system mode to layer 3? Perhaps I need to disable some features that the switch can't do in layer 3 mode so that the option to change to layer 3 becomes active in the console interface?

[Tom Watts · Accepted solution]

Hi Vitaliy, the old srw208mp switch is not a layer 3 device. The srw208mp-k9 can be layer 3 but is default at layer 2.

-Tom
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[vzvonarov1]

I was not aware of this - thank you for the information.

When  the company I work for bought this switch from a reputable ebay store,  the description of the product clearly stated that this switch is  capable of layer 3. Now I'm trying to figure out if the product was  misrepresented by the seller, or if this switch can infact do routing.

What is the best way to tell which model I have? This is the information I have about it:

The  physical switch itself says: Linksys (not Cisco). Also says SRW208MP  Business Series 8-Port Gigabit Switch with WebView and PoE

Hardware version (from Console interface): 00.03.00

Model number on the box it was factory packaged in (it was closed, brand new): SRW208MP

UPC on same box: 745883571086

If I understand correctly, the UPC above is for the Layer 2 version, while the layer 3 version should be 882658296024. This, and the fact that I  have yet to see the characters '-k9' anywhere on the box or the switch,  makes me believe that I really do have the old, layer 2 switch. Is this  a definitive way to know that this is a layer 2 only switch?

[Tom Watts]

Vitaliy, first let me iterate buying any Cisco product from Ebay voids the warranty as Ebay is not a Cisco partner or authorized reseller. Products from Ebay are considered "pre owned" sort of like going to a flea market.

The old SRW switches are carry over from Linksys. These switches went end of life/ end of sale a couple years ago and are no longer being manufactured. The replacement switches are the SX300 series products which are a similar SKU SRWxxxx-K9-xx.

If the packaging does not say SF300 or SG300 or SRWxxxx-K9-xx then it is an old model. When I enter in the SKU

882658296024 on google, I do find SRW208MP-K9-NA.

-Tom
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[vzvonarov1]

I knew that the model was discontinued, but did not know that there was a newer model out there. It appeared that Cisco no longer made PoE switches that were smaller than 24 port, which are far more expensive. I guess I was wrong. I was also pretty sure that there would be no warranty on it, but the cheap price (compared to any retail store that carries them) made it worth it for us.

As for our situation - the eBay description clearly had the SKU, model number, SPN, and description of the newer model - it mentioned layer 3 functionality, the model SF302-08MP, the MPN SRW208MP-K9-NA, and the UPC 882658296024. None of these things were accurate. This means that either the seller intentionally misrepresented the product, using the similarity in SKUs between the older and newer models to confuse buyers, or he made the same mistake we did in not realizing the difference in the 2 models. We will be contacting the seller, and if he refuses to work with us to resolve this, we will contact eBay/PayPal and they will intervene.

Thank you Tom for all the useful information you have provided.

[Tom Watts]

Vitaliy, the other consideration is this, when purchasing a SX300 switch, these products come with  1 year free phone support, limited lifetime hardware warranty and currently free advance replacement RMA in case of switch failure. Even if purchasing a unit from a reseller for a higher price, it is a far greater benefit as if you purchase from ebay, you will not enjoy this luxury since it will void the warranty.

I think if you search close enough for a legitimate reseller, you may find a very pleasant pricing point for a 24 port, poe SF300 or if you choose the 10 port to save a bit more. Remember if a seller on Ebay has a 'brand new' unit, they must have received the unit from a distributor or a Cisco reseller since Cisco does not handle direct sales. It means if they found such a low price point, you may also.

-Tom
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[vzvonarov1]

Thanks - I'll keep that in mind.