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Upgrade switch

tianwen.zhao
Level 1
Level 1

Hello everyone,

 

Our company use 3850 which three in stacks for core switch .

 

For the long term ,we want to upgrade the switch which means we buy a new one for core switch.

 

as far as I know 4506-E will be a good choice. But It seemed that Catalyst 9200 Series switches are more popular today.

 

How do I choose?  Can anybody give me some advice ? I will appreciate for it

 

Thank you for any answers

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Seb Rupik
VIP Alumni
VIP Alumni

Hi there,

The Catalyst 9000 range of switches is definitely the preferred option and will have better longevity via software support and features than the older 4500 family of switches.

Both however are considered access layer switches, perhaps you should take a look at the 9404 which is a more suitable core switch and would provide a higher rate of forwarding (with a 1XL supervisor) than either of the other two switches.

 

Cheers,

Seb.

View solution in original post

9 Replies 9

Seb Rupik
VIP Alumni
VIP Alumni

Hi there,

The Catalyst 9000 range of switches is definitely the preferred option and will have better longevity via software support and features than the older 4500 family of switches.

Both however are considered access layer switches, perhaps you should take a look at the 9404 which is a more suitable core switch and would provide a higher rate of forwarding (with a 1XL supervisor) than either of the other two switches.

 

Cheers,

Seb.

marce1000
VIP
VIP

 

    https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/switches/switch-selector.html

M.



-- ' 'Good body every evening' ' this sentence was once spotted on a logo at the entrance of a Weight Watchers Club !

Joseph W. Doherty
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
"How do I choose? Can anybody give me some advice ? I will appreciate for it"

What's the 3850 stack not providing, which makes you believe you need to upgrade? Knowing that, might help in selecting a newer switch.

In theory, a fabric based switch might do better with East/West traffic, often found in a core device, than a stackable switch.

If you're looking long term, the Catalyst 9K series is likely better, as it's newer than the Catalys 4K series. That said, it's so new, adopting the Catalyst 9K now you might bump into some teething pains. The Catalyst 4K series, tough, is pretty old, which often generally implies stability. (NB: Seb mentions the Catalyst 4K series is considered an access layer switch, and although it's often used in that role, I wouldn't be concerned using it in a core role, and in times past, Cisco has sold the series as a carrier grade device. ) However, the Catalyst 9K series looks to be the logical replacement for the Catalyst 4K (and 6K?) series. It's architecture will allow "new" features in coming years.

BTW, you mentioned the 4506, but that only supports a single sup, so you'll have less redundancy than you have now with your stack of 3850s. Unless you're planning on obtaining two for your core, you might want to take that into consideration.

Thank you for your recommend.
If compare Catalyst 9K series with 6509 which can support two sup . which one will be better for core switch?

Thank you

Hi

There isn’t a like to like replacement for C6509 yet..Only modular switch we have today among C9K is C9400.. But please check the RIB/TCAM tables and software features supported on C9400.. C9500 high performance switches is other option if fixed Switches suffices your network requirement..

Pretty much the same decision, i.e. the Catalyst 9K series is a newer architecture, but, again, possibly less stable. The Catalyst 6K series may offer more "raw" performance, but if a 3 stack of 3850s has been doing the job, I suspect your network might not need such raw performance.

BTW, you ask about the 6509 but since you asked about a 4506, possible a 6506 would be more suitable for you.

Rsbell
Level 1
Level 1

All depends on the price and time you are willing to spend with 4500, 6500, or 9500. 4500/6500 is and will be eventually fazed out with the new 9500. We still currently have several 4500/6509 in use and replacing them slowly with 9500.

Thank you for your reply.
As far as you're used to say . Compare 4500/6500 with 9500 .Which one is more stable?

mnagired
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hi,

 

Right replacement for C3850 1G copper switch would be C9300 if your design still insist Traditional Stacking, if its more than 4 switch stack, you could even consider C9400 with Single sup or dual Sup for better redundancy. C9K offer lot more other benefits like ETA, Macsec-256, Application Hosting, 25G Uplink options, Trustworthy systems AVC/NBAR Capabilities etc 

 

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