WS-C2960X-48FPS-L vs WS-C2960X- 24TS-L

[muraliparimi]

Hello All,

We are trying to setup datacenter for newly opened office and trying to find out the difference between 

WS-C2960X- 24TS-L  vs WS-C2960X-48FPS-L.

Could any of your throw light on how to choose between the two mentioned switches?

[Leo Laohoo]

We are trying to setup datacenter for newly opened office and trying to find out the 
difference between WS-C2960X-24TS-L vs WS-C2960X-48FPS-L.

I'd choose NEITHER for DC use. 

• WS-C2960X- 24TS-L is a 24-port, non-PoE and has four SFP (1 Gbps) ports. 
• WS-C2960X-48FPS-L is a 48-port, FULL PoE (750w PoE) and 4 SFP (1 Gbps) ports.

Neither switch models are designed for DC use.  Catalyst switches are known for their shallow buffers.  This means that if you have microburst of data to/from servers, the Catalyst switches' buffers will get full very quickly and start dropping data packets.  

Cisco Nexus family of switches are more designed for DC use.  Some people have also recommended the Catalyst 4500X as a cheaper alternative to Nexus.

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[muraliparimi]

Hello Leo,

My understanding is not so great in this domain yet trying to catchup here very fast. The purpose of these switches are not meant for a DC but network for our office where we will have around 120 simultaneous users, around 170 voice ports and around 100 redundant ports. All the users would expect a very high availability of the internet bandwidth to login to a vpn connection to carry out their day to day operations. At this network, we are not hosting any applications. Its kind of operation that is meant to be  heavily relied upon nadwidth. We will be using 20 MbPS leased line for the same. Thank you for the reply!!

[adawa]

Hello, muraliparimi. The Cisco 2960-X is a good option for access layer switches for your users. Please send me an e-mail (adawa@cisco.com), if you need local Cisco support or quote on Cisco solutions/devices. Kind regards. 

[muraliparimi]

Hello Adawa,

Thank you very much for the reply. Could you please provide your opinion on core switches WS-C3750X-12S-S versus WS-C3560X-24T-S? Definitely I can take your help however we are evaluating different options ourselves before we can talk to one of your local support or to get a quote.

[Leo Laohoo]

Could you please provide your opinion on core switches WS-C3750X-12S-S versus WS-C3560X-24T-S?

• WS-C3750X-12S-S Stackable 12 GE SFP Ethernet ports, with 350W AC power supply 1 RU, IP Base feature set
• WS-C3560X-24T-S Standalone 24 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports, with 350W AC power supply 1 RU, IP Base feature set

What exactly are you trying to connect here?  Fibre optics or copper-based ethernet?  Do you need to stack?  Do you need more than 12 ports of fibre optic? 

[adawa]

Hello, muraliparimi. 

Leo is correct, the WS-C3750X-12S-S are stackable 12 GE SFP port switch, while the WS-C3560X-24T-S does not support stack and both has IP Base IOS image. You can check this reference link between different IOS image on 3750-X and 3560-X models: (http://cs.co/9002ici0). It will indeed depend on what you will need on your core layer switch (Fiber or Copper). Would it be possible for me to contact you over the phone for a better conversation? Feel free to e-mail me (adawa@cisco.com) your business number and the best time to contact you. Hope to hear from you!