Cisco To Debut Raft Of Hardware

Cisco Systems this week plans to introduce seven new Catalyst switches for midsize businesses and branch office wiring closets that allow for Layer 3 and Layer 4 services from the desktop to the core and through the WAN.

The networking hardware vendor is adding 48-port and 24-port models to its Catalyst 3550 series and 48-port and 12-port models to its 2950 series intelligent Ethernet switches. The new switches include configuration wizards to simplify and speed up deployment.

Cisco also is introducing the Catalyst 4000 family 48-port 10/100/1000BaseT line card and a switching network module for the Cisco 2600 and 3600 series routers.

Switches by the stack: Cisco is set to introduce new hardware this week.

The rising use of bandwidth-intensive applications and a sharpened focus on security are among the factors driving the need for networkwide intelligence, said Maciej Kranz, director of marketing for Cisco's desktop switching unit. The new switches will allow partners to deploy IP routing, quality of service, access control and network management networkwide, he said.

"Partners and customers want to deploy networkwide intelligence but they want it to be easy to deploy," Kranz added.

To that end, Cisco's new Cluster Management Suite eases deployment of intelligent switches with wizards that automatically configure voice, video and high-priority data ports. The suite also offers improved LAN troubleshooting and automated software upgrades, Kranz said.

The new switches are designed to be upwardly compatible with Cisco's Layer 2 Catalyst 3500 and 2900 Series XL desktop switches, allowing for continuity in stacking capabilities and software features. Cisco said.

Cisco said the three new Catalyst 3550s are enterprise-class, wire-speed stackable, multilayer intelligent Ethernet switches in Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet configurations. The switches deliver networkwide intelligent services such as quality of service, rate-limiting, security access control lists, multicast management and high-performance, fully dynamic IP routing.

The vendor also is offering the Cisco Catalyst Enhanced Multilayer Software Image, a software upgrade to standard versions of the Catalyst 3550-48 and 3550-24 switches with enhanced services including wire-speed dynamic IP routing.

In the Catalyst 2950 series, Cisco is introducing four fixed-configuration, stackable models that provide wire-speed Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. The models also bring intelligent services, such as advanced quality of service, rate-limiting, security filters and multicast management, to the network edge. When a Catalyst 2950 Switch is combined with a Catalyst 3550 Series Switch, the solution enables IP routing from the edge to the core of the network.

The new Catalyst 4000 10/100/1000 modular line card gives partners the opportunity to upgrade customers' existing Catalyst 4000 switches with affordable Gigabit Ethernet access to every desktop, said Mark Foss, product manager for Cisco's Gigabit switching unit.

Solution providers were excited about the new configuration wizards. "The configuration of Cisco equipment is very complicated, requiring a very highly trained technician," said Jim Clark, president of AC&C Network Services, Orange, Calif. "If the wizards speed up even basic setup, that would be phenomenal."

The company also is introducing the EtherSwitch Module for its 2600 and 3600 series routers. The switching module that adds 16 ports of 10/100 Ethernet and one optional 1000BaseT uplink port together with inline power support for IP phones and wireless LAN access points to the 2600 and 3600 routers.