Cisco Catalyst WS-C3548-XL-EN Swich ??? 5

[yemaya]

Hi Guys,

I want to buy two more switches to add'em to my home lab but i'm not sure which one, i friend is selling me two 3548 switches but before buy them i want to hear some input about these switches, please i need advice, I know they are EoL, but are these switches good for home labs to study for CCNA/CCNP?

Thanks.

 

[Minue]

Hello yemaya
The 3500 series are good for the above certs.I just compare the commands to the 2950 series,very much the same even though it's an End-of-life switch.
Anyway you should drop one of them and invest in a level 3 switch if you plan to move onto the CCNP in the near future.
Good luck

 

[yemaya]

Hi Minue;

The thing is for the CCNA/CCNP test the switch 2950 are the one. So my question is, is the 3548 series better than the 2924 or are they the same?, if i'm going to buy a 3548 and is the same as the 2924 series, i better go for one 2950 or 2960 insted.

Also is the 2960 layer 3 or only the 3550 and up are layer 3?.

Thanks guys.

 

[voltron1011]

2900's do vlan's and trunking, but don't routing... If you can find a good 3550 that would be your best bet.. It's a layer-3 switch with routing, albeit limited routing...

 

[yemaya]

Hi.

Do i really need a layer 3 switch for my CCNA/CCNP lab home?, Is nice to have one but pay over $1200us is to much if i'm not going to need it, at least for now, i got the money to buy it but also i need a few things to complete the home lab, i asked about the 2 3548 switches because i can buy both for $300 and still have money to buy something else.

Thanks in advance.

 

[voltron1011]

From what I can remember, the 3548 is a layer-2 switch however I think there was an upgraded one that could do layer-3... What exact model is it?

 

[vipergg]

A layer 2/3 switch is a good idea almost all of cisco's equipment is a layer2/3 switch now except the low end stuff like 2600, 2800 models that are still conventional routers but can also have hwic cards that can have like 16 port switches in the router itself . Good idea to learn how to configure these though I am not sure what they are covering on the cisco exams now.

 

[Minue]

Hello yemaya
You will not need a level 3 switch for the CCNA.So for that price you can buy the two 3548,and when you are ready for CCNP,I am certain the price will be a lot lower.The 2960 doesn't support level 3.The 2948-L3 would be the cheapest choice,but it's End-of-life.
As I said before the 3500 are very similar to 2950's.The only difference that I have note so far with the commands is the "Switchport trunk encapsulation ISL/dot1q".This command isn't present on the 2950 because it only supports 802.1Q.If you are not in rush I will futher review the commands and let you know this weekend.
Regards

 

[yemaya]

Hi Minue,

i appreciate your help, i can wait for you, that will be great to know the differences between those two switches.

I'll wait, take your time.

Thanks.

 

[Minue]

Hello
As promise I have compared the 2950 to the 3500 series.As far as the CCNA is concerned.What I did find is that the Mac-address port security is configured differently.Show show commands output are a bit different.Configuring spanning tree on the 2950,allows only increments of 4096.Where as the 3500 have a range from 1-65000.The difference could be acceptable if the price is right
Regards

 

[ADB100]

There are quite a few things the 2950 supports over 3500XL series....

QoS
Rapid Spanning-Tree
Access Control using ACLs on a port-basis
IGMP Snooping
Voice VLAN's on non-trunk ports
CLI support for 'range' command

I am sure there are more but that's off the top of my head. The 3500XL/2900XL series switches should really be avoided if your main concern is studying. They are fine if you want to get some devices speaking and don't need anything like QoS or Rapid-STP.

Get yourself hold of at least a 3550, however even these are now EOS, being replaced by the 3560/3750 series. The 2950 is also EOS but like the 3550 is still used in a lot of exams.

HTH

Andy

 

[burtsbees]

I agree with Andy---CCNP really hits on QoS, as do other certs, like VoIP (CCVP). As far as layer 3 switches go, there is very little concerning this technology---just know that it exists, like in the 3 layer campus setup (used in the Distribution layer in the 3 layer model, or can serve as Core/Backbone switches in small to medium networks)---there are very few commands to know to route between VLANs in an L3 switch. There is a little on ACL's in switches, as well as IGMP snooping, I believe a little on Rapid Spanning Tree, and pruning. Go for the 2950---all around, I believe it's your best bet, ESPECIALLY for the money.

Burt

 

[yemaya]

Hi.

Thanks guys for all the info, i bought 2 2950 more and one of them is running enterprise edition, the model is 2950C, now with 4 switches i think i'm ready for CCNA and CCNP, the only i need now is a very good book for switching only, any tips in with one is the best one?.

Thanks Guys for all your help.

 

[Minue]

Hello
If you will be doing the CCNA.You wouldn't need a book on switching.Just follow your CCNA curriculum.The CCNA exam expect you to know about 7 switching arguments.Where as most switching books will cover lots of advance topics like level 3 switching, core designing,Voice,etc.This can confused you,and most of all the info is not written in laymen terms.
Anyway if you insist I can post you a few titles.
Regards

 

[yemaya]

Hi Minue,

Yes of course, i'll appreciate your help.

Thanks.

 

[Minue]

Hello
Below are the listed titles.I would advice only on this one for a CCNA "LAN Switching first-step"
Regards

Cisco Field Manual:Catalyst Switch Configuration by Dave Hucaby, CCIE No. 4594
LAN Switching first-step By Matthew J. Castelli
Cisco® LAN Switching (CCIE Professional Development)
By Kennedy Clark CCIE #2175, CCSI, Kevin Hamilton CCSI
Cisco LAN Switching Fundamentals By David Barnes, Basir Sakandar