The comparison between Cisco Catalyst 9200 series and 2960-X series

Mar 20 , 2023 2000

The Cisco Catalyst 9200 is the first switches to replace the Cisco Catalyst 2960X in fixed enterprise switching access platforms. It is designed for security, resiliency and programmability. Today we will discuss the difference between Cisco Catalyst 9200 and Cisco Catalyst 2960X.

Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches

The Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches are Cisco's latest contribution to fixed enterprise switching access platforms, which combine security, resiliency and programmability. Cisco Software-Defined Access (SD-Access), Cisco's leading enterprise architecture, relies on these switches as entry-level switches. With FRU power supplies and fans, modular uplinks, cold patching, eternal Power over Ethernet (PoE), and the industry's highest mean time between failures, the 9200 Series delivers enterprise-class reliability and keeps your business running smoothly and flawlessly.

The Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series also features a highly resilient and efficient power supply design, supports redundant power supplies and high-density PoE+ ports. These switches offer industry-leading PoE resiliency functions, such as eternal and fast PoE, making them ideal for IoT installations. They are available in platinum and silver rated power supplies, supporting the most efficient power supplies in the industry. Popular Cisco switch accessories are C9200-STACK-KIT=, C9200-NM-4G and C9200L-STACK-KIT=

Cisco Catalyst 2960X Series Switches

Using Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Series makes it easy to onboard, configure, monitor and troubleshoot. These fully managed switches offer advanced Layer 2 and Layer 3 functions, and optional Power over Ethernet (PoE+) power. They enable scalable, secure and energy-efficient business operations through intelligent services, and are designed to simplify operations to minimize total cost of ownership. Switches improve application visibility, network reliability, and network resiliency. The Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series smart ethernet switches are a new independent equipment series with fixed-configuration, and it can provide desktop fast ethernet and 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, and enhanced LAN service for entry-level enterprise, midmarket, and branch office networks. The Catalyst 2960 Series has integrated security features including network admission control) and advanced quality of service.

The Cisco Catalyst 9000 Switch Series is the latest generation of Cisco's iconic Catalyst LAN access, aggregation, and core switches. Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series switches improve network performance by incorporating new hardware and software enhancements to provide a greater variety of functions and applications. The 9200 Series switches are reliable, safe and easy to maintain. Unlike the 2960 series switches, the new generation 9200 includes a series of hardware upgrades.

Management Interface—The Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series management interface is Gigabit Ethernet, which is much more powerful than the Catalyst 2960-X Series fast Ethernet function. Unlike the Catalyst 2960-X series platforms, which do not support virtual VRF instances, the management port on the Catalyst 9200 platform provides a dedicated virtual routing and forwarding (VRF) to separate management traffic from normal data traffic.

Stack—The StackWise160/80 architecture on the Catalyst 9200 series provides a more powerful and highly available infrastructure than FlexStack Plus or Extended on the Catalyst 2960-X series. Eight switches can be stacked together in StackWise160/80 to form a logical switch supporting the SSO method. This provides 1:1 redundancy during failover. This 1:1 redundancy allows the standby switch to take the duties of the active switch, which is superior to the FlexStack architecture. The latter requires stack members to be re-elected if the master switch fails.

In conclusion, QoS(Quality of Service), more flexible NetFlow, stackable and 25-GE interfaces are just some of the functions offered by Cisco 9200 Series Switches. The Cisco 9200 series switches are a new generation of switches whose functions are significantly better than those of the Cisco 2960 series switches.

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FAQ about Cisco 9200 Series Switches