Description
General Information about this Cisco WS-C2960XR-24TS-I
Manufacturer: Cisco
Model Number or SKU# WS-C2960XR-24TS-I
Product Line Catalyst
Product Series 2960-XR
Product Name Catalyst C2960XR-24TS-I Ethernet Switch
Product Type Ethernet Switch
Cisco Catalyst series switches are known for their reliability and are widely used in enterprise networking environments. The Cisco Catalyst 2960-XR series, which includes the WS-C2960XR-24TS-I, is designed to be stackable, allowing you to connect multiple switches together to create a single, logical network. This can increase reliability by allowing you to create redundant connections between devices and create a more resilient network.
In addition to being stackable, the WS-C2960XR-24TS-I also has a number of features that contribute to its reliability, including:
Support for Power over Ethernet (PoE) on all 24 ports, allowing you to power devices such as IP phones and wireless access points directly from the switch
Quality of Service (QoS) features to prioritize different types of network traffic
Enhanced security features such as port security, Access Control Lists (ACLs), and SSH/SSL encryption
Energy-efficient design, including support for Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) and Cisco EnergyWise
Quality of Service (QoS) Configuration
Quality of Service (QoS) is a feature that allows network administrators to prioritize certain types of network traffic over others. This ensures that critical applications and services receive the necessary bandwidth and minimize the impact of non-critical traffic. The WS-C2960XR-24TS-I Cisco Catalyst switch supports various QoS features that can be configured to meet the specific needs of a network.
One way to configure QoS on the switch is through the use of traffic classification and marking. Traffic classification is the process of identifying specific types of traffic, such as VoIP or video traffic, based on characteristics such as IP address, port, or protocol. Once traffic is classified, it can be marked with a specific value, such as a Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) value, which is used to indicate the level of priority for that traffic.
Another way to configure QoS on the switch is through the use of queuing and scheduling. Queuing determines how traffic is handled when the switch's buffers are full, while scheduling determines the order in which traffic is sent out of the switch. The switch supports various queuing and scheduling algorithms such as Weighted Round Robin (WRR), Priority Queuing (PQ), and Class-Based Weighted Fair Queuing (CBWFQ).
Additionally, the switch also supports Quality of Service (QoS) on the basis of rate-limiting of traffic. This can be achieved through the use of access control lists (ACLs) and rate-limiting commands.
The switch also supports advanced QoS features such as Modular QoS CLI (MQC) and Policy-Based Routing (PBR) that provide more granular control over QoS policies. These features can be used to create complex QoS policies that can be applied to different types of traffic and at different points in the network.
It's important to carefully plan and test the QoS configuration before deploying it to a production network. It's also recommended to monitor the network traffic and performance to ensure that the QoS policies are working as intended.
Link Aggregation and Redundancy
The WS-C2960XR-24TS-I Cisco Catalyst switch supports various link aggregation and redundancy features to ensure that the network stays up and running even in the event of a failure.
One such feature is Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) which allows multiple physical links to be bundled together to form a single logical link. This increases the available bandwidth and provides redundancy, as if one link fails, traffic can still be sent and received over the other links in the bundle.
Another feature is Flex Links which is a Cisco proprietary link redundancy protocol. It allows for automatic failover in case of a link failure and also allows for configuring different types of link failure detection.
Additionally, the switch supports various routing protocols such as Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP), Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) and Gateway Load Balancing Protocol (GLBP) which provide redundancy at the routing level. This ensures that even if one router fails, another router can take over and continue to provide network connectivity.
Furthermore, the switch also supports advanced features such as Quality of Service (QoS) and Access Control Lists (ACLs) which allow for prioritization of network traffic and provide security to the network.
It's important to keep in mind that the switch is a Layer3 switch, which means that it has built-in routing capabilities. This allows for more advanced redundancy and aggregation options such as OSPF, EIGRP and BGP.