Description
Product Overview for the Cisco WS-C3850-24PW-S 24 Ports L3 Switch
The WS-C3850-24PW-S is a powerful networking solution offered by Cisco, known as the Catalyst 3850 series. Specifically, the model WS-C3850-24PW-S is a 24-port managed switch, designed to meet the demands of modern networking environments. In this detailed exploration, we will delve into the key features, specifications, and benefits of the WS-C3850-24PW-S switch, all explained in simple English to make it accessible to a wide audience.
Understanding Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series
Before delving into the specifics of the WS-C3850-24PW-S, it’s essential to grasp the broader context of the Cisco Catalyst 3850 series. Cisco Catalyst switches are renowned for their reliability, performance, and advanced features. The 3850 series, in particular, is engineered to provide a unified and consistent wired and wireless network experience.
Key Features of WS-C3850-24PW-S
- Port Density: The WS-C3850-24PW-S comes equipped with 24 ports, providing ample connectivity options for various devices in a network. This port density ensures that businesses can easily accommodate their growing network needs without compromising on performance.
- Power over Ethernet (PoE) Support: One standout feature of the WS-C3850-24PW-S is its Power over Ethernet capability. This means that the switch can deliver both data and electrical power over the Ethernet cables to connected devices such as IP cameras, VoIP phones, and wireless access points. This simplifies the network infrastructure by eliminating the need for separate power sources for these devices.
- Managed Switch Capabilities: Being a managed switch, the WS-C3850-24PW-S offers administrators granular control over the network. This includes the ability to configure, monitor, and manage the switch through a user-friendly interface. This level of control is crucial for optimizing network performance and addressing specific business requirements.
- Scalability: Scalability is a key consideration in networking, especially for businesses with expanding operations. The WS-C3850-24PW-S is designed with scalability in mind, allowing organizations to grow their networks seamlessly by adding more switches and devices as needed.
- Cisco StackWise Technology: The WS-C3850-24PW-S leverages Cisco’s StackWise technology, enabling the stacking of multiple switches to operate as a single, unified system. This enhances redundancy, simplifies management, and improves overall network resiliency.
Technical Specifications
To better understand the WS-C3850-24PW-S, let’s explore its technical specifications in detail.
- Switching Capacity: The switching capacity of a switch is a critical metric that determines how much data the switch can process simultaneously. The WS-C3850-24PW-S boasts a commendable switching capacity, ensuring that it can handle the data demands of modern networks.
- PoE Budget: As a PoE switch, the WS-C3850-24PW-S has a designated power budget for supplying power to connected devices. This specification is crucial for businesses relying on PoE for devices like IP cameras and wireless access points. The switch’s PoE budget ensures that it can adequately power all connected PoE devices.
- Form Factor: The physical size and form factor of a switch are important considerations, especially for organizations with limited rack space. The WS-C3850-24PW-S, like other switches in the Catalyst 3850 series, is designed to be compact while providing high performance, making it suitable for various deployment scenarios.
- Uplink Ports: In addition to the 24 Ethernet ports, the WS-C3850-24PW-S is equipped with uplink ports for connecting to the broader network infrastructure. These uplink ports support high-speed connectivity options, ensuring efficient data transfer between switches and other network devices.
- Layer 2 and Layer 3 Support: The WS-C3850-24PW-S supports both Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking functionalities. This means it can operate at both the data link layer (Layer 2) and the network layer (Layer 3), providing flexibility in network design and routing capabilities.
Benefits of WS-C3850-24PW-S
Understanding the benefits of the WS-C3850-24PW-S is crucial for organizations looking to invest in this networking solution.
- Unified Networking: One of the primary advantages of the WS-C3850-24PW-S is its ability to provide a unified networking experience. With support for both wired and wireless connectivity, businesses can create a cohesive and integrated network infrastructure.
- Simplified Management: The managed capabilities of the WS-C3850-24PW-S contribute to simplified network management. Administrators can configure and monitor the switch through an intuitive interface, streamlining the process of optimizing network performance and addressing potential issues.
- Cost-Efficiency: The Power over Ethernet feature of the WS-C3850-24PW-S eliminates the need for separate power sources for devices like IP cameras and VoIP phones. This not only simplifies the network infrastructure but also contributes to cost savings by reducing the complexity of cabling and power requirements.
- High Availability: Cisco StackWise technology enhances the high availability of the WS-C3850-24PW-S. By allowing multiple switches to operate as a single system, organizations can achieve redundancy and fault tolerance, minimizing downtime and ensuring continuous network availability.
- Future-Proofing: The scalability of the WS-C3850-24PW-S ensures that organizations can adapt to evolving network requirements. As businesses grow and technology advances, the switch provides the flexibility to expand the network infrastructure without the need for a complete overhaul.
Use Cases and Deployment Scenarios
Understanding where and how the WS-C3850-24PW-S can be effectively deployed is crucial for organizations seeking the right networking solution.
- Enterprise Networks: Large enterprises with diverse networking needs can benefit from the WS-C3850-24PW-S. Its scalability, high performance, and unified networking capabilities make it suitable for complex enterprise environments.
- Campus Networks: Educational institutions, corporate campuses, and other large-scale campus environments can leverage the WS-C3850-24PW-S for its ability to provide both wired and wireless connectivity. The switch’s PoE support is particularly advantageous in such scenarios.
- Surveillance Systems: The Power over Ethernet feature makes the WS-C3850-24PW-S ideal for deployment in surveillance systems. It can power and connect IP cameras, simplifying the installation and maintenance of surveillance infrastructure.
- VoIP Deployments: Businesses implementing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems can benefit from the WS-C3850-24PW-S. The switch’s PoE support ensures that VoIP phones receive both data and power over the Ethernet connection.
Compliant Standard
The WS-C3850-24PW-S is a Cisco Catalyst 3850 L3 switch that is compliant with a variety of industry standards. These standards ensure that the switch is compatible with other networking equipment and that it meets certain performance and functionality requirements.
Some of the standards that this part is compliant with include:
- IEEE 802.3: This is the standard for Ethernet local area networks (LANs). This model is compliant with the 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 1000BASE-T versions of this standard.
- IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at: These are standards for Power over Ethernet (PoE) which allow the switch to provide power to connected devices over the Ethernet cables.
- IEEE 802.1Q: This is a standard for VLAN tagging, which allows the switch to segment a network into multiple virtual LANs (VLANs)
- IEEE 802.1D: This is a standard for Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) which helps prevent loops on a network.
- IEEE 802.1s: This is a standard for Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) which allows multiple VLANs to share a single spanning-tree instance, reducing the number of blocked ports on a network.
- IEEE 802.3ad: This is a standard for Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) which allows multiple physical links to be bundled together to form a single logical link.
- IEEE 802.1X: This is a standard for Port-based Network Access Control (PNAC) which allows for authentication of devices connecting to a network port.
High-Reliability
The WS-C3850-24PW-S is a Cisco Catalyst 3850 L3 switch that is designed for high reliability. The switch provides advanced features for enterprise-class networks and is optimized for use in small to medium-sized businesses, and enterprise branch offices.
Some of the features that contribute to the high-reliability of this model include:
- StackWise Technology: The switch supports StackWise technology, which allows multiple switches to be stacked together and managed as a single logical device. This feature provides redundancy and failover capabilities in case of a switch failure.
- Redundancy: The switch can be configured with a redundant power supply and network connection to ensure that it can continue to function even if one of these components fails.
- Quality of Service (QoS): The switch supports Quality of Service (QoS) features, which allow you to prioritize different types of network traffic, ensuring that critical applications have the necessary bandwidth and low latency.
- Security: The switch supports advanced security features such as Access Control Lists (ACLs) and IEEE 802.1X authentication, protecting the network from unauthorized access.
- Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE): The switch supports Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) which reduces power consumption during periods of low data activity, helping to increase the switch’s lifespan.
General Information about this Cisco WS-C3850-24PW-S
- Manufacturer: Cisco
- Part Number or SKU# WS-C3850-24PW-S
- Product Line: Catalyst
- Product Series: 3850
- Product Model: WS-C3850-24P-S
- Product Type: Layer 3 Switch
Technical Specifications of Layer 3 Switch
- Total Number of Network Ports: 24
- Token Ring Port: No
- LRE Port: No
- Management Port: Yes
- Number of PoE+ (RJ-45) Ports: 24
- Stack Port: Yes
- Port/Expansion Slot Details: 24x Gigabit Ethernet Network
I/O Expansions
- Number of Total Expansion Slots: 1
- Expansion Slot Type: Network Interface Module (NIM)
Media & Performance
- Media Type Supported: Twisted Pair
- Ethernet Technology: Gigabit Ethernet
- Network Technology: 10/100/1000Base-T
Network & Communication
- Layer Supported: 3
Management & Protocols
- Manageable: Yes
- Management:
- Web-Based Management
- Telnet
- CLI
- DHCP
- QoS
- VLAN
- RMON I and II standards
- SNMP v1, v2c, and v3
- Syslog
- MIB
Memory
- Standard Memory: 4 GB
- Memory Technology: DRAM
- Flash Memory: 2 GB
Networking
- IPv4 routes: 24000
- NetFlow entries: 24000
- Switched virtual interfaces (SVIs): 1000
- Manageable access points: 5
- MAC Address Table Size: 32000 entries
- Jumbo Frame Support: 9198 bytes
- Routing Protocol: RIP-1, RIP-2, EIGRP, RIPng
- Remote Management Protocol: SNMP 1, RMON 1, RMON 2, Telnet, SNMP 3, SNMP 2c, SSH, CLI
- Authentication Method: Kerberos, Secure Shell (SSH), RADIUS, TACACS+
Features
- Auto-negotiation, ARP support, trunking, VLAN support, auto-uplink (auto MDI/MDI-X), IGMP snooping, Syslog support, IPv6 support, Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) support, Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) support, DHCP snooping, Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP) support, Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP) support, Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) support, Access Control List (ACL) support, Quality of Service (QoS), RADIUS support, Virtual Route Forwarding-Lite (VRF-Lite), MLD snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI), PoE+, STP Root Guard, Uni-Directional Link Detection (UDLD), Rapid Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVRST+), IPv4 support, Shaped Round Robin (SRR), Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP), Remote Switch Port Analyzer (RSPAN), layer 3 load balancing, Energy Efficient Ethernet, Cisco StackWise-480 technology, Cisco StackPower technology, Flexible NetFlow (FNF)
Reliability
- MTBF: 269450 Hours
Power Description
- PoE (RJ-45) Port: No
- Input Voltage: 230 V AC, 120 V AC
- Power Source: Power Supply
- Power Over Ethernet (PoE): PoE+
- Power Redundancy: Optional
- Power Provided: 715 Watt
- Voltage Required: AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz)
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature: 23 °F
- Max Operating Temperature: 113 °F
- Humidity Range Operating: 10 – 95% (non-condensing)
- Min Storage Temperature: -40 °F
- Max Storage Temperature: 158 °F
Miscellaneous
- Compliant Standards: CISPR 22 Class A, GOST, BSMI CNS 13438 Class A, CISPR 24, EN 61000-3-2, NOM, EN 61000-3-3, EN55024, ICES-003 Class A, RoHS, UL 60950-1 Second Edition, KCC, FCC Part 15 A, ISO 7779, CSA C22.2 No. 60950-1 Second Edition, EN 60950-1 Second Edition, IEC 60950-1 Second Edition, VCCI Class A, EN 55022 Class A
In short, the WS-C3850-24PW-S Cisco Catalyst 24 Ports Managed Switch is a versatile and powerful networking solution that caters to the diverse needs of modern businesses. From its robust features, including Power over Ethernet support and Cisco StackWise technology, to its scalability and unified networking capabilities, this switch is well-equipped to handle the demands of enterprise and campus environments.
As organizations continue to evolve and embrace digital transformation, investing in a reliable and feature-rich networking solution like the WS-C3850-24PW-S becomes increasingly crucial. Whether deployed in large enterprises, campus networks, surveillance systems, or VoIP setups, this Cisco Catalyst switch promises to deliver high performance, simplified management, and future-proofing for the ever-changing landscape of networking.
