The Small Environment Switching Solution
Pros:
Small; relativity inexpensive; versatile.
Cons:
None
The Bottom Line:
If you need a diminutive, but reliable, network switch for a small, medium, or large sized corporate environments the Catalyst 2948G might be the solution for you.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
Oftentimes even in a large networking environment like the one I manage, there is a need for a small rack-mountable network switch that is relatively inexpensive, easy to configure, yet is robust enough to service a workgroup, and communicate with the rest of the network at the standard 1000BaseX or Gigabit Ethernet.
Recently, the business concern I work for build a rather large office space just to house our three-man IT Department. The office space was built with expansion in mind; i.e. it has eight cubicles, and plenty of workspace available to building and servicing desktops and servers. Because the office was built in an out of the place, it was necessary to place a new network switch in the space; one that met the above attributes. I chose the Cisco Catalyst 2948G.
The Catalyst 2948G Network Switch
The Catalyst 2948G is a small foot-print, rack-mountable (1U) fixed-configuration Layer 2 Ethernet switch that provides high-performance, high bandwidth switching between workstations, servers, switches (network backbone), and routers. The Catalyst 2948G is equipped with 48 auto-sensing switched 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX ports, and 2x 1000Base-X ports which require a Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) per port. The GBIC uplink connects the Catalyst 2948G to the backbone of the network via fiber-optics. Cisco equipped the Catalyst 2948G with a 24-gigabits-per-second (Gbps) data switching backplane, Virtual LAN (VLAN) support, for up to 1000 VLANS, and support for 802.1P, 802.1Q, and VTP on all ports. The Catalyst 2948G uses the same Catalyst system software as the Cisco’s Catalyst 4000/4500/5000/5500 Series switches, thereby ensuring complete interoperability with existing Catalyst switches.
Since the Catalyst 2948G is small, the power supply is in the rear of the unit, as is the power switch. The front of the unit is festooned with the 48 Ethernet ports and their corresponding status display lights.
Catalyst 2948G Use
Although the Catalyst 2948G could very well sit on my desk, I rack-mounted the switch; but not before I configured all 48 ports to run 100BaseT via a “console” connection on the front of the unit. Preparing the switch to communicate with our network took less then ten minute to accomplish; in addition to configuring the ports, I also assigned the switch an IP Address, as well supervisor ID and password for attaching locally or remotely. After mounting the switch in the rack and securing it, I inserted one GBIC uplink connector, attached the fiber and began to receive traffic from the main Catalyst 6009.
We currently utilize two Catalyst 2948G network switches; the other one is installed in a remote section of the facility and currently services 15 users and five networked printers.
The installation of these two Catalyst 2948G’s is fairly recent, but we have yet to experience any downtime, and the latest one was installed a little over eight months ago. Like the larger Catalyst switches in our network, these two 2948G’s run 24/7/365. These little switches work and work well. Packet throughput is well within tolerance and actual packet collisions, as on all Cisco enterprise class switches, are rare.
Conclusion
Compared to the Catalyst 4000 and 6000 Series switches, the Catalyst 2948G is relatively inexpensive; a new unit can cost as much as $4000.00, but used and refurbished 2948G’s can be had for as little as $800.00. Not too bad a price considering the level of functionality you can expect from the switch; the GBIC uplink connectors are sold separately, but I have seen then listed for as little as $45.00 each.
If you need a diminutive, but reliable, network switch for a small, medium, or large sized corporate environments the Cisco Catalyst 2948G might be the solution you have been looking for.
Catalyst 2948G Specifications:
• Number of Ports: 48 Ethernet (10Base-T), Fast Ethernet (100Base-TX); 2 x GBIC (empty) 1000BaseX Gigabit Ethernet.
• Data Transfer Rate: 100Mbps
• Throughput: 24-Gbps non-blocking switch fabric.
• Network Compliant Standards: IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3U, IEEE 802.3z
• Communication Mode: Half-duplex, Full-duplex
• Rack Mountable: Yes
