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New Product: Catalyst 3550 Series Intelligent Ethernet Switches
Product Overview
The Cisco Catalyst 3550 Series Intelligent Ethernet Switches is a new line of enterprise-class, stackable, multilayer switches
that provide high availability, scalability, security and control to enhance the operation of the network. With a range of Fast
Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet configurations, the Catalyst 3550 Series can serve as both a powerful access layer switch for
medium enterprise wiring closets and as a backbone switch for mid-sized networks. For the first time, customers can deploy
network-wide intelligent services, such as advanced quality of service (QoS), rate-limiting, Cisco security access control
lists, multicast management, and high-performance IP routing-while maintaining the simplicity of traditional LAN
switching. Embedded in the Catalyst 3550 Series is the Cisco Cluster Management Suite (CMS) Software, which allows
users to simultaneously configure and troubleshoot multiple Catalyst desktop switches using a standard Web browser. Cisco
CMS Software provides new configuration wizards that greatly simplify the implementation of converged applications and
network-wide services.
The Cisco Catalyst 3550 Series Intelligent Ethernet Switches are available in the following configurations:
• Catalyst 3550-24 Switch-24 10/100 ports and two Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC)-based Gigabit Ethernet ports; 1
rack unit (RU)
• Catalyst 3550-48 Switch-48 10/100 ports and two GBIC-based Gigabit Ethernet ports; 1 RU
• Catalyst 3550-12G Switch-10 GBIC-based Gigabit Ethernet ports and two 10/100/1000BaseT ports; 1.5 RU
• Catalyst 3550-12T Switch-10 10/100/1000BaseT ports and two GBIC-based Gigabit Ethernet ports; 1.5 RU
The built-in Gigabit Ethernet ports in these switches accommodate a range of GBIC transceivers, including the Cisco
GigaStack GBIC, 1000BaseT, 1000BaseSX, 1000BaseLX/LH, and 1000BaseZX GBICs. The dual GBIC-based Gigabit
Ethernet implementation on the Fast Ethernet configurations provides customers tremendous deployment flexibility,
allowing customers to implement one type of stacking and uplink configuration today, while preserving the option to migrate
that configuration in the future. High levels of stack resiliency can also be implemented by deploying dual redundant Gigabit
Ethernet uplinks, a redundant GigaStack GBIC loopback cable, UplinkFast and CrossStack UplinkFast technologies for
high-speed uplink and stack interconnection failover, and Per VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) for uplink load balancing.
This Gigabit Ethernet flexibility makes the Catalyst 3550 switches an ideal LAN edge complement to the Cisco Catalyst 6500
Family of Gigabit Ethernet optimized core LAN switches.
Included with the Catalyst 3550-24 and 3550-48 are the Standard Multilayer Software Image (SMI) or the Enhanced
Multilayer Software Image (EMI). The EMI provides a richer set of enterprise-class features including hardware-based IP
unicast and multicast routing, inter-virtual LAN (VLAN) routing, routed access control lists (RACLs), and the Hot Standby
Router Protocol (HSRP). After initial deployment, the Enhanced Multilayer Software Image Upgrade Kit gives users the
flexibility to upgrade to the EMI. The Catalyst 3550-12T and 3550-12G are only available with the Enhanced Multilayer
Software Image.
Key Features and Benefits
Availability
Superior Redundancy for Fault Backup
• Cisco UplinkFast/BackboneFast technologies ensure quick fail-over recovery enhancing overall network stability and
reliability.
• CrossStack UplinkFast (CSUF) technology provides increased redundancy and network resiliency through fast spanning-
tree convergence (less than two seconds) across a stack of switches using GigaStack™ GBICs in an independent stack
backplane cascaded configuration.
• Supports Cisco Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) to create redundant failsafe routing topologies-requires Enhanced
Multilayer Software Image (EMI).
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