Cisco Catalyst 2950 Switch Configuration

Cisco has long been a player in the networking industry, and routers and switches form the core of its product offerings. The Cisco Catalyst 2950 switch is a great example of Cisco’s dedication to quality and efficiency. In addition to the standard console and aux ports, the Cisco 2950 comes with 12, 24 or 48 Ethernet ports, depending on the model. Before you start, be sure to get the network address and password information you will need from your network administrator.

Guide: How to Configure a Catalyst 2950 Cisco Switch

1. Connect the serial cable that came with the switch to the console port on the switch and to a serial port on your computer. The cable that comes with the switch is typically blue, and the serial end is a 9-pin d-shell connector. The console port end is an RJ-45 jack, which resembles a telephone jack connector, but is a little bit larger.

2. Power on the computer, and set up a terminal session using your computer’s terminal software. HyperTerminal, Putty or any other terminal emulator will work fine for this step. Configure the session for 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity and no flow control. Power on the switch. If you have properly configured the terminal session, you will see the Cisco boot messages. Press “Enter” to accept the defaults for the prompts that ask if you would like to enter the initial configuration dialog and if you would like to enter basic management setup.

3. Enter a host name of your choosing at the host name prompt, or press “Enter” to accept the default of “Switch.” Enter the enable secret password, the enable password and the virtual terminal password at the respective prompts. If these were not issued by your network administrator, you may choose your own passwords. Press “Enter” after entering each password. Be sure to write down the passwords and store them in a secure place.

4. Accept the default to the SNMP Network Management prompt by pressing “Enter.” Enter “vlan1” for the interface used to connect to the management network, and press “Enter.”

5. Accept the default to the Configure IP on this interface question by pressing “Enter.” Enter the IP address and subnet mask information given to you by your network administrator in response to the next two prompts.

6. Answer “no” when prompted to enable as a cluster command switch and press “Enter.” The switch will now display the current configuration and offer you three choices.

7. Enter “2” and press “Enter” to save the configuration to NVRAM and exit, and you have successfully configured the Cisco 2950 switch.

Reference: Assigning the Switch IP Address and Default Gateway

                  Configure Cisco switch telnet login andpassword