What are the MAIN differences between
Cisco’s highly successful lines of 3750 series switches? There is a brief
overview of the biggest differences between the 3750 V2, 3750-E, and the
3750-X.
This document does not cover the 3750 (V1)
which is the predecessor to the 3750 V2. Also note that this is not an
exhaustive comparison list. For more in depth comparisons visit Cisco’s
website.
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FEATURE
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3750 V2
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3750-E
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3750-X
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StackPower
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YES
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IEEE 802.3af PoE
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YES
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YES
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YES
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IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (30W across all ports
in 1U)
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YES
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Dual Redundant Modular Power Supplies
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YES
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Network Modules
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YES
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StackWise
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YES
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YES
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YES
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StackWise Plus (64 Gbps backplane up to 9
switches)
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YES
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YES
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10GB Fiber
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YES
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YES
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10GB Copper
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YES
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Backwards Compatible
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YES
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YES
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YES
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Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (LLW)
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YES
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EnergyWise
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YES
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YES
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YES
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USB Ports (Storage and Console) – My
favorite
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YES
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10/100/1000 Port Availability
The 3750V2 series does not have a
10/100/1000 model. All port configurations are either 24-port 10/100 or 48-port
10/100. Gigabit is only offered through 2 or 4 SFP ports. Perhaps backplane
speed or forwarding rate made Cisco make a u-turn on this – I’m not sure. The
3750V1 series offered a wide variety of 10/100/1000 port options. If you want
10/100/1000 port density then skip over the 3750V2 series and go with the
3750-E or 3750-x series.
StackPower
Cisco
StackPower combines all the individual power supplies installed in the switches
and creates a pool of power, directing that power where it is needed. Up to
four switches can be configured in a StackPower stack. StackPower cables use
their own special cables and connect in the same way as the popular StackWise
cables. In addition to redundancy I personally like the “green” effect of the
3750-X StackPower.
IEEE 802.3af
Cisco supports this across all 3750
platforms that have PoE capabilities.
IEEE 802.3at
802.3at provides 30W of power per port.
Wow…. Soon we will power far more than just IP phones and wireless access
points. Wouldn’t it be cool to charge your smart phone or tablet over an
available Ethernet port? Just always keep in mind as you rely more on PoE you
need to put more thought into power consumption, backup power, and additional
cooling in your data closets. Typically this is the most forgotten area when
deploying PoE technology such as IP phones. You don’t want those switches
sitting on a power strip when 24 or more end users are relying on that switch
to power their phones.
Dual Redundant Power Module Supplies
The 3750-X supports two hot swappable power
supplies. The switch ships with one power supply by default. The second power
supply can be purchased at the time of the order or later. I’ve found that in
3750-X stacks going with one power supply works great when combined with
StackPower. It saves money and reduces power consumption.
Network Modules
There are four network modules for the 3750-X.
Each provides a combination of GbE or 10GbE interfaces. For upgrade protection
and scalability we often find ourselves deploying the four port network modules
that support either four GbE or two 10GbE. This allows a customer to utilize
existing GbE connectivity and later upgrade to 10GbE.
The 3750-E supports the TwinGig SFP
converter. This enables an upgrade path from 1GbE to 10GbE.
StackWise
StackWise technology allows a group of 3750
switches to be “stacked” together using StackWise cables. This stacking of
switches basically combines them into one functional unit providing much higher
levels of redundancy and capacity while providing investment protection. Since
switches can be added to the stack you can “pay as you grow”. StackWise
backplanes rates are 32Gbps and up to 9 switches can participate in a stack.
Keep in mind these rates assume that all switches are connected with two
cables. For example, if you connect two 3750s together with one StackWise cable
you will only achieve a rate of 16Gbps.
StackWise Plus
Built on StackWise technology, StackWise
Plus offers several improvements in speed and performance. StackWise Plus
offers 64Gbps backplane across the StackWise cables (backplane). Up to nine
switches can be in the stack. Performance is also enhanced with “local
switching” of packets. With StackWise technology packets had to traverse the
full ring regardless of destination. StackWise Plus eliminates this and once
the packet finds its destination it no longer traverses the entire ring.
10GB Fiber
Supports various 10GB options
10GB Copper
The 10GB-T is hot swappable and can operate
at either 10GbE or GbE.
Backwards Compatible
The 3750-X provides backwards compatibility
with StackWise technology in other 3750 versions. Note, however, that performance
is degraded to StackWise data rates of 32Gbps.
The 3750 V2 supports the 3750 (V1) and the
3750-E.
The 3750-E supports the 3750 (V1|V2).
The 3750-X support the 3750 (V1|V2) and the 3750-E.
They all support connecting to each other
with StackWise technology.
Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty
Cisco covers the 3750-X with an enhanced
limited lifetime warranty (LLW) with next business day (NBD) advance hardware
replacement and 90 day access to Cisco TAC support.
EnergyWise
Cisco EnergyWise is an innovative
architecture, added to fixed configuration switches, promoting companywide
sustainability by reducing energy consumption across an entire corporate
infrastructure and affecting more than 50 percent of global greenhouse gas
emissions created by worldwide building infrastructure, a much greater effect
than the 2 percent generated by the IT industry. Cisco EnergyWise enables
companies to measure the power consumption of network infrastructure and
network-attached devices and manage power consumption with specific policies,
reducing power consumption to realize increased cost savings, potentially
affecting any powered device.
USB Ports (Storage and Console)
The USB console access is one of my
favorites. Having a USB console allows access through your PC or laptop USB
port using a USB cable. After installing a small Cisco application you can
launch your terminal application of choice. Both Type-A and Type-B ports
are supported. If you are looking for a way to find a use for all those old USB
cables you just found it. But now what to do with all those blue console
cables? …
More
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