If you are evaluating Cisco access switches for enterprise networks, start with five things: port density, PoE demand, uplink capacity, multigig requirements, growth planning, and fault isolation. Access Layer - Endpoint connectivity and PoE power engineering (IEEE 802. Aggregation Layer - Inter-VLAN routing, policy enforcement, bandwidth. This white paper introduces the following three types of network switches and further discusses the selection criteria for each switch. The right Cisco access switch is the one that fits the wiring closet role and device mix over the next. When planning an enterprise access network, one of the most common dilemmas is whether to deploy Layer 2 (L2) or Layer 3 (L3) switches. Each layer is served by specialized switches, with the access switch connecting end-user devices, the distribution switch aggregating traffic and enforcing policies, and the core switch acting as.
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