C1-C2960X-24PD-L Cisco ONE Catalyst 2960X-24PD-L Switch

Product Outline

The Cisco C1-C2960X-24PD-L Catalyst 2960-X Series Managed Switch is a high-performance enterprise networking solution designed for reliable, scalable, and secure connectivity. Built for modern business environments, this switch delivers advanced management features, energy efficiency, and flexible uplink options to support growing network demands.

General Specifications

• Brand: Cisco
• Model Number: C1-C2960X-24PD-L
• Product Line: Catalyst 2960-X Series
• Device Type: Managed Ethernet Switch

Connectivity and Port Configuration

Total Network Ports

• 24 high-speed Ethernet ports
• Optimized for enterprise-grade networking

Port Details

• 24 x Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000Base-T) ports
• 2 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet expansion interfaces

Uplink and Design Features

• Supports high-speed uplink connectivity
• Fixed, non-modular hardware architecture
• No switch stacking support

Performance and Media Support

Supported Transmission Media

• Twisted pair cabling
• Optical fiber connections

Ethernet and Network Standards

• Gigabit Ethernet (1GbE)
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE)
• 10GBase-X
• 10/100/1000Base-T

Expansion and Scalability

Expansion Slot Details

• Total expansion slots: 2
• Slot type: SFP+ (Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus)
• Ideal for future network upgrades

Network and Communication Capabilities

Layer Support

• Layer 3 networking functionality
• Enhanced routing and traffic management

Management and Control

Manageability

• Fully manageable switch
• Designed for centralized network administration

Power and Energy Efficiency

Power Requirements

• Integrated power supply
• Optimized for stable and efficient power usage

Physical Dimensions

Form Factor

• Rack-mountable design
• 1U rack unit compatibility

Dimensions

• Height: 1.8 inches
• Width: 17.5 inches
• Depth: 14.5 inches

Core Architecture and Performance Specifications

The Catalyst C1-C2960X-24PD-L is built on a purpose-built ASIC architecture that ensures wire-speed performance across all ports, facilitating high-throughput, low-latency data transfer essential for modern applications. Its design philosophy centers on delivering enterprise-class features with the reliability for which Cisco is renowned.

Hardware Foundation and Port Configuration

The hardware configuration of this switch is meticulously planned to address the typical connectivity needs of a small to medium-sized business or a branch office.

Downlink Ports: Power and Connectivity

The switch provides 24 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 ports. Each of these ports supports IEEE 802.3af (PoE) and IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) standards. This means the switch can deliver up to 30 watts of power per port to connected devices, with a total PoE budget of 370 watts. This ample power budget allows administrators to connect and power a diverse range of devices directly from the switch, eliminating the need for separate power supplies and simplifying deployment.

Uplink Flexibility and Expansion

A defining feature of the Catalyst 2960-X series is its modular uplink flexibility. The 2960X-24PD-L includes two dedicated, fixed 1 Gigabit SFP-based uplink ports for fiber connectivity. More significantly, it features a four-port modular uplink slot. Network administrators can populate this slot with various Cisco uplink modules, such as additional 1G SFP ports, 10G SFP+ ports, or even 40G QSFP+ ports. This future-proofs the investment, allowing bandwidth to be increased dramatically as network demands grow, without requiring a forklift upgrade.

Performance and Switching Capacity

Beneath the physical ports lies a high-performance switching fabric. The Catalyst 2960X-24PD-L offers a switching capacity of 128 Gbps and a forwarding rate of 95.2 Mpps (million packets per second). This ensures non-blocking performance, meaning all ports can operate at full duplex simultaneously without congestion. The switch leverages hardware-based forwarding to maintain consistent performance even with advanced features like Access Control Lists (ACLs) and QoS enabled.

Advanced Software and Management Capabilities

As a fully managed switch, the Catalyst C1-C2960X-24PD-L runs Cisco's robust IOS operating system. The "-L" in the model name signifies it comes with LAN Base feature set software. This provides a comprehensive suite of management, security, and availability features that go far beyond simple unmanaged or smart switches.

Network Management and Automation

Administrators have multiple pathways to configure, monitor, and troubleshoot the switch, ensuring operational efficiency.

Command-Line Interface (CLI) and Web Interface

The device offers full access to the industry-standard Cisco C1-C2960X-24PD-L IOS CLI, preferred by network professionals for its power and scripting capabilities. For simpler day-to-day management, an intuitive embedded web interface (Device Manager) provides a graphical view of the switch, its ports, and configuration options. For centralized management of multiple devices, integration with Cisco Prime Infrastructure or Cisco DNA Center is supported, enabling policy-based automation, assurance, and analytics across the network.

Stacking with FlexStack and FlexStack-Plus

One of the most powerful features of the Catalyst 2960-X series is its advanced stacking technology. Using the optional FlexStack or high-performance FlexStack-Plus modules, up to eight 2960-X switches can be logically combined into a single, unified stacking unit. This creates a simplified management domain (one IP address to manage the entire stack), increased resiliency (master switch redundancy), and improved bandwidth utilization through cross-stack EtherChannel. Stacking is a cost-effective way to scale port density and performance while simplifying operations.

Comprehensive Security Features

In today's threat landscape, edge switches must be a first line of defense. The LAN Base software includes a robust set of security tools.

Network Access Control and Threat Mitigation

The switch supports IEEE 802.1X for port-based network access control, ensuring only authenticated users and devices can gain network access. It can also function as a RADIUS client. Features like DHCP Snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI), and IP Source Guard work in concert to prevent common LAN-based attacks such as ARP spoofing, IP address spoofing, and rogue DHCP servers. Port security limits MAC address learning per port, containing potential threats.

ACLs and Visibility

Granular control over traffic is provided through standard and extended Access Control Lists (ACLs), which can be applied based on MAC address, IP address, TCP/UDP ports, or a combination. For enhanced visibility, the switch supports sFlow and SPAN/RSPAN, allowing network traffic to be mirrored to monitoring and analysis tools.

Quality of Service (QoS) for Converged Networks

The convergence of data, voice, and video onto a single network requires intelligent traffic prioritization. The Catalyst 2960X-24PD-L provides sophisticated QoS mechanisms to ensure critical applications receive the bandwidth and low latency they need.

Classification, Policing, and Queuing

The switch can classify traffic based on Layer 2 (CoS), Layer 3 (DSCP), or Layer 4 (TCP/UDP port) information. Once classified, traffic can be marked, policed (rate-limited), and scheduled into egress queues. It supports 8 egress queues per port, allowing for fine-grained prioritization. For example, voice traffic can be placed in a strict-priority queue to guarantee virtually no delay or jitter, while less time-sensitive data is served from weighted round-robin queues.

Energy Efficiency and PoE Management

The switch is designed with energy conservation in mind. It features Cisco's EnergyWise technology, which allows for the monitoring and management of power consumption across the network, including connected PoE devices. Ports can be scheduled to power down during off-hours. Furthermore, the switch itself utilizes efficient power supplies and components, meeting various environmental and energy standards.

Reliability and High Availability Features

Network uptime is paramount. The Catalyst C1-C2960X-24PD-L incorporates several technologies to maximize availability and facilitate quick recovery from failures.

Hardware and Link Redundancy

The switch supports IEEE 802.1s/w (MSTP/RSTP) for creating loop-free Layer 2 topologies and providing sub-second convergence in case of a link failure. For uplink redundancy, features like FlexLink provide an active/standby link pair with sub-50ms switchover. When stacked, the entire stack benefits from a redundant stack master and redundant stack links, creating a highly resilient fabric.

UniDirectional Link Detection (UDLD) and Loop Guard

To protect against physical layer issues that can cause network problems, the switch implements UDLD and Loop Guard. UDLD detects and disables unidirectional links caused by faulty fiber or copper cabling. Loop Guard prevents alternate or root ports in a spanning tree from becoming designated ports due to a failure that causes BPDUs to be lost, thereby avoiding accidental loop creation.

Ideal Deployment Scenarios and Use Cases

The versatility of the Catalyst 2960X-24PD-L makes it suitable for a wide array of deployment environments where reliable, managed, and power-delivering connectivity is required.

Enterprise Wiring Closet and Branch Offices

This is its primary habitat. Deployed in the wiring closet, it connects end-user devices such as desktop PCs, VoIP phones, and wireless access points. The PoE+ capability is crucial here, powering the phones and APs directly. The stacking capability allows a closet to grow from 24 to nearly 200 ports while being managed as one entity.

Mid-Sized Business Core/Edge

For a small to mid-sized business, a stack of C1-C2960X-24PD-L switches can form the entire network core, providing connectivity to servers, users, and the internet router. The 10G uplink options provide ample bandwidth to the server farm or WAN router.

Converged Video and Voice Deployments

In environments deploying IP-based surveillance cameras (which often use PoE), video conferencing systems, and unified communications, the switch's high PoE budget, QoS, and high throughput ensure smooth, high-quality media delivery without network-induced degradation.