C1000-24T-4X-L Cisco Catalyst Managed Switch Ethernet 24-Ports with 4 x 10 Gigabit SFP+

Introduction to the Cisco C1000-24T-4X-L Catalyst Switch

The Cisco C1000-24T-4X-L is a robust, feature-rich member of the Catalyst 1000 Series, engineered to deliver reliable, secure, and scalable networking for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), branch offices, and campus access layers. This 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switch represents the perfect balance of Cisco's enterprise-class pedigree and the operational simplicity required in distributed environments. It serves as a foundational network building block, empowering organizations with advanced Layer 2 and limited Layer 3 capabilities, robust security policies, and simplified management—all at a compelling value point.

Performance and Hardware Architecture

Switching Capacity and Forwarding Rate

With a substantial switching capacity of 128 Gbps and a forwarding rate of 95.2 Mpps (million packets per second), the C1000-24T-4X-L ensures wire-speed performance across all ports simultaneously, even under full load. This eliminates bottlenecks and supports bandwidth-intensive applications seamlessly.

Hardware Design

The switch features a fanless design for the 24-port models, ensuring completely silent operation—a critical feature for offices, classrooms, or healthcare environments where noise is a concern. It is built with a metal enclosure for durability and includes a fixed internal power supply.

Advanced Switching Capabilities and Network Services

Beyond basic connectivity, the Catalyst 1000 Series provides intelligent features that enhance network efficiency, resilience, and control.

Layer 2 Switching Features

The switch offers comprehensive Layer 2 functionality for creating efficient, loop-free networks.

VLAN Support

IEEE 802.1Q VLANs: Supports up to 1024 VLANs for segmenting network traffic, enhancing security, and improving performance by creating logical broadcast domains.
Voice VLAN: A dedicated feature to prioritize and isolate voice traffic from phones, ensuring high-quality Voice over IP (VoIP) call quality.
Private VLANs (PVLANs): Provide enhanced security within a VLAN, useful for multi-tenant environments or securing sensitive departments.

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

Robust STP variants, including Rapid PVST+ and MSTP, prevent network loops and provide sub-50ms convergence for rapid network recovery in case of link failure.

Limited Layer 3 Static Routing

While primarily a Layer 2 switch, the C1000-24T-4X-L supports static routing. This allows it to route traffic between VLANs (Inter-VLAN routing) without requiring an external router for simple deployments, simplifying network design and reducing latency for internal traffic.

Security and Access Control

Security is integrated at multiple levels to protect the network infrastructure and the data flowing through it.

Port Security and Access Control Lists (ACLs)

Port Security

Restricts access to a switch port by limiting and identifying the MAC addresses of devices allowed to connect, preventing unauthorized device access.

ACLs

Supports standard and extended IP ACLs for granular control over traffic flow, permitting or denying traffic based on IP address, protocol, and port number.

Authentication and Access Management

IEEE 802.1X

Provides port-based network access control (NAC), requiring users or devices to authenticate before granting network access. Integrates with RADIUS servers like Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE).

MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB)

Allows non-802.1X capable devices (like printers) to be authenticated using their MAC address as a credential.

TACACS+ and RADIUS

Centralized authentication for administrative access, providing an audit trail of commands executed on the switch.

Network Threat Mitigation

DHCP Snooping

Prevents rogue DHCP server attacks by validating DHCP messages and building a trusted bindings table.

Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI)

Intercepts ARP packets and validates them against the DHCP snooping binding table, mitigating ARP spoofing attacks.

IP Source Guard

Restricts IP traffic on untrusted ports by filtering based on the DHCP snooping binding table, preventing IP address spoofing.

Management and Deployment Flexibility

The C1000-24T-4X-L offers multiple management options to suit different IT skill levels and operational preferences.

Management Interfaces

Cisco Catalyst Smart Operations

This suite simplifies day-zero and day-N operations with features like Smartport for auto-configuration of ports for specific device types, and Smartport Macro for custom configuration templates.

Web-Based Management (GUI)

An intuitive, graphical web interface allows for easy setup, monitoring, and configuration without requiring deep command-line knowledge.

Command-Line Interface (CLI)

A full-featured Cisco IOS CLI, consistent with higher-end Catalyst switches, provides granular control for network administrators. Supports SSHv2 and Telnet for secure and remote access.

Cisco Network Plug-and-Play

Simplifies deployment of remote switches by allowing them to automatically discover a Cisco DNA Center or Cisco IOS XE SD-WAN controller for centralized provisioning.

Applications and Use Cases

The versatility of the C1000-24T-4X-L makes it suitable for a wide array of deployment scenarios.

Small to Medium-Sized Business (SMB) Core/Aggregation

For smaller organizations, this switch can serve as the core of the network. Its 10G SFP+ uplinks can connect to high-speed servers or storage, while the 24 Gigabit ports connect users and devices, with static routing handling internal traffic between departments (VLANs).

Branch Office and Campus Access Layer

In distributed enterprises, it is an ideal access layer switch. It provides Power over Ethernet (PoE) options for other models in the series, but the C1000-24T-4X-L's robust feature set, silent operation, and 10G uplinks make it perfect for wiring closets to connect end-users and uplink to distribution switches at high speed.

IP Telephony and Unified Communications

With advanced QoS, Voice VLAN, and support for LLDP-MED, this switch is optimized for deploying Cisco IP phones and unified communications solutions, ensuring crystal-clear voice and video quality.

Video Surveillance and Physical Security

The high throughput and port density make it suitable for connecting multiple high-definition IP security cameras. Traffic can be isolated on dedicated VLANs, and QoS can prioritize critical surveillance feeds.