C1300-24XS Cisco 10 Gigabit Optical Fiber Layer 3 Switch.

Cisco Catalyst C1300-24XS Layer 3 Network Switch Overview

The Cisco C1300-24XS Catalyst 1300 series is a high-performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet optical fiber Layer 3 switch, designed for scalable and reliable network solutions. Ideal for enterprise environments, this switch delivers robust connectivity with advanced features to enhance network efficiency.

General Information

• Manufacturer: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Model Number: C1300-24XS
• Product Family: Catalyst
• Series: 1300
• Brand: Cisco
• Type: Layer 3 Ethernet Switch

Interfaces and Connectivity Options

This switch offers versatile interface options, ensuring high-speed network expansion and simplified management.

Uplink and Stack Ports

• Uplink Port: Available
• Stack Port: Supported

Port Configuration and Expansion Slots

• 4 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet Combo Copper SFP+ Expansion Slots
• 20 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ Expansion Slots
• 1 x USB Type-C Management Port
• 1 x RJ-45 Console Port
• 1 x Gigabit Ethernet Management Port

Media Support and Performance Features

Supported Network Technologies

• 10GBASE-X
• 1000BASE-T

Compatible Media Types

• Twisted Pair Cabling
• Optical Fiber Connections

Performance and Reliability

• Hot-swappable Components for Minimal Downtime
• Plug-and-Play Setup
• High Availability Support
• Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): 993,232 Hours

Management Capabilities and Protocols

• Fully Manageable Switch for Enhanced Network Control

Expansion Options and I/O Slots

Expansion Slot Specifications

• Expansion Slot Type: SFP+
• Total Number of SFP+ Slots: 24
• Total Expansion Slots: 24

Advantages of Choose Cisco Catalyst C1300-24XS

• High-speed 10G connectivity for enterprise networks
• Reliable Layer 3 switching with advanced network management
• Scalable design with multiple expansion options
• Robust hardware for long-term network performance

Ideal Applications

• Enterprise backbone networks
• Data centers and server farms
• Campus networks requiring high-speed optical fiber connections

Unpacking the Key Specifications and Hardware Architecture

At its heart, the Cisco C1300-24XS is a fixed-configuration, 1RU (Rack Unit) switch that delivers a formidable combination of port density and switching capacity.

Port Configuration and Interface Details

The primary interface array defines this switch's purpose. It features 24 x 10 Gigabit SFP+ ports, providing immense flexibility for uplinks, server connections, and inter-switch links (ISL). These ports support a wide range of SFP+ optical transceivers (e.g., 10GBASE-SR, LR, ER) and Direct Attach Copper (DAC) cables, allowing network architects to choose the optimal medium—multimode or single-mode fiber—based on distance and cost requirements.

Complementing the high-speed interfaces are 4 x 1 Gigabit SFP ports. These offer backward compatibility for connecting to existing 1Gbps fiber links or can be used for lower-bandwidth, long-distance fiber connections. Furthermore, the switch includes 1 x 10/100/1000 Management port and a 1 x RJ-45 Console port for out-of-band management and initial setup, ensuring robust administrative access.

Switching Capacity and Forwarding Performance

The C1300-24XS is built on a non-blocking switching fabric, delivering an aggregate throughput of 480 Gbps. With a packet forwarding rate of 357 Mpps (million packets per second), it is more than capable of handling line-rate traffic on all ports simultaneously, even under small-packet, high-intensity workloads common in virtualized and transactional environments.

Power and Redundancy Features

Reliability is paramount. This switch supports dual, hot-swappable power supplies (typically purchased separately), enabling power redundancy (1+1) for critical deployments. It also features redundant, variable-speed fans to maintain optimal operating temperatures and ensure consistent performance. The inclusion of a field-replaceable fan tray simplifies maintenance and enhances overall system uptime.

Advanced Layer 3 Routing and Network Segmentation

As a full Layer 3 switch, the C1300-24XS goes beyond simple switching, acting as a true routing node within the network.

IP Routing Protocol Support

It supports static routing and dynamic routing protocols including OSPF (Open Shortest Path First)v2, EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) for advanced IP routing, and BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) for enterprise edge connectivity. This allows the switch to participate in complex routed networks, providing path selection, redundancy, and efficient traffic flow between VLANs and subnets without relying on an external router.

IPv4 and IPv6 Dual-Stack Capabilities

The switch offers comprehensive support for both IPv4 and IPv6, operating in a dual-stack mode. It supports IPv6 routing via static routes, OSPFv3, and EIGRP for IPv6, ensuring future-proof readiness as networks transition to the next-generation Internet protocol.

VLAN and Security Segmentation

With support for up to 4094 VLANs (per IEEE 802.1Q standards) and advanced features like Private VLANs (PVLANs), the switch enables precise network segmentation. This is crucial for isolating departments, guest traffic, or IoT devices, enhancing security and containing broadcast domains. Protocol-based VLANs and Voice VLAN features further optimize traffic for specific applications like IP telephony.

Sophisticated Quality of Service (QoS) for Application Assurance

In a converged network, ensuring priority for real-time applications like voice and video is non-negotiable. The C1300-24XS delivers robust QoS mechanisms.

Classification, Marking, and Policing

The switch can classify traffic based on Layer 2 (CoS), Layer 3 (DSCP, IP Precedence), and Layer 4 (TCP/UDP ports) information. It supports marking and re-marking of packets to ensure consistent priority treatment across the network. Ingress and egress policing allow administrators to rate-limit traffic, preventing any single application or user from consuming excessive bandwidth.

Queueing and Scheduling Mechanisms

With support for 8 egress queues per port, the switch can prioritize critical traffic effectively. Advanced scheduling algorithms like Strict Priority Queuing (SPQ) and Weighted Round Robin (WRR) ensure that time-sensitive packets are serviced before best-effort data, guaranteeing low latency and jitter for unified communications and video conferencing.

Comprehensive Security and Access Control Framework

Network security is embedded into the design of the Catalyst 1300 series, providing a defense-in-depth strategy.

Port Security and IEEE 802.1X Authentication

The switch supports IEEE 802.1X for port-based network access control (NAC), authenticating users and devices before granting network access. It can integrate with RADIUS and TACACS+ servers. Features like MAC Authentication Bypass (MAB) and Web Authentication provide flexibility for devices that don't support 802.1X.

Access Control Lists (ACLs) and Storm Control

Security is enforced through robust ACLs. The C1300-24XS supports standard and extended IP ACLs, MAC ACLs, and IPv6 ACLs, allowing for granular control over traffic flows. Storm control for broadcast, multicast, and unicast traffic protects the switch from being overwhelmed by traffic storms, maintaining network stability.

Device Hardening and Management Security

Features like DHCP snooping, IP Source Guard, and Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) work in concert to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks and IP address spoofing. Secure management is achieved through SSHv2, SNMPv3, HTTPS, and role-based access control (RBAC), ensuring that configuration access is tightly controlled and auditable.

High Availability and Network Resilience Features

For business-critical operations, network uptime is essential. The C1300-24XS incorporates several features to maximize availability.

StackWise Virtual Technology

A standout feature is Cisco StackWise Virtual. This technology allows two physical C1300-24XS switches to be logically combined into a single, virtual switching entity. This creates a highly resilient active-active system with a single management point, simplified design, and sub-second failover using multi-chassis EtherChannel (MEC).

EtherChannel and Spanning Tree Protocols

The switch supports Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) and PAgP for bundling multiple physical links into a single logical EtherChannel, providing increased bandwidth and redundancy. For loop prevention and path redundancy, it supports multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) variants: PVST+, Rapid PVST+, and MSTP (IEEE 802.1s).

Graceful Restart and Non-Stop Forwarding

For protocols like OSPF and EIGRP, Graceful Restart capabilities help maintain network stability during a control-plane switchover, ensuring continuous data forwarding even during a software upgrade or supervisor failover event.

Management, Automation, and Programmability

Modern networks require agile management tools. The C1300-24XS offers multiple avenues for configuration, monitoring, and automation.

Cisco DNA Center and Catalyst Center Integration

The switch is fully compatible with Cisco DNA Center (now Catalyst Center), enabling intent-based networking. This allows for centralized, policy-based automation, assurance, and analytics across the entire network fabric from a single dashboard.

Command-Line Interface and Web Management

For traditionalists, the switch offers a full-featured Cisco IOS CLI, accessible via console, SSH, or Telnet. A built-in web-based graphical interface (GUI) provides an intuitive alternative for day-to-day monitoring and configuration tasks without requiring deep CLI knowledge.

Programmability with APIs

Embracing network programmability, the switch supports RESTCONF and NETCONF/YANG data models. This allows for automation and integration with external tools and scripts (using Python, Ansible, etc.), enabling infrastructure-as-code practices for consistent, error-free deployments and changes.

Network Monitoring and Telemetry

Enhanced visibility is provided through features like sFlow and NetFlow for detailed traffic analysis. Streaming telemetry can be configured to push operational data to collectors, providing real-time insights into switch performance and health, which is vital for proactive network management.

Ideal Deployment Scenarios and Use Cases

The specific capabilities of the Cisco C1300-24XS make it an ideal fit for several key networking roles.

Branch Office Aggregation and Core

In regional or large branch offices, it serves as an aggregation switch, consolidating traffic from multiple access-layer switches (e.g., Catalyst 1000 or 9200 series) over high-speed 10G fiber uplinks. Its Layer 3 routing capability allows it to perform inter-VLAN routing locally, reducing latency and WAN backhaul.

Data Center Top-of-Rack (ToR) for Midsize Racks

In smaller data center or server room environments, the high-density 10G SFP+ ports are perfect for connecting servers, storage arrays, and hyper-converged infrastructure nodes, providing a low-latency, high-bandwidth fabric.

Campus Network Distribution Layer

Within a campus building or across a small campus, the C1300-24XS acts as a distribution switch, aggregating building access layers and providing policy enforcement, QoS, and routing functions before traffic is sent to the core.

High-Performance Workgroup or Cluster Interconnect

For environments such as research labs, media production, or high-performance computing clusters, the switch provides the low-latency, high-throughput connectivity required for data-intensive applications and parallel processing tasks.