WS-C3750X-24S-S Cisco Catalyst 3750x-24s-s Managed Gigabit SFP Switch

Product Overview

The Cisco WS-C3750X-24S-S Catalyst 3750X Series is a high-performance, enterprise-grade managed switch designed to deliver reliable connectivity, scalability, and advanced routing features. Built for modern business networks, this Layer 3 stackable switch offers fiber-based Gigabit Ethernet performance with robust management and security capabilities.

Key Product Details

• Brand: Cisco Systems, Inc.
• Model / SKU: WS-C3750X-24S-S
• Switch Type: Layer 3 Stackable Managed Switch
• Series: Cisco Catalyst 3750X

Performance and Scalability

Advanced Stacking Features

This Cisco managed switch is engineered to grow with your network, offering seamless scalability and simplified administration.

• Stack Ports: Dual stack ports for easy interconnection
• StackWise Technology: Manage multiple switches as a single logical unit
• StackPower: Intelligent power sharing across stacked devices

High-Speed Networking

• Switching Architecture: High-throughput Layer 3 switching and routing
• Network Standards: Supports 10/100Base-TX for dependable data transfer
• System Memory: 256 MB DRAM and 512 MB Flash for smooth operation

Management and Security Capabilities

Comprehensive Network Management

The Cisco Catalyst 3750X-24S-S provides extensive management tools to ensure visibility, control, and performance optimization.

• Command Line Interface (CLI)
• Quality of Service (QoS)
• VLAN configuration
• Embedded Event Manager (EEM)
• Dedicated out-of-band Ethernet management port

Supported Management Protocols

• SNMP v1, v2c, and v3
• DHCP and Telnet
• RMON and Syslog
• CiscoWorks LAN Management Solution

Advanced Security Features

• MACsec Encryption: Hardware-based port-level data protection
• USB Interfaces: USB Type-A and Type-B for secure console and storage access

Energy Efficiency and Power Management

Smart Power Solutions

Designed with energy efficiency in mind, this Cisco switch helps reduce operational costs while maintaining high availability.

• StackPower Technology: Unified power pool across stacked switches
• Redundant Power Supply: Modular design for continuous uptime
• Input Power: Supports 110V AC and 220V AC

Physical Characteristics

• Height: 1.8 inches (4.4 cm)
• Width: 17.5 inches (44.5 cm)
• Depth: 18.0 inches (45.7 cm)
• Weight: Approx. 15.43 lbs (7 kg)

Network Interfaces and Expansion

Connectivity Options

• SFP Ports: 24 Gigabit SFP slots for fiber connections
• Total Expansion Slots: 25 available slots
• Layer 3 Routing: Full support for advanced routing protocols

Additional Interfaces

• USB Type-A and Type-B ports
• Dedicated out-of-band Ethernet management interface

The Cisco Catalyst 3750-X Series: Powering Converged Networks

The Cisco WS-C3750X-24S-S stands as a cornerstone of the renowned Catalyst 3750-X Series, a family of stackable, managed switches designed to deliver robust, secure, and highly available network services at the enterprise edge. This specific 24-port SFP model is engineered for environments demanding high-density, all-fiber connectivity for uplinks, server connections, and backbone distribution. As a fully managed Layer 3 switch, it provides advanced intelligence for routing, Quality of Service (QoS), security, and scalability, making it an ideal solution for midsize to large enterprise branch offices, wiring closets, and data center top-of-rack deployments. The series is celebrated for its innovative StackPower and StackWise Plus technologies, which redefine power redundancy and stacking performance, offering a resilient and simplified network architecture that grows with your business needs.

Deep Dive: Cisco WS-C3750X-24S-S Technical Specifications & Core Features

At its heart, the Cisco WS-C3750X-24S-S is a 1RU stackable switch built for performance and reliability. Its defining characteristic is the 24 fixed SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) Gigabit Ethernet ports, supporting a wide array of optical (SFP) and copper (SFP-T) transceivers for flexible connectivity over distances ranging from a few meters to tens of kilometers. This all-fiber design is crucial for noise-immune, high-speed backbone links and server farm aggregation. The switch also includes an integrated, modular power supply bay and a separate slot for a network module, providing critical flexibility. It operates with Cisco IOS Software, offering a comprehensive feature set for sophisticated network control and management.

Hardware Architecture & Performance

The switch is built on a high-performance forwarding architecture capable of wire-speed switching across all ports. The backplane stacking bandwidth is a key differentiator for the entire 3750-X series, enabling seamless operation when multiple units are combined.

Forwarding Engine & Capacity

Equipped with a powerful ASIC, the WS-C3750X-24S-S delivers a forwarding rate of up to 65 Mpps (million packets per second) and a switching bandwidth of 160 Gbps. This ensures that even under heavy load with complex ACLs (Access Control Lists) and QoS policies applied, the switch maintains low latency and high throughput, which is essential for latency-sensitive applications like voice and video.

Integrated Power Supply & Redundancy

Unlike older models, the 3750-X series features a field-replaceable, modular power supply. The base unit typically ships with a single AC power supply, but a redundant power supply (RPS) can be added for critical deployments. This modular design simplifies maintenance and upgrades, allowing for power supply replacement without taking the entire switch offline.

Key Software Features & Capabilities

Running the full-featured Cisco IOS, this switch provides enterprise-class functionality. It supports static and dynamic IP routing (RIP, OSPF, EIGRP), comprehensive security suites, and advanced traffic management.

Layer 3 Routing Intelligence

As a multilayer switch, it performs hardware-based IP routing at wire speed. It supports up to 1000 static routes and dynamic routing protocols, enabling it to act as a routing boundary within a branch or campus, simplifying network design and improving performance by localizing traffic.

Advanced Security & Access Control

Security is paramount, and the switch offers a suite of features including IEEE 802.1X port-based authentication, NAC (Network Admission Control), ACLs for granular traffic filtering, DHCP snooping, IP Source Guard, and Dynamic ARP Inspection to mitigate a wide range of threats and enforce compliance.

Revolutionary Stacking Technologies: StackWise Plus and StackPower

The true power of the Catalyst 3750-X series is unlocked when switches are stacked. Cisco's proprietary stacking technologies provide unprecedented levels of resiliency and operational simplicity, creating a single, logical management unit from multiple physical switches.

Cisco StackWise Plus Technology

StackWise Plus is an enhancement of the original StackWise technology, offering a 64 Gbps stacking interconnect. When switches are stacked using special stacking cables, they operate as a single, unified system with one IP address for management. This simplifies configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting dramatically.

Benefits of a Single Logical Unit

From a network management perspective, a stack of up to nine switches appears as one device. This reduces the number of management nodes, simplifies VLAN and routing configuration across the stack, and allows for a single point of CLI (Command Line Interface) or SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) control. Features like cross-stack EtherChannel allow link aggregation across multiple physical units in the stack, providing both high bandwidth and incredible fault tolerance.

Cisco StackPower Technology

Perhaps the most innovative feature, StackPower, allows the sharing of power supplies among stacked switches. By connecting switches with StackPower cables, you create a pool of available power that can be allocated to any switch in the stack.

Intelligent Power Redundancy

If one power supply fails in a stack member, power can be drawn from the redundant supplies in other stack members to keep that switch running. This provides a form of power redundancy without requiring a second power supply in every switch, leading to significant cost savings while maintaining high availability. It decouples power redundancy from the physical switch, offering more flexible and economical deployment options.

Deployment Scenarios & Ideal Use Cases

The Cisco WS-C3750X-24S-S, with its all-SFP port configuration, is tailored for specific network roles where fiber connectivity is non-negotiable. Its combination of stacking, Layer 3 routing, and management features makes it versatile for several key enterprise environments.

Enterprise Wiring Closet & Branch Office Backbone

In large campus or branch office networks, this switch is perfect for the distribution layer. Its 24 SFP ports can be used to provide high-speed fiber uplinks to a core switch (using 10G via network module) and to connect to multiple access-layer switches (e.g., Catalyst 2960 series with copper ports) over fiber. Its Layer 3 capabilities allow it to perform inter-VLAN routing locally, offloading the core and improving performance.

Converged Voice, Video, and Data

With advanced QoS features like classification, policing, marking, and weighted tail drop, the switch can prioritize real-time traffic such as VoIP and video conferencing. When deployed in a stack at a branch, it ensures a high-quality user experience for unified communications applications.

Data Center Top-of-Rack (ToR) Deployment

While more powerful Nexus switches often dominate modern data centers, the Catalyst 3750-X remains a viable and cost-effective ToR switch for small to midsize server cabinets or specific application tiers. Its SFP ports provide direct, high-speed connections to servers with fiber NICs, and the optional 10G network module offers uplink capacity. Features like jumbo frame support enhance storage data transfer performance.

Server Farm Aggregation

The switch can aggregate traffic from a rack or row of servers, providing a high-density, low-latency switching fabric. Its security features help isolate server segments, and its routing capabilities can simplify the server access layer design.

Modular Expansion

One of the significant advantages of the Catalyst 3750-X platform is its modularity, which extends the functionality and lifespan of the switch beyond its fixed port configuration.

Power Supply Options

The modular power supply bay can accommodate various input types and power ratings, allowing for deployment flexibility in different regions and power environments.

AC, DC, and High-Power AC Models

Users can choose from standard AC, DC (for telecommunications or industrial environments), and High-Power AC models. The High-Power AC supply is necessary when using power-hungry modules like the 10G BASE-T or when planning to use Power over Ethernet (PoE) on switches that support it (note: the WS-C3750X-24S-S itself does not provide PoE).

Software Licensing: IP Base vs. IP Services

The Cisco WS-C3750X-24S-S typically comes with one of two software images pre-installed, which dictates its feature set, particularly in routing.

IP Base Feature Set

Includes essential Layer 3 features: static routing, RIPv1/v2, and EIGRP Stub routing. It supports full Layer 2 switching, QoS, security, and management features. Suitable for most deployments where advanced dynamic routing is not required at the edge.

IP Services Feature Set

This is the full-featured image. It adds advanced dynamic IP routing protocols: full EIGRP, OSPF, IS-IS, and BGP. It also includes advanced multicast features like PIM Sparse Mode, and protocol-independent routing. This is necessary for switches acting as full routing peers in a complex network.

Comparing the WS-C3750X-24S-S Within the 3750-X Family

It is important to position this specific model relative to its siblings to make an informed selection. The key differentiators are port type, PoE capability, and default power supply.

Vs. WS-C3750X-24T-S (24 x 10/100/1000BASE-T)

The "-24T-S" model has 24 copper RJ-45 ports instead of SFP ports. It is designed for connecting end-user devices like PCs, phones, and wireless access points directly. Some "-T" models also offer PoE+ (Power over Ethernet Plus) to power such devices.

Vs. WS-C3750X-48PF-S (48 x PoE+ Ports)

This is a high-density PoE+ model with 48 copper ports, capable of delivering up to 30W per port. It's ideal for wiring closets with many IP phones, video surveillance cameras, or wireless access points. It often ships with a High-Power AC supply to support the total PoE budget.

Vs. WS-C3750X-12S-S (12 x SFP Ports)

This model offers a lower density of 12 SFP ports in the same chassis, suitable for locations with fewer fiber connections but still requiring the stacking and modular benefits of the 3750-X platform.