Specification Sheet

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Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX and 2960-CX Series Compact Switch Highlights
8 or 12 Gigabit Ethernet ports with line rate forwarding performance
6 Gigabit Ethernet plus 2 Multigigabit Ethernet (100 Mbps/1/2.5/5/10 Gbps) ports with line rate forwarding
performance (selected model)
Gigabit and Multigigabit (100 Mbps/1/2.5/5/10 Gbps) copper, small form-factor pluggable (SFP) or
10G SFP+ uplinks
Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) support with up to 240W of PoE budget
Power over Ethernet (PoE) pass-through enables the compact switch to draw Cisco Universal PoE
(Cisco UPOE
) power from the wiring closet and pass it to end devices (selected model) with the additional
option to be powered by auxiliary AC-DC or DC-DC power adapter
Cisco Instant Access mode to enable single point of management and simplify operation (selected models)
Advanced Layer 2 (LAN Base) and Layer 3 (IP Base) support with an option to upgrade to IP services
Fanless design and silent operation
Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (E-LLW)
Features and Benefits
Like the larger Cisco Catalyst switches typically used in wiring closets, the Cisco Catalyst Compact switches are
a managed option for consistency across your LAN switching network. Unlike unmanaged switches and hubs, they
provide advanced networking features for flexibility, security, and scale.
Table 1 lists many of the Cisco Catalyst 3560-CX and 2960-CX switch features and benefits.
Table 1. Compact Switch Features and Benefits Summary
Feature
Benefits
Hardware
Small form factor;
fanless design; silent
operation
The switch can be used in open workspaces and other areas that cannot tolerate equipment noise and where multiple
cable runs could be difficult, expensive, and intrusive.
Flexible mounting
options
The switch can be mounted on the wall, under a desk, rack, DIN rail, or practically anywhere they are needed.
Cisco Multigigabit
Ethernet
With the enormous growth of 802.11ac and new wireless applications, wireless devices are driving the demand for more
network bandwidth. This creates a need for a technology that supports speeds higher than 1 Gbps on all cabling
infrastructure. Cisco Multigigabit Ethernet technology is a unique Cisco innovation that allows you to achieve bandwidth
between speeds of 100Mbps and 10 Gbps over traditional Cat 5e cabling or above. In addition, the Multigigabit ports on
the Cisco Catalyst Compact switch support PoE+, which is increasingly important for next-generation workspaces and
Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems. The Multigigabit Ethernet ports can also be used as uplinks to connect to traditional
access switches such as the Cisco Catalyst 3850/4500 switches.
Cisco Multigigabit technology offers significant benefits for a diverse range of speeds, cable types, and PoE power. The
benefits can be grouped into three different areas:
Multiple speeds: Cisco Multigigabit technology supports autonegotiation of multiple speeds on switch ports. The
supported speeds are 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps, and 5 Gbps on Cat 5e cable and up to 10 Gbps over Cat 6a
cabling.
Cable type: The technology supports a wide range of cable types, including Cat 5e, Cat 6, and Cat 6a or above.
PoE power: The technology supports PoE and PoE+ for all the supported speeds and cable types.
10-Gigabit SFP+
uplinks
Accommodates business growth and increased traffic, such as aggregate upstream gigabit traffic loads from 802.11ac
Wi-Fi access points.
Increased PoE+ Scale
Provides up to 240W of PoE+ budget (twice the power per switch than previous series).
Perpetual PoE
Provides uninterrupted power to a powered-down device even when the switch is booting. This eliminates the need for
a backup power source.