The Cisco Catalyst 2950T switch was replaced by the... Catalyst 2960 series. Because of that, the 2950 series switches can be found on ebay at exceptionally attractive prices, yet they have nearly all the functionality of the newer model. The 2950T-24 has 24 10/100 ports plus a pair of gigabit ports for the uplink. Two or three of these is just the ticket for putting together a CCNA lab. Every CCNA switching lab can be done on these switches. They're also built like a tank, totally reliable, and still perfectly suitable for use in a production environment. A console cable (and a computer with a serial port, or a USB/serial port adapter) is needed to configure them, as well as some knowledge of the Cisco IOS and being comfortable in a command line environment. In the default configuration they will work perfectly well as an unmanaged switch, but where's the fun in that? The configuration possibilities are endless, limited only by the administrator's knowledge of the Cisco IOS. The fans are a little noisy, but they were designed to be stuck in a closet somewhere. They are designed for reliability, not quiet operation. When I'm finished with my CCNA I'll probably use one in my home network. A bit of overkill, perhaps, but I know it won't give me any problems.
I bought one of these in used condition "as ...is", at a rock bottom price, It arrived quickly (Radwell) and clearly showed signs of a turbulent previous life. The outer case may well have been scratched and missing the Rack Mount ears, but it was fully functional. Of course its an older 10/100 switch, but for the application I've put it to use this will do just fine. This is a brand name product from a manufacturer with a long history of quality / reliable hardware design and manufacturing. For the price I paid, this can't be beat. If you don't need 1000 baseT, or POE, than there is nothing wrong with this s
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Excellent switches for a cisco lab. This version has gig...abit Ethernet port for your uplinks. It also has the enhanced image with include more features like security and spanning tree stuff.
Showed up early, works perfectly. Needed to load cis...co ios, took 10 minutes.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The Cisco has been a lif...e saver for my Support Team. It took its place in the Network Rack and it was business as usual. A great product at a FANTASTIC PRICE! I am PLEASED!