The Cisco 2960-XR switches deliver enhanced application visibility, network reliability, and network resiliency, which continue to make it a great networking choice. Credit: Reuters / Sergio Perez As we head towards the end of the year and end of our budgets, my engineers are reminding everyone that the Cisco 2960-XR family is an affordable and under-utilized option compared to other switch siblings in the Cisco 2960 family. The 2960-XR Series switches provide easy device onboarding, configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting. These fully managed switches can provide advanced Layer 2 and Layer 3 features, as well as optional Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) power. The switches deliver enhanced application visibility, network reliability, and network resiliency that continues to make it a great networking choice. Since the 2960-XR switches are part of the 2960-X family, users will be familiar with the switches port counts and types, the identical levels of PoE+, and the identical stacking module/capability. But be sure to read on, as I have more to say about stacking. It’s what’s new with the 2960-XR that my engineers and I find intriguing. A popular update to the 2960-XR is the internal redundant power supplies, hence the “R” in XR, which is a very cool feature in a switch at its price point. The redundant power supplies come in 3 sizes: 250 watts (for non PoE models), 640 watts (370 watts PoE+), and 1025 watts (740 watts of PoE+). These are very similar to the redundant power supplies for the 3850 and 3650 switch families — very quick and easy to insert/remove, no tools required. IP LITE routing software feature set The IP LITE software feature set brings extra capability to the 2960XR family with such new protocols to the line such as: OSPF for Routed Access Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) Policy-Based Routing (PBR) Static routing RIP v1&2 routing protocol EIGRP stub routing Hot standby routing protocol (HSRP) Equal-cost routing Stacking concerns and considerations There’s one downside or caveat to stacking the 2960-XR. If you’re going to stack the XR’s, it is true that they use the same stacking modules as the regular 2960-Xs — BUT — you cannot mix X’s with XR’s in the same stack. This is a cardinal stacking rule! When stacking, the software feature sets must match amongst stack members. For example, a LAN BASE and IP LITE cannot be mixed together. Overall, the 2960-XR switch line was a great addition to an already great long-lived switch line — check them out! As the end-of-the-year crunch creeps up on us all and you’re reviewing your list of possible network equipment purchases, remember you can “Switch IT Up” by putting the Cisco 2960-XR Series switch on your list. Related content opinion Tariffs on China cause new data center equipment prices to increase Networking and server equipment are among those affected by the U.S. tariffs on China, causing OEMs to increase their prices. There are ways, though, to offset the increases. By Frank Kobuszewski Nov 06, 2018 5 mins Network Appliances Network Switches Servers opinion Infrastructure life cycle costs: How ITAD and TPM can save you money Complete infrastructure life cycle management that includes secure IT asset disposition (ITAD) and third-party maintenance (TPM) can help you maximize value at every stage of your technology investment. By Frank Kobuszewski Oct 12, 2018 6 mins Asset Management Software Network Management Software Computers and Peripherals opinion Hardware life cycle approaches to save money, ensure network reliability The right life cycle management approach when it comes to network hardware and data center cabling will help IT organizations do more while optimizing their budget. By Frank Kobuszewski Sep 06, 2018 7 mins Network Management Software Computers and Peripherals Data Center opinion When it comes to IP desk phones, the secondary market is the way to go A VoIP phone system can save an organization a lot of money, but the up-front costs for new equipment can be prohibitive. Instead, consider used phones from a reputable provider. By Frank Kobuszewski Aug 15, 2018 5 mins VoIP Computers and Peripherals Podcasts Videos Resources Events NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe