User Guide

Competitive Cross-Reference Sales Tool
Cisco Catalyst
®
2950 Series Switches
vs. HP Procurve 2500/4000M/4108gl Switches
Cisco delivers superior availability, security, and quality of service features
than HP
— for greater overall value.
Business networks face new demands every day — desktop computing power is rising,
bandwidth-hungry applications are multiplying, the volume of sensitive data is expanding,
and companies are deploying IP phones, wireless access points, and other devices on the LAN.
As a result, networks must meet new, higher standards for network availability, security, and
control via advanced quality of service (QoS). The Cisco Catalyst 2950 Series offers all that
and more, delivering intelligent services to the network edge.
Following are just a few of the reasons why the Cisco Catalyst 2950 Series is a better choice
than comparable Hewlett-Packard products:
Hewlett-Packard Weaknesses
•The implementation of QoS on the
HP Procurve platform does not
allow administrators to discriminate
in scheduling and prioritizing traffic
and allocating bandwidth
—
particularly important in networks
that support IP telephony.
• HP Procurve switches do not
support security filtering, MAC
aging, MAC address notification,
and private VLAN edge features,
limiting the level of protection
against internal and external threats.
•Implementation of Spanning-Tree
Protocol on Procurve switches
lacks elements that provide faster
failover and greater redundancy
—
features such as PVST+,
BackboneFast, and CrossStack
UplinkFast.
Superior Availability
Ensures employees can access data at all times, locally and remotely
Cisco Catalyst 2950 Series Switches Offer More
More features to increase network uptime and employee productivity, including:
•Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) enhancements such as PortFast, UplinkFast, CrossStack UplinkFast,
BackboneFast, and 802.1s for faster uplink failover recovery
•Per-VLAN Spanning-Tree Protocol Plus (PVST+) allows for load sharing across uplinks, doubling
available bandwidth
•Voice VLAN capabilities enable all voice traffic to be carried on a VLAN designated for IP telephony,
simplifying IP phone installation and network administration and troubleshooting
Enhanced Security
Protects data across the network from internal and external threats
Intelligent Switching
for the Evolving Network
More features to mitigate internal security concerns and protect partner/customer interactions, including:
•Filtering incoming traffic flows on port basis in hardware based on Layer 2/3/4 access control parameters
(ACPs) to prevent unauthorized users from accessing restricted network areas (EI versions only)
•Port security prevents unauthorized users from accessing the network by limiting the number of
MAC addresses allowed per port; an aging feature is used to remove MAC addresses after a
specified time to allow another device to connect to the same port
•Private VLAN edge provides security and isolation between ports on a switch, ensuring that voice
traffic travels directly from its entry point to the aggregation device through a virtual path and
cannot be directed to a different port
•MAC address notification allows administrators to be notified of new users added and removed
from the network (EI versions only)
More features to improve network efficiency and lower administration costs, including:
•Additional egress (outgoing) queues and Weighted Round Robin (WRR) allow network administrators
to be more discriminating and specific when making scheduling/priority decisions on outgoing packets
•Rate limiting ensures that the appropriate amount of bandwidth is allocated to each user, allowing
administrators to prioritize traffic for certain users
Investment Protection with Cisco Catalyst Switches
Cisco network platforms running Cisco IOS
®
Software form a unified system, providing a firm
foundation for building Internet applications, while reducing training, management, and
troubleshooting costs.
In addition:
•Cisco is the worldwide leader in switching, offering scalable, end-to-end networking solutions
to meet the needs of enterprise customers both today and tomorrow.
•Cisco develops innovative technology such as TACACS+, enhanced Spanning-Tree Protocol,
Cisco Fast EtherChannel
®
and Gigabit EtherChannel technology, and Cisco Discovery
Protocol, which have been adopted by the industry and Cisco competitors.
Easier Management
Simplifies and greatly streamlines network management tasks
More features to save time and resources with Cisco Cluster Management Suite (CMS) Software,
which allows users to configure, troubleshoot, and perform software upgrades on multiple switches at
once via a standard Web browser.
Other features include:
•Topology maps for a comprehensive layout of all clustered switches
•Link graphs and reports for real-time traffic updates
• Configuration templates and guide modes to minimize training
•And Cisco CMS is embedded in the switch—no installation is required
Advanced Quality of Service
Prioritizes critical traffic and applications to get the most out of available bandwidth
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