Cisco 2950, please help me make a buying decesion.

I am wanting to throw in a Cisco 2950 into my CCNP lab so I’ve started reading about those and discovered that there are three different hardware platforms, which are as follows.

Cisco Catalyst 2950 24 Switch
Cisco Catalyst 2950 12 Switch
Cisco Catalyst 2950C 24 Switch
Cisco Catalyst 2950G 24 EI DC Switch
Cisco Catalyst 2950SX 48 SI Switch
Cisco Catalyst 2950SX 24 Switch

These are all EOS models and both standard and enhanced IOS are available for free from Cisco. The documentation available on Cisco site doesn’t explain the key differences between them. I was wondering if I bought the 2950 12 port and upgrade the image to enhanced, since it comes preloaded with standard, would the functionality be the same as 2950c or 2950G DC with the exception of gigabit port.

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Comments

tiersten

You can't upgrade a 2950 to EMI from SMI. The old firmware had separate SMI and EMI versions but it will refuse to boot an EMI image on a SMI switch. The newer firmware is combined and it will know what featureset to enable. The 3550 series will let you upgrade from SMI to EMI however.

For the CCNP you'll want the 2950 with EMI.

singh8281

2950 is a layer 2 switch and EMI, SMI has no significance here. I think you're geting confused with 3550 series.

GT-Rob

Just get the basic Cisco 2950 12port switch for a lab.

tiersten

singh8281 wrote:

2950 is a layer 2 switch and EMI, SMI has no significance here. I think you're geting confused with 3550 series.

Ah. Yeah. Wrote EMI instead of EI. The 2950 has SI and EI versions. You have to buy it with the correct type. You can't upgrade it once you've bought it.

singh8281

Are you sure about that?. I have yet to see a cisco device where you can't upgrade the IOS, or you meant the flash chip itself

tiersten

You can upgrade the IOS version like normal. However you can't change the feature set that is enabled like you can with the routers for example.

I was wondering if I bought the 2950 12 port and upgrade the image to enhanced, since it comes preloaded with standard

You can't do this basically. You can't make a standard image 2950 into an enhanced image 2950 yourself. If you want the EI version then you must buy it already with EI.

From the link above:

The Cisco Catalyst® 2950 Series switches include two software image versions that support different degrees of functionality—the Standard Image (SI) and the Enhanced Image (EI) Software. The version of software depends solely on the model of switch selected, with no upgrade capabilities.

singh8281

You maybe right since both EI and SI images are combined into 1 file and depending on the switch fabric the most appropriate gets chosen.

keenon

take the 2950G, it has a fuller set of the switch qos functions

tomset

I just received 2 Cisco 2950s (Standard Image) for my BCMSN labs. Based on what I'm reading in this thread, do I need to return these switches for the Enhanced Images? Or can I use what I got and get through the labs?

What would you guys do in my position?

Netwurk

The 2950's you have are fine - you're not going to see much of an upgrade with the enhanced image.

To truly "upgrade", you need a switch that can do layer 3. For that you need a 3550 or better.

The 3550 is the model you need to worry about when it comes to enhanced vs. standard. But that's a not a big concern, as it's just an IOS upgrade.

tomset

Got my 3550

So with my 2 2950 SIs and my 3550, I should be good to go for all of the BCMSN labs?

Netwurk

That should do it. Technically, Cisco recommends 3560's and 2960's. But those would cost thousands. You should be in good shape with what you have.

My lab has a 3550, a 2950, and a 2924 - so you're a notch above mine.

Good luck with it.