Cisco SLM224P
Cisco SLM224P Summary
The Cisco Small Business Smart Switches are cost-effective switching solutions that are ideal for small businesses, the network edge, or workgroups within larger organizations. These easy-to-install, high-speed switches offer many of the same quality of service (QoS) and security features found in more expensive full Layer 2 managed switches, but without their complexity. The Cisco SLM224P 24-Port 10/100 + 2-Port Gigabit Smart Switch (Figure 1) offers twenty-four 10/100 copper ports with two shared Gigabit copper or optical Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) uplink interfaces for connecting the switch to the core network. The simplified user interface is an intuitive management tool that enables you to quickly utilize the comprehensive feature set of the switch, resulting in a better-optimized network.
The Cisco SLM224P includes numerous QoS features to help ensure that traffic is prioritized properly to deliver the best possible user experience for real-time applications such as voice and video or bandwidth-intensive graphic/video file uploads or downloads. With its Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) snooping feature, the Cisco SLM224P limits IP multicast traffic (such as real-time presentations, video conferences, and online gaming) to only the ports that have requested it, enabling the rest of the network to operate at peak efficiency. Additional QoS capabilities such as IEEE 802.1p priority tagging, differentiated services code point (DSCP), and four hardware queues also maintain quality for real-time applications such as voice and video. Network traffic can be optimized with the switch's 802.1Q VLAN support, which enables you to quickly segregate network traffic by department or workgroup. VLANs also provide an additional layer of security by keeping sensitive data separated from other workgroups on the network.
For wireless or voice over IP (VoIP) deployments, the Cisco SLM224P supports the IEEE 802.3af standard for Power over Ethernet (PoE). This eliminates the need for additional power cables or a nearby power outlet, making installation simple and inexpensive and allowing networking devices such as cameras and wireless access points to be positioned in optimal locations, like ceilings and walls - even outdoors.
Network security is an absolute requirement for any business, and preventing unauthorized access to the company network is critical. The Cisco SLM224P secures the network through 802.1X port authentication, which prompts end users to provide their username and password before they are permitted to pass data. User access can also be controlled through the switch's MAC-based filtering capability, which allows network access only to those devices or workstations that have been authorized as identified by their MAC address. The many-to-one or one-to-one port mirroring feature of the Cisco SLM224P enables you to monitor the type of traffic being transmitted on the network.
The Cisco SLM224P includes features for quickly expanding and growing your network. To substantially increase network throughput speeds, especially useful for companies whose employees are routinely backing up their hard drives to a company server or storage platform, the switch supports link aggregation, which allows multiple high-bandwidth trunks between switches to be set up. Link aggregation also provides a level of availability and redundancy, as traffic will continue to flow even if one of the network links breaks. The Cisco SLM224P's Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) support and storm control features help to control planned or inadvertent cable loops when switches are connected to one another. These loops can cause broadcast or multicast storms in the network that severely limit its performance. With these features, you can confidently build a mesh of switches and quickly expand your network to support your growing workforce.
Cisco SLM224P Core Features
- Twenty-four 10/100 switched RJ-45 ports deliver up to 200 Mbps of throughput per port
- Two 10/100/1000 switched RJ-45 Gigabit uplink ports with two shared SFP ports (combo ports)
- PoE on twelve 10/100 ports (ports 1 through 6 and 13 through 18) compatible with IEEE 802.3af, with 100W dedicated internal power, enough to support 7.5W for 12 PoE ports or 15.4W on 6 ports
- 8.8-Gbps nonblocking, store-and-forward switching mechanism
- Simplified QoS management enabled by advanced queuing techniques using 802.1p, IPv4/v6 Differentiated Services (DiffServ)/DSCP traffic prioritization specifications
- Configuration and monitoring from a standard web browser with a simplified management interface
- 802.1Q-based VLANs enable segmentation of networks for improved performance and security
- Port-level security via 802.1X authentication and MAC-based filtering
- Increased bandwidth (up to 8x) and added link redundancy with Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
- Multicast and broadcast storm control
- Port mirroring for noninvasive monitoring of switch traffic
- Fully rack-mountable using the included rack-mounting hardware
