Data Sheet
© 2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
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Intelligent Layer 2 Availability and Scalability
The Cisco Catalyst 2960 LAN Lite Series is equipped with a robust set of features that allow for network scalability
and higher availability with a complete suite of Layer 2 protocols including Spanning Tree Protocol enhancements
aimed maximizing availability in a Layer 2 network.
Enhancements to the standard Spanning Tree Protocol, such as Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+), Uplink
Fast, and PortFast, maximize network uptime. PVST+ allows for Layer 2 load sharing on redundant links to efficiently
use the extra capacity inherent in a redundant design. Uplink Fast, PortFast, and BackboneFast all greatly reduce
the standard 30- to 60-second Spanning Tree Protocol convergence time. Loop guard and bridge-protocol-data-unit
(BPDU) guard provide Spanning Tree Protocol loop avoidance.
Superior redundancy features include:
●
Up to 64 VLANs per switch and up to 64 spanning-tree instances per switch are supported.
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Cisco Uplink Fast and BackboneFast technologies help ensure quick failover recovery, enhancing overall
network stability and reliability.
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Per-VLAN Rapid Spanning Tree Plus (PVRST+) allows rapid spanning-tree reconvergence on a per-VLAN
spanning-tree basis, without requiring the implementation of spanning-tree instances.
●
IEEE 802.1d Spanning Tree Protocol support for redundant backbone connections and loop-free networks
simplifies network configuration and improves fault tolerance.
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IEEE 802.1s Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) allows a spanning-tree instance per VLAN, enabling
Layer 2 load sharing on redundant links.
●
IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) provides rapid spanning-tree convergence
independent of spanning-tree timers and the benefit of distributed processing.
●
Cisco EtherChannel bandwidth aggregation enhances fault tolerance and offers higher-speed aggregated
bandwidth .
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Unidirectional Link Detection Protocol (UDLD) and Aggressive UDLD allow unidirectional links to be
detected and disabled to avoid problems such as spanning-tree loops.
●
Switch port autorecovery (errdisable) automatically attempts to reenable a link that is disabled because of
a network error.
The following tables starting with Table 2 provide both hardware and software details about the Cisco Catalyst 2960
LAN Lite Switches.
Table 2.
Catalyst 2960 LAN Lite Series Switch Hardware
Description
Specification
Forwarding Bandwidth
16 Gbps
Flash memory
32 MB
Memory DRAM
64MB
Max VLANs
64
VLAN IDs
4K
Maximum transmission unit (MTU)
Up to 9,000 bytes
Jumbo frames
9,016 bytes
Forwarding rate
2960-8TC-S
2.7 Mpps
2960-24-S
3.6 Mpps
2960-24TC-S
6.5 Mpps
Performance
2960-24PC-S
6.5 Mpps
