Networking

Campus access, data center and fabric switches

Enterprise switches fall into three groups by where they sit in the network, and each group is built around different ports and features:

The makers place them the same way: Cisco describes the Catalyst 2960-X and 2960-XR as stackable Gigabit Ethernet switches that provide enterprise-class access for campus and branch applications, and Juniper positions the EX2300 for access-layer deployments in branch offices and enterprise campus networks. On the data center side, Cisco says its Nexus 9000 portfolio covers data center roles from super spine to border leaf, with the fixed Nexus 9300 switches suited to spine-and-leaf or top-of-rack designs, and gives a 25G Nexus 9300 model 48 downlink ports at 1, 10 or 25 Gbps and six 40 or 100 Gbps uplinks; Juniper notes that EX4300 switches can be positioned as top-of-rack switches; and Dell presents its PowerSwitch S-series as data center networking switches.

Scaling out: stacking or spine-and-leaf

Campus networks grow by stacking, data centers by adding leaf and spine switches. Cisco stacks up to eight Catalyst 9300 switches over StackWise-480, the Catalyst 2960-X stacks eight members with FlexStack-Plus, and Juniper joins up to ten EX4300 switches, or four EX2300s, into one Virtual Chassis. In the data center, Cisco positions its fixed Nexus 9300 switches for spine-and-leaf fabrics, where capacity grows by adding switches rather than stack members. Shop by spec on 10GbE switches, 48-port switches and PoE+ switches.

Routers and firewalls

Refurbished routers come from the Cisco ISR 2900 and ISR 4000 Series integrated services routers and the Juniper MX Series universal routing platforms. Palo Alto Networks firewalls are sold new. No vendor software license, subscription or support entitlement is claimed to transfer with a refurbished switch or router.

Warranty and testing

Every switch, router and firewall we sell carries a 2-year Enterasource warranty, and every refurbished unit goes through an inbound test in our lab and a second test before shipping; the terms are on warranty and support. For AI cluster networking, read our guide to choosing between InfiniBand and Ethernet for an AI fabric or see our AI networking switches.

Enterprise network switch questions

What is the difference between campus and data-center switches?

Where they sit and what they connect. Campus switches serve users and devices at the edge, so Cisco builds its Catalyst access switches around copper ports, Power over Ethernet and stacking. Data center switches connect servers and storage at higher speeds: one 25G Nexus 9300 model has 48 downlinks at up to 25 Gbps and six 40 or 100 Gbps uplinks, and Cisco positions the line for spine-and-leaf or top-of-rack designs.