The Cisco Catalyst 2960S-24PS-L is a 1U wiring-closet switch with 24 Gigabit Ethernet access ports, a 370 W PoE budget shared across them and 4 SFP uplink slots running at 1 Gbps. It is the 24-port half of the 2960-S PoE range, with the same LAN Base image and uplink media as the 48-port models, particularly useful where one floor needs powered ports and a whole building does not.
What 370 W covers across 24 Gigabit ports
The PoE budget on this switch is 370 W, drawn as a shared pool rather than reserved per port. Cisco documents the 2960-S and 2960-SF series as carrying a combined PoE and PoE+ budget, and the practical planning maths follows from the endpoint class: at the 30 W ceiling an IEEE 802.3at PoE+ device is permitted to draw, 370 W supports 12 ports at full load; at the 15.4 W ceiling of the older 802.3af class it supports 24, which is every port on the front panel.
Most closets sit between those two figures because a desk telephone draws well under 10 W while an outdoor access point or a heated camera sits at the top of the range. The correct method is to total the actual class draw of the devices going in, then check that total against 370 W. Port count is almost never the binding constraint on a PoE switch; watts are.
| Specification | Catalyst 2960S-24PS-L |
|---|---|
| Access ports | 24 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet |
| PoE budget | 370 W combined |
| Uplinks | 4 x SFP, 1 Gbps |
| Software image | LAN Base |
| Forwarding rate | 41.7 mpps |
| Forwarding bandwidth | 88 Gbps |
| Switching bandwidth | 176 Gbps |
| Active VLANs | 255 |
| Flash / DRAM | 64 MB / 128 MB |
| Rack height | 1U, 1.75 x 17.5 x 15.2 in |
Forwarding rate on this model is 41.7 mpps, which is the lowest in the 2960-S sub-series and exactly what a 24-port switch needs. LAN Base supplies 88 Gbps of forwarding bandwidth, 176 Gbps of switching bandwidth and 255 active VLANs, on 64 MB of flash and 128 MB of DRAM.
Stacking, and the module that does not come in the box
Stacking on the 2960-S is FlexStack and it delivers 20 Gbps of stack throughput, but the FlexStack module is optional and is ordered separately from the chassis. That is the single most common gap in a secondary-market 2960-S purchase: the switch arrives, the stack is planned, and the module turns out to be a different line item. A stack presents as one logical switch with one configuration and one management address, which is what makes it worth the module in any closet running more than two units.
Compatibility runs one generation forward. A Catalyst 2960-X LAN Base switch fitted with a FlexStack-Plus module will stack with a 2960-S or 2960-SF LAN Base switch fitted with a FlexStack module, because FlexStack-Plus is backward compatible with FlexStack. The mixed stack runs at 40 Gbps with a four-member ceiling rather than the 80 Gbps and eight members a pure 2960-X stack reaches.
Power redundancy is external on this platform
Redundancy here is a separate chassis, not a second module inside the switch. The 2960-S carries one fixed internal supply and no second bay, and Cisco covers the resilience case through the Redundant Power System 2300 along with its cable, power module, blower and blank parts. For a closet with a genuine uptime requirement that is a rack-space and design-time decision, because retro-fitting an external redundant supply means touching every switch it is meant to protect.
Where the 24PS-L sits in the 2960-S range
Two axes separate this switch from its nearest relatives: how many ports and watts it carries, and whether the access ports are Gigabit at all. Doubling the port count also doubles the budget to 740 W, while the Fast Ethernet member with the same PoE budget drops both the port speed and two of the uplink slots.
| Model | Access ports | PoE budget | Uplinks | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2960S-24PS-L | 24 Gigabit | 370 W | 4 x SFP, 1 Gbps | LAN Base |
| 2960S-48FPS-L | 48 Gigabit | 740 W | 4 x SFP, 1 Gbps | LAN Base |
| 2960SF-F24PS-L | 24 Fast Ethernet | 370 W | 2 x SFP, 1 Gbps | LAN Base |
Where the closet has more than 24 powered endpoints the Catalyst 2960S-48FPS-L is the direct step up on the same uplink media. Where the requirement is a longer Cisco support horizon on the same 24-port shape, the Catalyst 2960X-48FPS-L generation is the one to look at, and the current-generation answer is a Catalyst 9300 24-port model.
Lifecycle and support horizon
Cisco covered the Catalyst 2960-S and 2960-SF families in end-of-life notice EOL10043 and named this model in it. End-of-Sale was 6 November 2015 and the Last Ship Date was 4 February 2016. End of Vulnerability and Security Support was 5 November 2018, End of Service Contract Renewal was 4 February 2020, and the Last Date of Support was 30 November 2020.
Every Cisco milestone on this platform is therefore behind us, and that is the honest frame for the switch. It is bought to match an installed 2960-S closet, to fill a stack that is one member short, or to hold as a spare against a failure, and none of those jobs needs a forward support runway. Cisco's own stated migration path is the equivalent Catalyst 2960-X model.
Condition, testing and what ships
Units are refurbished enterprise hardware carrying the original Cisco part number. Each switch is tested on receipt, then disassembled, cleaned, inventoried and returned to stock; when an order is picked it is reassembled, configured and tested again on the bench before packing. Whole systems including this switch carry the 2-year Enterasource warranty, and shipping is free FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states.
The FlexStack module, SFP transceivers and rack ears are separate line items unless they are quoted with the switch, so a stack build should be specified as a whole rather than assumed to arrive complete. Cisco software entitlement is not included and does not transfer with used hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many powered devices will the 370 W budget on a 2960S-24PS-L support?
Twelve at the full 30 W an IEEE 802.3at PoE+ endpoint may draw, or all 24 at the 15.4 W ceiling of the older 802.3af class, because 370 W is a shared pool rather than a per-port allocation. A closet of desk telephones drawing 6 to 10 W each will fill every port and leave watts spare. Size the deployment on the summed class draw of the endpoints, not on the port count.
Does a Catalyst 2960S-24PS-L stack, and what does it need to do it?
It stacks using FlexStack at 20 Gbps of stack throughput, but only once the optional FlexStack module is fitted, because the module is not built into the chassis and is not supplied with it. Members share a single configuration and a single management address. A 2960-X LAN Base switch with a FlexStack-Plus module will also join, at a reduced 40 Gbps and a limit of four members.
What uplinks does the 2960S-24PS-L take, and are transceivers included?
Four SFP slots running at 1 Gbps, and transceivers are not included with the switch. The trailing S in the designation is what marks 1G SFP uplinks across this sub-series, while a trailing D marks SFP+ slots that also run at 10 Gbps. Specify the optic type, wavelength and reach against the actual fibre plant when the switch is quoted so the uplinks arrive matched to the distribution layer.
Is the Catalyst 2960S-24PS-L still under Cisco support?
No. Under notice EOL10043 the End-of-Sale date was 6 November 2015, the Last Ship Date was 4 February 2016, End of Vulnerability and Security Support was 5 November 2018 and the Last Date of Support was 30 November 2020. All of those milestones have passed, so Cisco issues neither hardware service nor software fixes for this platform and no new Cisco contract can be attached to it.
What testing does a refurbished 2960S-24PS-L receive before it ships?
It is tested on arrival, then stripped, cleaned and held in stock as a known-good chassis. On order it is reassembled to the requested specification, powered up, configured and bench tested a second time immediately before it is packed. Cosmetic condition is graded per unit and any physical defect is written into that unit's listing before purchase. The wider range sits on the Cisco networking hardware page.
