The Cisco Catalyst 2960XR-24TD-I is the data-only 24-port member of the 2960-XR range: 24 Gigabit access ports with no Power over Ethernet, 2 SFP+ uplink slots, IP Lite software and two internal field-replaceable power supply bays. It is bought for continuity of service rather than watts, essentially because the second supply is pure redundancy on a switch with no PoE load.
Redundancy with nothing else attached to it
On the powered members of this sub-series the second supply keeps the PoE budget alive through a failure; it never enlarges it. Here it does not even do that, because there is no Power over Ethernet on this chassis, so the second module buys uptime and nothing else. Cisco's specification carries a 250 W figure in the second-supply column for the data-only models, which reflects a chassis drawing power for itself, its optics and its fans rather than for powered endpoints.
That makes this an unusually honest purchase to evaluate, because the question has exactly one dimension: is a switch outage caused by a single failed power supply acceptable in this room? In a wiring closet serving office desktops the answer is often yes. In a room carrying clinical systems, industrial control, trading positions or a building's core aggregation, it is usually no, and this is the model that answers it without adding an external chassis to the rack.
| Specification | Catalyst 2960XR-24TD-I |
|---|---|
| Access ports | 24 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet |
| Power over Ethernet | None |
| Uplinks | 2 x SFP+, 1/10 Gbps |
| Aggregate uplink capacity | 20 Gbps |
| Software image | IP Lite |
| Second-supply rating | 250 W |
| Power supply bays | 2, field-replaceable, one populated by default |
| Stacking | FlexStack-Plus, 80 Gbps, 8 members |
Twenty-four Gigabit ports and 20 Gbps of uplink
The 2 SFP+ slots run at either 1 or 10 Gbps, giving up to 20 Gbps of aggregate uplink behind 24 Gigabit access ports. That is close to a one-to-one ratio and puts this switch in the same bracket as a small aggregation device rather than a conventional access switch. Combined with dual internal supplies, it is a sensible choice for a rack that concentrates traffic from several other switches and cannot afford to drop it.
The slots accept Gigabit optics as well, so a site can install the switch behind an existing Gigabit core and raise the uplinks later. On a chassis bought for a long service life that flexibility is worth having, because the core is likely to change before the switch does.
IP Lite, and why it comes with the sub-series
The trailing I marks the IP Lite image, which every Catalyst 2960-XR carries. It is a higher tier than the LAN Base image used across the 2960-X family, and it is fixed by the part number rather than selected by licence. A site specifying an XR is choosing the image as well as the power architecture, whether or not the routed-access features are the reason for the purchase.
Stacking inside its own domain
FlexStack-Plus runs at 80 Gbps across up to eight members on IP Lite, presented as a single logical switch. The constraint that matters is that a 2960-XR stacks only with other 2960-XR switches. It will not join a 2960-X, 2960-S or 2960-SF stack in either direction. Any design mixing an XR into an existing stack will produce two independent switches rather than one, and the modules and cables are separate parts in either case.
Where the 24TD-I sits in the 2960-XR range
The three models below share the chassis, the image and the dual-bay power architecture. What separates them is uplink media and whether they source power at all.
| Model | Uplinks | PoE budget | Second-supply rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2960XR-24TD-I | 2 x SFP+, 10 Gbps | None | 250 W |
| 2960XR-24TS-I | 4 x SFP, 1 Gbps | None | 250 W |
| 2960XR-24PD-I | 2 x SFP+, 10 Gbps | 370 W | 640 W |
Where the requirement is 48 ports with the same 10 Gigabit uplink shape and no internal redundancy, the Catalyst 2960X-48FPD-L covers it on LAN Base. The current-generation successor line is the Catalyst 9300 family, and its 24-port model is the direct counterpart to this chassis.
Lifecycle and support horizon
This model is named in Cisco end-of-life notice EOL13602 for the Catalyst 2960-XR product family. End-of-Sale for the hardware was 31 October 2022, the Last Ship Date was 30 January 2023 and End of Software Maintenance was 31 October 2023. Both the Last Date of Support and End of Vulnerability and Security Support fall on 31 October 2027, with End of Service Contract Renewal on 29 January 2027.
Those dates are the same as the Catalyst 2960-X family's, so the XR carries no calendar advantage over the X and should not be specified in the belief that it does. Where it does earn its place is in rooms that cannot tolerate a power supply failure, and a data-only chassis with two supplies is about as low-risk a switch as this generation offers.
Condition, testing and what ships
Refurbished enterprise hardware bearing Cisco's original part number. Each unit is tested inbound, then disassembled, cleaned, inventoried and held in stock; on order it is rebuilt to the requested configuration, configured and bench tested again before packing, with every fitted supply exercised on its own. Whole systems including this switch carry the 2-year Enterasource warranty and ship free by FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states.
Because the chassis has two bays and ships with one filled, the number of supplies is confirmed at order rather than assumed. SFP+ transceivers, stacking modules and cables are quoted separately. Cisco software entitlement is not included with used hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the second power supply do on a data-only Catalyst 2960XR-24TD-I?
Only one thing: it removes the single point of failure. On the powered members of this sub-series a second supply carries the existing PoE budget through a failure rather than adding to it, and this chassis has no Power over Ethernet at all, so there is nothing for it to carry. The switch continues running through the loss of one supply, which is the entire reason to fit the second bay here.
Is a 250 W figure a PoE budget on the 2960XR-24TD-I?
No. This model sources no Power over Ethernet at all. The 250 W figure appears in the second-supply column of Cisco's specification for the data-only XR models and reflects a chassis drawing power for itself, its optics and its cooling rather than for any attached endpoint. Devices that need power behind this switch require injectors or a separate powered switch.
How much uplink capacity does a 2960XR-24TD-I have?
Up to 20 Gbps across the two SFP+ slots with 10 Gigabit transceivers fitted, behind 24 Gigabit access ports. The slots are dual-rate and will also take 1 Gbps optics for 2 Gbps of aggregate uplink. That near one-to-one ratio at 10 Gigabit is why the model is often used as a small aggregation switch rather than a conventional access switch.
Can I add a 2960XR-24TD-I to an existing 2960-X stack?
No. A Catalyst 2960-XR forms its own stacking domain and joins only with other 2960-XR switches, in either direction. Adding one to an order intended to build a single 2960-X stack results in two independent devices with separate configurations and separate management addresses, which is rarely what the design intended.
How does Enterasource verify the power supplies on a used 2960-XR?
Each fitted supply is exercised individually as part of both bench passes, once on receipt and once after the chassis has been rebuilt and configured to the order. The count of supplies is recorded against the specific unit and stated on its listing, because these switches ship from Cisco with one bay populated and a used chassis may have one or two. The catalogue is on the Cisco networking hardware page.
