E-guide

LAN switches
Buyers Guide part 2
Your expert guide to LAN switches management tools
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In this e-guide
Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
Seven criteria to consider before
evaluating campus LAN switches
Andrew Froehlich, President

Before you begin researching specific vendors and campus LAN

A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch types, take the time to understand the requirements and
switch vendors capabilities you need.

Choosing the right campus LAN switch for your organization isn't simply a
matter of understanding whether your network would benefit from access,
distribution and core switches. There are plenty of other decisions that need to
be made before you can narrow down your list to a specific vendor and switch
model. Let's take a look at the features and capabilities you should consider
when evaluating campus LAN switches.

Port speeds and interface connections

Your first consideration is to understand what port speeds your network requires
and what port connection types would be most useful and/or cost-effective.
Most modern campus LAN switches support a wide variety of port speeds,
including 1 Gigabit Ethernet, 10 GbE, 40 GbE and 100 GbE. Most end devices

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will use standard Gigabit Ethernet connections, while servers and uplink ports
In this e-guide may require much faster port speeds and multiple ports for redundancy.

Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
You must also consider port speeds for the latest 802.11ac wireless access
points (APs). These APs can now process more than 1 Gbps to connected
clients. Because of this, a standard Gigabit Ethernet link may become a
throughput bottleneck. To eliminate this problem, some network vendors are
rolling out NBASE-T MGBASE-T and Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers' 802.3bz ports that provide 2.5 to 5 Gbps throughput speeds on
CAT5e or CAT6 cabling.

In terms of interface connections, your most common options are copper, fiber
and direct-attach copper. The decisions surrounding which interface connection
type to use revolve around the required port speed and what type of cabling is
already installed in a building or throughout a campus.

For example, if you have CAT6 cabling running from your access closet to every
cubicle in a building, then these ports will use Gigabit Ethernet connections with
standard RJ45 interfaces. And if each access closet is interconnected using
multimode fiber, you will likely want to look at a switch that has small form-factor
pluggable uplink interfaces so you can install LC fiber transceivers.

The number of connections you need will also greatly influence what switch type
you should purchase. Fixed-port switches are usually cheaper, but you're stuck
with the port numbers and types that come with them. Modular switches, on the

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other hand, can be upgraded, so you can easily increase the number of ports
In this e-guide and change interface types.

Seven criteria to consider Power over Ethernet

before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
Many devices that connect to access switches can be powered using a Power
over Ethernet interface. PoE uses the same copper cabling to provide both
network connectivity and the necessary power, so it doesn't need to plug into a
standard AC outlet. Common examples of PoE devices include IP phones, APs
and internet-of-things sensors. There are several different PoE standards and
each standard provides a different maximum per-port watt output. Therefore, it's
important to know how much power your end devices actually require. Below
are the power ratings for three popular PoE standards in use today:

IEEE 802.3af-2003: PoE up to 15.4 W per port.

IEEE 802.3at-2009: PoE+ up to 25.5 W per port.
Cisco Universal Power over Ethernet up to 60 W per port.

Performance

Understanding how much throughput your network is likely to need -- today and
several years into the future -- is a critical part of the purchasing process.
Lower-cost access switches provide port density, but compared with switches

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designed for distribution and core switching duties, their maximum throughput
In this e-guide specs are going to be considerably lower.

Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
Switching performance also depends heavily on whether the switch will be
operating at Layer 2, Layer 3 or both. And if the switch will be performing Layer
3 functions, it must be able to support the routing protocol that will be used. For
example, almost all enterprise-grade multilayer switches can operate using
static routes or open dynamic routing protocols, such as Open Shortest Path
First. But if you need to run more advanced routing protocols, such as Border
Gateway Protocol, or proprietary protocols, such as the Enhanced Interior
Gateway Routing Protocol, you must ensure the switch you choose can run the
necessary routing protocols.

Redundancy

Typical campus LAN designs call for a certain amount of built-in redundancy to
maintain connectivity to the majority of users when a link or switch goes down.
As you begin researching campus LAN switches, you'll likely find there are any
number of ways to provide redundancy using both hardware and software. This
includes redundant switches, uplinks and redundancy protocols running at
Layer 2 or Layer 3. It's important to understand what redundancy techniques
you want to use -- and verify that all of the necessary switches can perform the
required redundancy tasks.

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In this e-guide Physical environment considerations

Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
Switches are deployed in a wide variety of physical locations. For example,
switches that are deployed in manufacturing plants that are often hot or humid
may fail if the incorrect switch hardware is used. In situations where switches
will be deployed in harsh environments, specially designed switches built to
better withstand heat and lack of air flow would be a better long-term option.
You'll also find compact and reduced-depth switches for deployments where
space is limited.

Advanced features

An enterprise switch literally has hundreds of features, so it's up to you to

decide which ones you need and which campus LAN switches can actually
provide that feature. Some examples of advanced switch features include:

Converged wired or wireless;

Enhanced security features;
Built-in troubleshooting tools; and
Automated integration with external troubleshooting and management
tools.

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In this e-guide Support needs

Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
Lastly, before choosing a campus LAN switch vendor, you need to thoroughly
understand the support offerings and prices for the switch hardware and
software you're about to buy. For example, some vendors offer free and
unlimited access to switch firmware updates, while others require a support
contract before you can download any updates or patches. Hardware
replacement warranties also vary greatly. A few vendors offer lifetime hardware
replacement warranties on some switch types, while others offer only 90-day or
one-year warranties. Once support contracts are in place, those warranties can
then be extended.

Online and phone technical assistance and troubleshooting support are also
important considerations. A technical support contract provides an added layer
of technical expertise to handle any misconfigurations or hardware and software
faults, so you can better maintain a stable campus network.

Now that you have a better idea of the features and functionality you should
consider, it's time to examine the leading campus LAN switches on the market.
The concluding article in this series will delve into offerings from the top vendors
to help you determine which enterprise switch best matches your specific use-
case scenarios.

Next article

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In this e-guide A comparison of the leading campus LAN

Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
switch vendors
Andrew Froehlich, President
Expert Andrew Froehlich examines the factors that will ultimately
help you determine which campus LAN switch vendors and types
are most suitable for your environment.
With so many campus LAN switch features that are seemingly identical from
one switch vendor to the next, it's challenging to identify the true difference
between them. But much of what you truly need in a campus switch depends
largely on what your end users are demanding, as well as the campus
environment into which your new switches will be integrated.

The previous article in this series identified several purchasing criteria that
should be considered before selecting the best switch to purchase. This article
will revisit those considerations and apply them to the leading LAN switch
vendors. The idea is to provide a few purchasing scenarios that you can identify
with and apply your personal purchasing criteria to in order to narrow down your
list of LAN switch vendors.

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In this e-guide Port speed and number of connections

Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
If your primary concern is having the optimal number of ports and port speeds
for your LAN, then choosing a vendor with a wide range of switch types and
models is important. Most enterprise-class campus LAN switch vendors offer
both fixed and modular switches that can be upgraded by swapping out switch
blades. Some vendors also offer fixed switches that can be stacked together to
form a single virtual switch. Cisco, Huawei and Juniper Networks provide a wide
variety of switch options -- from very small, compact switches with just a few
fixed ports to massive blade chassis, modular switches that can be upgraded to
accommodate an assortment of gigabit and multigigabit ports. Or, if you're
simply looking for no-frills, budget switches that can be deployed in most SMB
environments, both Dell EMC and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) offer low-
cost options that are known to be reliable and contain most of the features you
might need.

Power over Ethernet

PoE is becoming increasingly important. Not only is it commonly used to

connect and power IP phones, wireless access points and security cameras, the
internet of things (IoT) revolution is going to rely heavily on PoE to power
different types of sensors and data collection devices. If you require PoE only
up to 30 watts using the 802.3at standard, your options are wide open.

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In this e-guide
Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
However, if you need to power devices that use more than that, or believe you
may in the future, Cisco is the only enterprise-class vendor that offers Universal
Power over Ethernet, which can power devices up to approximately 60 watts
using the same twisted pair cabling that 802.3at uses.
Performance
If your top concern is making sure that frames are moved from point A to point B
as fast as possible, you likely work in the financial world of high-frequency
trading (HFT). When competitive advantages in trading can come down to
microseconds, the switches you choose are critical. There are a few campus
switch vendors that specialize in creating ultra-low latency switches. Cisco,
Extreme Networks and Juniper both offer HFT-class switches, but Arista
Networks has truly made its mark in the world of HFT with its high performance.

Reliability and redundancy

Reliability and redundancy are different, yet complementary traits. Switch

reliability involves the mean time between failure (MTBF) of hardware
components. Basically, MTBF is how many projected hours, on average, you
should expect a specific switch or switch component to operate before it finally
fails. Much of the status of MTBF of switch vendors involves past history and
reputation of the quality of their hardware. The amount of redundancy built into

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In this e-guide
Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
your network relies on how hardware, software and automatic failover functions
are used to effectively reroute switch traffic around failures and ultimately
reduce the impact of a failed network component.
MTBF and redundancy make up your campus network's overall availability.
Juniper has a strong following, partly due to the fact it makes hardware
components that, on average, last longer than other vendors' comparable
components. But while Cisco doesn't have quite the quality reputation that
Juniper does in terms of MTBF, it makes up for it in redundancy by offering a
few more proprietary tricks in terms of First Hop Redundancy Protocols,
dynamic routing protocols and virtual port channeling. All of these contribute to
a network that can withstand the occasional hardware failure without any
significant end-user effect.

Harsh operating environments

In the past, only a handful of small niche vendors offered Ethernet switches that
could be deployed in harsh environments. But with the growing interest in IoT,
that's rapidly changing. There are now a few enterprise-class vendors that are
attempting to make a name for themselves in this space. Industrial Ethernet
switches must be manufactured to operate in a wider temperature range -- both
hot and cold. They must also be able to handle large fluctuations in power, be
shock- and vibration-resistant, and have longer than normal MTBF ratings. For
this, Cisco offers its Industrial Ethernet and Connected Grid Switch lines. But

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Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise and Extreme Networks also occupy this space,

In this e-guide making quality equipment at very reasonable price points.

Seven criteria to consider Warranty and support

before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
Much like purchasing a car, the hardware warranty and customer service will
play a deciding role in which switch vendor you ultimately choose. When you're
looking at low-end access switches for your network, you'll quickly discover that
most enterprise-class vendors offer limited lifetime warranties on the hardware.
Keep in mind, however, that technical assistance and access to updated switch
firmware will cost extra. Some campus switch vendors, such as HPE, use a
hybrid approach. The company's Lifetime Warranty 2.0 offers a lifetime
hardware warranty, as well as three years of software upgrades and phone
technical support as part of the built-in purchase price of the switch. This unique
approach helps lower the overall ROI for these types of purchases.

As you step up into more sophisticated access, distribution and core-layer

switches, warranties and support contracts will also increase in price. Typical
warranties for hardware range from 90 days to one year. Extending the warranty
requires you to purchase a support contract that commonly offers extended
hardware warranties with a range of service-level agreements in regard to
online and phone support and replacement hardware turnaround. Support
contracts also include full access to firmware updates to add new features or
patch bugs and vulnerabilities. Year after year, vendors gauge their technical

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support in comparison to Cisco's Technical Assistance Center, which seems to

In this e-guide
Seven criteria to consider
before evaluating campus
LAN switches
A comparison of the
leading campus LAN
switch vendors
be the unofficial benchmark gold standard. But paying for premium support
often comes at a premium price. Other vendors, including Juniper, HPE, Arista,
Brocade Communications Systems Inc. and Extreme, also offer solid support.
When a switch isn't simply a switch
As you can see from our comparison, there are many factors that will ultimately
determine which campus LAN switch vendors and types are most suitable for
your environment. It may take additional research and several conversations
with vendors before you narrow down your final choices. But, hopefully, this
series has laid the groundwork and provided a roadmap of how to
systematically determine the difference among switch types, why you need
them and what specific and unique features and services switch vendors can
provide.

About the author

Andrew has been involved in enterprise IT for over 15 years. His primary focus
has been in Cisco wired - wireless - voice network design, implementation and
support as well as network security. This includes project management tasks
dealing with network infrastructure upgrades and new build-outs. He's also been
heavily involved in data center architectures designed to provide fault-tolerant
enterprise applications and services to thousands of users.

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