Primary Device
Cisco Catalyst 9300X
★ 3.2 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: 57.6 Tbps (fully populated 9-slot chassis)
- Forwarding Rate: 200 billion packets per second
- Ports (Modular): Up to 288 x 1G, or mixed configs (1G/10G/25G/40G/100G)
- PoE Budget: Up to 60W per port (varies by module)
- Layer: L3 (Multi-layer, IPv4/IPv6)
- Stacking Support: StackWise Virtual (distributed, active-active redundancy)
- Chassis Slots: 9 module slots
- Max Uplink Ports: Up to 32 x 100G ports (high-speed spine interconnect)
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Extreme switching capacity (57.6 Tbps) for core/spine architectures; Modular design allows flexible port configurations (1G/10G/25G/40G/100G mix); StackWise Virtual eliminates single points of failure with active-active forwarding; SD-Access and Cisco ACI ready for intent-based networking; High PoE delivery (up to 60W) suits large-scale access deployments; Enterprise-grade security, comprehensive VLAN and QoS capabilities
- ✘ Cons: Very high capital cost ($25–85K+) limits adoption to large enterprises; Requires advanced configuration expertise; High power draw (2000+ watts typical) demands robust cooling/power infrastructure; Oversized for small-to-medium networks; Module replacement and port upgrades carry premium pricing; Steep learning curve for network operations teams
- Est. Price: $25,000 - $85,000
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