Cisco Catalyst WS-C2960-24TC-S Full English Product Description
1. Short Sales Title (For Quotation & E-commerce Listing)
Cisco WS-C2960-24TC-S 1RU Rack-Mount Layer 2 Fast Ethernet Managed Switch, 24×10/100BASE-TX RJ45 Downlink Ports + 2 Independent Dual-Purpose Combo Gigabit Uplinks (RJ45 + SFP Mutually Exclusive), LAN Lite Entry-Level IOS Image, Fan-Cooled Chassis, Basic QoS, Fundamental Port Security, Limited Identity & Secure Management, Cost-Effective Mixed Copper/Fiber Edge Switch, Ideal for Small Offices, Retail Stores, Classrooms & Budget-Conscious Small Branch Deployments
2. Official Product Overview
The Cisco Catalyst WS-C2960-24TC-S is a fixed-port Layer 2 managed Fast Ethernet switch from the original classic Catalyst 2960 Series, designed for cost-sensitive small-scale edge networks requiring flexible interchangeable Gigabit uplink media via hot-swappable SFP transceivers. Differentiated from all-copper WS-C2960-24TT-S without SFP slots, this model features 24 standard non-PoE Fast Ethernet copper access ports plus two separate dual-purpose combo Gigabit uplink ports; each combo port supports either a 10/100/1000BASE-T copper RJ45 or a Gigabit SFP fiber slot (only one interface active per combo port at a time). The suffix -S denotes factory preloaded entry-level LAN Lite IOS firmware, which only delivers basic Layer 2 switching, fundamental QoS and minimal security utilities; enterprise advanced features including 802.1X NAC authentication, SSHv2 encrypted CLI, SNMPv3, DHCP Snooping, DAI and multi-layer ACLs are permanently unsupported and cannot be upgraded to full LAN Base (-L) feature setCisco.
Model Suffix Breakdown
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2960: Classic Catalyst 2960 non-stackable fixed standalone managed switch platform
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24: Twenty-four fixed 10/100 auto-sensing RJ45 Fast Ethernet downlink ports, no PoE capability
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TC: T = 24 Fast Ethernet copper access ports; C = two independent dual-purpose combo Gigabit uplink ports (shared RJ45 + hot-swappable SFP slot)
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S: LAN Lite entry-level IOS image with limited basic Layer 2 functions, lacking advanced enterprise security, authentication and anti-spoofing tools
This standard 1U metal rack-mount chassis integrates internal autoranging wide-range AC power supply and front active cooling fan for stable long-term small wiring closet operation. It supports Cisco Cluster Management Suite (CMS) to unify up to 16 compatible Catalyst switches under a single management IP, simplifying centralized configuration for multi-unit deployments. All RJ45 ports comply with IEEE auto-negotiation, auto MDI-X and full-duplex flow control for plug-and-play deployment of PCs, IP phones, printers and wireless APs without crossover cables. Hot-swappable SFP slots support live transceiver replacement without full power cycle to minimize network maintenance downtime, compatible with standard Cisco GLC-SX-MM, GLC-LH-SM, GLC-ZX-SM and GLC-T copper SFP transceiversCisco.
Equipped with 64MB DRAM and 32MB onboard flash memory, the WS-C2960-24TC-S delivers 16 Gbps non-blocking switching capacity and 6.5 Mpps wire-speed forwarding rate for 64-byte frames, supporting lossless concurrent VoIP voice, HD video and business data traffic across all 24 access ports and two Gigabit combo uplinks. It adopts store-and-forward switching architecture to isolate corrupted frames and suppress broadcast flooding across LAN segments.
3. Port & Hardware Specifications
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24 × 10/100BASE-TX RJ45 auto-sensing copper access ports, auto MDI-X, IEEE 802.3x full-duplex flow control, zero PoE support
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2 × independent dual-purpose combo Gigabit uplink ports (mutually exclusive operation per port):
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1×10/100/1000BASE-T RJ45 copper interface per combo port
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1×hot-swappable 1000BASE-X SFP slot per combo port
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1 × RJ45 RS232 serial console port for out-of-band offline CLI configuration
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No FlexStack stacking capability; supports Cisco CMS cluster management via copper or SFP fiber inter-switch trunk links
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Power supply: Internal fixed autoranging AC input (100–240 VAC 50/60Hz), max total system power consumption 30W
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No rear RPS redundant power connector (no support for external redundant power supplies)
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Front panel LED indicators: Per-port link/activity, speed, duplex; combo uplink media status, system health fault alarm
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Mounting options: 19-inch 1RU rack-mount brackets included; rubber anti-slip desktop stand feet
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Thermal design: Active fan cooling for standard indoor wiring closet ambient environments
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Environmental operating range: 0°C to 45°C (32°F–113°F); storage -25°C to 70°C; relative humidity 10–85% non-condensing
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Safety & EMI certifications: CE, FCC Class A, UL listed, VCCI Class A, RoHS compliant
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Physical dimensions: 444.5mm (W) × 43.9mm (H, 1RU) × 236.2mm (D)
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Unit weight: 3.63 kg (8 lbs)
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MAC address table capacity: Up to 8,192 MAC entries
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Maximum active VLANs: 64 (limited compared to 250 VLANs on LAN Base)
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MTBF: 510,000 hours under standard office operating conditions
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Warranty: Cisco Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty with basic maintenance IOS updates only
4. Layer 2 Switching, QoS & LAN Lite IOS Basic Feature Set
Supported Core Base Switching & Fundamental QoS Functions
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Up to 64 active IEEE 802.1Q tagged VLANs, full VLAN ID range 1–4094, VTPv2 basic dynamic VLAN synchronization
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IEEE 802.1p CoS QoS with 4 egress priority queues; Strict Priority / WRR scheduling for voice/video traffic classification
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IEEE 802.3ad Gigabit EtherChannel static link aggregation for multi-port copper/SFP trunk bundling
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IEEE 802.1D STP + Rapid STP (802.1w), BPDU guard / Root guard to eliminate Layer 2 switching loops
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Port security: Static MAC binding, sticky dynamic MAC learning, port shutdown violation mode
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Broadcast/multicast/unicast storm control to mitigate Layer 2 flooding DoS attacks
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Local SPAN port mirroring only (RSPAN remote span functionality not supported)
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IGMP Snooping v1/v2/v2 basic multicast bandwidth optimization for video streaming
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Voice VLAN, basic Auto QoS for automatic Cisco IP Phone traffic priority marking
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Cisco Cluster Management Suite (CMS) single-pane unified management for clustered switch groups
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RMON Groups 1,2,3,9 real-time traffic statistics monitoring
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NTP time synchronization for consistent system log timestamps
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CDP Cisco Discovery Protocol for adjacent network device detection
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Web-based embedded Device Manager & Cisco Network Assistant for zero-CLI initial deployment
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Basic Cisco EnergyWise port power management to reduce idle endpoint power draw
Exclusive Advanced Enterprise Functions NOT Supported on LAN Lite (-S) Firmware (Only Available on LAN Base -L Models)
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IEEE 802.1X port-based NAC authentication with RADIUS/TACACS+ AAA remote access control
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SSHv2 encrypted remote CLI management; SNMPv3 secure encrypted monitoring (only unencrypted Telnet & SNMPv1/v2c available)
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Layer 2/Layer 3/Layer 4 ingress access control lists (ACLs), time-based ACL traffic policies
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Private VLAN edge for isolated host segmentation on shared access ports
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Ingress port bandwidth rate limiting, traffic policing and shaping
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DHCP Snooping + Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) + IP Source Guard to mitigate IP/MAC address spoofing attacks
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Advanced multilayer DSCP QoS reclassification for multi-service converged voice/video/data networks
5. Full Management Interfaces
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Local Out-of-Band: RJ45 RS232 serial console port for direct Cisco IOS CLI access without live network connectivity
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Unencrypted Remote CLI: Password-authenticated Telnet only (no SSHv2 secure encrypted remote access)
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Embedded Web GUI: Basic browser-based Cisco Device Manager for port, VLAN and QoS configuration panel
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SNMP v1/v2c: Unencrypted standard enterprise monitoring compatible with CiscoWorks and third-party NMS platforms, no SNMPv3 encryption support
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RMON Traffic Analytics: Built-in bandwidth, error and utilization reporting for fundamental fault diagnosis and capacity planning
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Local Storage: 32 MB onboard flash memory to store IOS operating image, startup-config and running-config files (unencrypted configuration file storage)
6. Integrated Basic Security Suite
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Multi-level privilege CLI access with simple local user password encryption
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Port security to restrict unauthorized end-device MAC addresses per access port
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STP BPDU guard and root guard to block rogue unmanaged switches from corrupting Layer 2 topology
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Broadcast storm control to suppress flooding-based denial-of-service threats
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Private VLAN edge to isolate connected endpoints from each other on shared switch ports
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Manual permanent shutdown of unused ports to reduce unauthorized network attack vectors
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Dedicated management VLAN isolation to segregate switch control plane traffic from end-user data
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No native anti-spoofing protection (lack of DHCP Snooping, DAI and IP Source Guard)
7. Typical Deployment Scenarios
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Small enterprise cost-effective mixed-media access layer switch: 24 Fast Ethernet ports connect staff workstations, printers and Cisco IP phones; two dual-purpose combo uplinks support flexible SX/LH fiber or copper SFP transceivers for short/long-distance trunking to small core switches
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Education classroom & lab auxiliary aggregation switch: Low-cost LAN Lite firmware meets basic student workstation and wireless AP connectivity demands, fiber SFP uplinks link to campus distribution switches over multimode campus fiber infrastructure
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Tiny remote branch office wiring closet core switch: Budget-friendly entry-level design eliminates extra licensing costs for sites with mixed copper/fiber backbone cabling to corporate headquarters
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Small retail back-office compact aggregation: Standard 1RU rack footprint for limited IT rack space, copper ports for POS terminals and cashier PCs, SFP fiber uplinks deliver long-distance trunking to regional retail data center
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Legacy Fast Ethernet network refresh: Direct replacement for older Catalyst 2950 switches to retain flexible fiber uplink scalability, for sites without strict enterprise NAC and anti-spoofing security policy requirements
8. Standard Package Contents
1 × Cisco Catalyst WS-C2960-24TC-S Fast Ethernet Switch (LAN Lite IOS Image Preinstalled)
1 × AC power cord
1 × RJ45-to-RS232 console rollover cable
1 × 19-inch 1RU rack mounting bracket kit
Rubber desktop stand feet
Hardware installation guide & Cisco IOS configuration documentation
*SFP fiber/copper transceivers sold separately as optional accessories; external redundant power supply is unsupported for this model
Short Commercial Version (For Quotation & Product Catalog)
The Cisco Catalyst WS-C2960-24TC-S is a classic 1RU rack-mount fan-cooled fixed Layer 2 managed Fast Ethernet edge switch from the Cisco Catalyst 2960 Series, factory preloaded with entry-level LAN Lite limited-feature IOS firmware, equipped with 24×10/100BASE-TX non-PoE auto-sensing RJ45 copper access ports plus two dual-purpose combo Gigabit uplink ports (shared 10/100/1000T RJ45 + hot-swappable SFP slot), no RPS redundant power support. It supports Cisco CMS multi-switch cluster unified management, delivers 16 Gbps non-blocking switching capacity, 8K MAC address table, limited 64 VLANs, basic CoS QoS, IGMP Snooping, Rapid STP and port security, without advanced LAN Base enterprise security functions including 802.1X NAC authentication, SSHv2 and DHCP anti-spoofing protection. Low-cost mixed-media edge switch for small office, education classroom and compact branch hybrid fiber/copper LAN deployments, covered by Cisco Limited Lifetime Hardware Warranty.
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