Cisco Catalyst 9200CX Series switches now in Compact size

Hybrid work has become prevalent everywhere and it is here to stay. It is important for your network to be able to handle business demands more efficiently and remotely. This is especially emphasized in extended small enterprise and campus locations. Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series switches offer trusted network capabilities, with more flexibility, energy efficiency, and ease.

Hybrid work extended

Just 2 or 3 years ago, you probably didn’t even know what it was like to do hybrid work outside of the office. Now, you cannot imagine doing your job without it. You can be working in the office, or hybrid working in a café, with a nice breeze, reviewing security anomalies.

Hybrid work is a reality and connectivity needs are changing every day. In some cases, deployments are temporary installations or have smaller more efficient requirements. You need a versatile network that is predictable and not just in the small branch offices but also extended onto your campus and temporary settings. You need this network to make your hybrid work, work. All of these needs are addressed by the trusted and powerful backend infrastructure the Cisco Catalyst 9000 switches can deliver.

Connect with flexibility

Cisco has been focused on delivering products to support hybrid work. Cisco offers more flexibility in network deployments with more power density per size at a lower cost, efficient power options, and secure Zero Trust networks to simplify IT jobs.

Imagine a switch that offers PoE (Power over Ethernet) so you can connect more power-hungry devices like laptops, monitors, lighting, HVAC, and refrigerators into a previously siloed network, therefore enabling more flexibility for secure hybrid networks. All this can be supported with the Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series switches. It allows you to work more flexibly, more confidently, remotely, and in small business branches and campuses, extending your hybrid work environments.

Efficient Smart Buildings

Energy efficiency impacts the bottom line and is environmentally friendly – so it is a win-win in your operations. PoE ports bring switches closer to the endpoints while facilitating efficient power usage and consolidated networks. This is especially practical in smart buildings to provide sustainable and healthier spaces to meet the demands of hybrid work.

The Catalyst 9200 Series switches, with Class 6 Power PoE devices, can offer efficiencies, from less power consumption to reducing power losses on some models.

Lower energy bills AND help the planet without compromising your connectivity. Yes, please!

Connect with ease to ‘set it and forget it’

IT teams love the Catalyst 9200 switches because of features like Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP) and flexible power options. ZTP is a ‘must have’ feature for small branches where IT teams can automatically set up devices using a switch feature – and eliminate most of the manual labor and travel expenses associated with branch upkeep.

Executive-level C-Suite decision makers love Catalyst 9200 Series switches because they are predictable and can help to reduce costs so lean IT teams can ‘set it and forget it’ when doing out-of-the-box installations at small branches and other sites.

What else is new?

The Cisco Catalyst 9200CX compact models extend their Layer 3 network access with all the features of the Catalyst 9200 Series switches, plus even more flexibility with its smaller size, and more energy-efficient fanless operation. The smaller footprint and quieter fanless design mean the switch can go in more places where other switches cannot, such as under desks, in closets, on the wall, and at the checkout counter for retail point of sale (POS) installations.

More use-cases include locations that are easy to set up and easy to dismantle, such as ATM rentals, small office home offices (SOHO), extended hospitals, mobile clinics, classrooms, cruise ships, sports games, festivals, events, and pop-up kiosks.

One quick look and you will notice something different about the Catalyst 9200CX models. The enclosure is designed to reduce the costs of cooling and be more environmentally friendly.

Additional Key Benefits of Catalyst 9200CX

◉ Naturally cooled fanless operation

◉ Multiple port choices with incredible speeds, some uplinks increase from 1G to 10G

◉ AC/DC power convergence with increased power efficiencies and reduced conversion losses

◉ Zero Trust security with policy-based segmentation, for less downtime

◉ Built-in micro-SSD (Solid State Drive) card slot for the “offline” setup

Source: cisco.com

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Too Fast Too Furious with Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 MU-MIMO

Servicing many clients that are using small packets with non-Wi-Fi 6 is inefficient because the overheads incurred by the preamble and other mechanisms tend to dominate. OFDMA is ideally suited for this scenario because it divides up the channel and services up to 37 users (for 80MHz bandwidth) simultaneously, which amortizes the overhead. OFDMA improves system efficiency, but it does not necessarily improve throughput.

MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple input, Multiple output) creates spatially distinct separate channels between the transmitter and each of a small number of receivers such that each receiver hears only the information intended for itself, and not the information intended for other receivers. This means that the transmitter can, by superposition, transmit to a few receivers simultaneously, increasing the aggregate throughput by a factor equivalent to the number of receivers being serviced.

Cisco’s Catalyst 9800 series WLC with IOS XE 17.6.1 (currently Beta) introduces futuristic Access Point scheduler design, which efficiently serves multiple clients at the same time. This is done while creating least level of sounding overhead, which in turn yields data rates close to PHY rate even in dense environment. These advancements are currently supported on Catalyst 9130 and Catalyst 9124 series Access Points. Let’s first understand MU-MIMO concepts and then evaluate its performance.

Beamforming and MU-MIMO

Beamforming radio waves using an array of phased antennas has been known for decades. More recently the principles have been used to produce MU-MIMO where the concept of multiple simultaneous beams to provide independent channels for each of the users.

Similar principles apply in the audio domain where speakers can be phased to direct sound to a particular location. The idea is to adjust the phases of each speaker such that the sound adds constructively at the point where the listener is, and destructively at all other locations.

Consider a sound, Sr , played through an array of four speakers with the sound for each speaker adjusted by a phasor Q1r through Q4r so that the signal strength at the red listener, Lr is maximized, and the signal strength at the blue listener Lb is minimized.

Using superposition, we can take each message, impose the appropriate phase adjustment, and add the signals just before they go into the speakers. This way we can send two different messages at the same time, but each listener will hear only the message intended for them.

Note the importance of spatial separation – Lb and Lr are hearing their respective messages because the phasors were optimized to deliver each sound to their specific location. If one of the listeners moves from his position, he will no longer hear his message.

If a third person enters the picture and stands close to the speakers, he will hear the garbled sound of both messages simultaneously.

Consider this in the context of Wi-Fi where the speakers are replaced by antennas and the signal processing to control the phasors, and generate digital messages at a certain data rate, is done in the AP. Since both messages can be transmitted simultaneously one could theoretically double the aggregated data rate. The same approach can be used to service more clients simultaneously, so where is the limit? Practically, there are limits in the accuracy that the phasors can be set, there are reflections that cause “cross talk” and other imperfections that limit the gains in throughput that can be achieved.

Sniffing in the context of MU-MIMO is more complicated because of the spatial significance.  Note that placing a sniffer close to the AP will achieve the same garbled message effect we discussed earlier. The sniffer probe must be placed physically close to the device that is being sniffed, and generally one sniffer probe is required for each device.

System Overview and Test infrastructure

In this MU-MIMO test, we are using the octoScope (now part of Spirent) STACK-MAX testbed. On the infrastructure side, Cisco’s Catalyst 9800 WLC running IOS XE 17.6.1 (Beta code) and Catalyst 9130 Access point is used. The C9130 AP supports up to 8×8 uplink and downlink MU-MIMO with eight spatial streams. The Pal-6E is Wi-Fi 6 capable and can simulate up to 256 stations or can act as Sniffer probe.

The STApal is a fully contained STA based upon the Intel AX210 chipset, running on its own hardware platform. All the test chambers are completely isolated from the outside world, and signal paths between them are controlled using fully shielded attenuators, so that reliable and repeatable measurements can be made. The chambers are lined with an RF absorptive foam to significantly reduce internal reflections and prevent standing waves.

For this MU-MIMO test we are using up to 4 STA’s. RF path connects signals from the C9130 AP through to individual STAs. We are using the multipath emulator (MPE) in LOS, or IEEE Channel Model A mode. Each pair of antennas is fed into a group of four clients as shown in the diagram below. We have seen that spatial separation is a requirement for successful MU-MIMO operation. This is achieved by placing antennas in the corners of the anechoic test chamber to get the best spatial separation. This allows four independent MU-MIMO streams to STAs in the four groups of four.

Practical testing

To demonstrate the MU-MIMO gains we placed C9130 AP in the center of the chamber and ran downlink UDP traffic to the STAs attached to the antennas in the box corners.

First, we did this with MU-MIMO switched off and started with one STA. We noted that the throughput was just a little over 1000 Mbps, a little less than the 1200 Mbps of the PHY rate.  After 20 seconds we introduced another STA and saw that the aggregate throughput stays at the 1000 Mbps, but that the two STAs share the channel and each STA is achieving 500 Mbps. 20 seconds later we introduced a third STA. Again the aggregate throughput stays the same at 1000 MBps, and the three STAs share the channel to get a little over 300 Mbps each. Introduction of the fourth STA follows the same pattern with the aggregate remaining unchanged, and each STA receiving 250 Mbps.

We repeated the experiment, this time with MU-MIMO switched on.

Starting with one STA we achieved the familiar 1000 Mbps. After 20 seconds we introduced the second STA and observed the aggregate had increased to 2000 Mbps which is significantly higher than the PHY rate. We also noted that each STA is still receiving nearly the 1000 Mbps it was before.  Unlike the previous experiment where the STAs shared the channel, in this experiment they are each able to fully utilize their own channel independently of each other.

Adding a third STA increased the aggregate to 2200 Mbps. Each of the three STAs was still receiving 730 Mbps. Addition of a fourth STA results in aggregate throughput of 2100 Mbps with each STA receiving 525 Mbps, a two-fold increase over Single User operation.

The graph below summarizes the results.

Verdict

MU-MIMO exploits the spatial separation of receivers to direct independent messages to each of the receivers simultaneously. This allows for much more efficient use of the medium and increases the aggregate data that the network can deliver. Catalyst 9130 AP’s pioneering scheduler design offers superior throughput gains in Multiuser transmission scenarios. This is an outcome of higher MCS rates, low sounding overhead  and efficient dynamic packet scheduling.

DL and UL MU-MIMO along with OFDMA are enabled by default on a WLAN. These features are available on 9800 series wireless controllers on existing releases but the above discussed enhancements will be available from 17.6.1 (currently Beta) release onwards.

Source: cisco.com

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Enterprise Networking Business 2019 Year in Review

Towards the end of this busy and innovative year, Cisco leadership decided to combine several businesses under one leader, SVP/GM Scott Harrell, to create the Intent-Based Networking Group. So, what is the meaning in a change of names? The new organization consists of engineering and product marketing teams from Enterprise Networking and Data Center, with a renewed focus on creating deep multi-domain integrations across wireless, wired, data center, cloud, and SD-WAN/edge computing.

The name change represents how we are focusing on solving customer challenges with complete intent-based networking solutions. As enterprises enhance the ways their workforce connects and collaborates, Cisco is there. As organizations move applications and data resources to multiple cloud platforms to improve flexibility and responsiveness of business processes, Cisco is there. When branch offices need to connect to SaaS applications over the internet, Cisco is there to secure the data, devices, and provide high quality of experience to the distributed workforce.

In this review of 2019 achievements, both technical and cultural, we will take a closer look at how our engineering teams’ accomplishments have benefited enterprises large and small, in every region in the world. Throughout this post, I’ll highlight products and solutions with links to past blog posts and external articles for deeper dives.

Solving Customer Digital Transformation Challenges

Everything we design, code, and manufacture is created to support our customers’ digital transformation journey with multi-domain connectivity, built-in security, and high-availability.

Expanding Wireless Connectivity with Wi-Fi 6

Top of mind for many organizations in 2019 was the arrival of Wi-Fi 6. Wireless connectivity is the preferred method of connecting devices to enterprise networks, applications in the cloud, and internet data sources. The next generation of faster, lower latency, and higher density wireless communications is already replacing the existing wireless LAN infrastructure and it is expected to be a high-priority, multi-year project for organizations of all sizes. To support this major transition, Cisco engineering created the Catalyst Access Points and Wireless LAN Controllers to exceed the Wi-Fi 6 standard, incorporating innovative features such as Flexible Radio Assignment, real-time analytics, integrated security, and intelligent capture. In addition, we introduced new Catalyst 9000 switches to unite the new faster and higher bandwidth wireless networks with the wired campus.

Many new enterprise endeavors are already relying on Cisco Wi-Fi 6 wireless technology to bring fast connections in high-density sites and in complex facilities, such as manufacturing, where older Wi-Fi bersions struggled to work at all. There will be even more innovations ahead as we work to connect the proliferation of IoT devices with Wi-Fi 6 with its power-saving capabilities to conserve IoT device battery life and the new Catalyst IE3k Rugged Series Switches.

As telecommunications service providers expand their 5G footprints, Cisco is providing methods for integrating the two wireless networks to deliver seamless connectivity and take full advantage of network slicing to provide specialized services to enterprise applications governed by common security policies. Wi-Fi 6 was a big leap in 2019 and will be even more important as enterprise workforces continue to be more distributed and mobile, while the business applications people need to access are hosted in multiple cloud platforms.

Uniting Campus and Branch with Cloud Resources using SD-WAN

2019 was also the year that Cisco SD-WAN powered by Viptela became the go-to solution for uniting a distributed workforce in branch offices, retail stores, and partners’ systems with cloud and SaaS applications. We built-in full stack security to ensure that using direct internet connections at branch locations to connect to cloud applications doesn’t expose data and devices to external and internal security threats. With centralized cloud management, Cisco SD-WAN connects remote offices with zero-touch edge routers, traffic segmentation, and threat detection using built-in Application-Aware Enterprise Firewall, intrusion detection system, and URL-filtering with Cisco Umbrella. As a result of these enhancements, Cisco SD-WAN was given a coveted CRN Product of the Year award.

Our next goal for SD-WAN last year was to ensure a high quality of experience (QoE) for cloud and SaaS applications being accessed by a distributed workforce. Working with cloud application providers, such as Microsoft and their Office 365 applications, we built Cloud OnRamps that automatically connect workers at branch offices with the nearest, or most efficient, point of presence for the desired application via the SD-WAN. Cisco Cloud OnRamps monitor and adjust traffic to ensure the best level of performance for the primary cloud application providers.

Taking the OnRamp concept one step further, we developed Cloud OnRamps for CoLocation for regional point of presence and IaaS centers. This advancement creates transport-independent connections to regional hubs to service multiple branches and business sites to provide high QoE for applications. The regional aspect of the colocation also addresses the need for some enterprises to keep certain types of personal data local, versus storing it in global clouds, while providing an SD-WAN fabric that is easy to manage from a central console.

Augmenting NetOps Skills with AI and Machine Reasoning

Just because networks grow in complexity doesn’t mean they have to be complicated to manage. But trying to make sense of the billions of data points generated by campus-sized networks of switches, routers, and access points can quickly overwhelm an IT team. Using machine learning, machine reasoning, and artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze the vast data lakes of telemetry to determine norms and anomalies, we developed Cisco AI Network Analytics to help IT navigate the torrents of network telemetry to zero-in on time-critical problems. Applying machine reasoning to the analysis of network anomalies leverages thousands of man-hours of Cisco troubleshooting knowledge to suggest the correct remedies for many challenging issues.

Empowering IT with an Architecture for Access Control

To simplify the complexity of campus to branch to cloud connectivity, we augmented Cisco SD-Access with additional intelligence to translate business intents into segmentation and security polices—a foundational aspect of intent-based networking. SD-Access shifts the workload from IT staff performing routine tasks of onboarding individual devices and managing network configurations, to building intelligence into the network. The network learns to manage itself by, for example, automatically onboarding specific device types with pre-determined security and access policies that follow people and devices across the wired and wireless fabrics, from ground to cloud.

We also improved the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) to work with multiple Cisco DNA Centers. This enables regional Cisco DNA Centers to leverage a master instance of Cisco ISE so that SD-Access can apply access and segmentation policies across each region. With this capability, SD-Access ensures that security and access policies defined by corporate IT are implemented consistently across global networks, while enabling regional control over specific aspects of workforce and device rules.

Focusing on Innovations in Connectivity Solutions

At several 2019 events, Cisco had the opportunity to demonstrate OpenRoaming, an open method of enabling mobile devices to automatically and securely connect to Wi-Fi networks without entering IDs and passwords. We created the OpenRoaming Federation ecosystem with partners such as Apple, Intel, and Samsung. As the Federation grows with additional device and access providers, the general public will be able to seamlessly connect to authorized Wi-Fi networks in stores, public spaces, and offices without manually signing in to captive portals with IDs and passwords. OpenRoaming unites wireless connectivity from LTE, 5G, and Wi-Fi to provide continuous internet connectivity to the applications people depend on for collaboration, finance, shopping, and community. Last year, OpenRoaming was demonstrated in real-world environments such as Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Cisco Live in San Diego, Cisco Impact in Las Vegas, and a public trial at the Canary Wharf Group business center in London.

Building on the premise of always-on connectivity for mobile devices with OpenRoaming, we released the Cisco DNA Spaces Cloud Location Platform to empower property managers to interact with guests’ devices to offer location-specific services, wayfinding, and customized experiences. For sites that already use Cisco access points, capabilities such as Operational Insights, Locate, and Detect are available through Cisco DNA Center and the DNA Spaces SDK for building custom location apps, with no need for additional hardware or software overlays. Physical spaces become digital spaces that improve customer service by measuring and understanding the habits and preferences of guests using wireless devices.

Worldwide Events Bring Cisco Customers and Engineers Together

Like most technology companies, Cisco often announces new solutions sets in conjunction with customer and partner events that provide an opportunity to receive immediate feedback from customers, industry analysts, and the technology press. This year we used events to unveil and demonstrate:

◉ OpenRoaming and DNA Spaces Cloud Platform at Cisco Live Barcelona

◉ Wi-Fi 6 Catalyst Access Points and Wireless Controllers at Cisco Live Melbourne

◉ Cisco AI Network Analytics at Cisco Live San Diego

◉ SD-WAN integration with MS Azure vWAN and Office 365 at Partner Summit

◉ SD-WAN integration with AWS Transit Gateway at AWS re:Invent

Being Inclusive and Innovative Makes Cisco the #1 Place to Work

Cisco stands committed to empowering business, society, and people to help develop a more Inclusive Future for all stakeholders. Our investments in Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) goes hand in hand with our People, Culture, and Social Impact initiatives to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.

Our innovation mindset in Enterprise Network engineering produces an average of 300 patents a year. To turbocharge our internal thinking, we host or participate in multiple events throughout the year. For example, our annual EN Hackathon combines team building with technical prowess and a healthy portion of fun, to generate original prototypes that could one day become products that solve customer challenges. The Pioneer Awards represent a similar take on innovation, but with a focus on solutions brought to market that are making a significant impact—the Cisco AP4800 with Location-based Intelligent Capture was this year’s best product, and the best productivity solution went to WARP (Workflow Architecture Renewal Program), which is key to keeping the IOS XE network operating system up-to-date. Engineers also attend external events—such as the Grace Hopper Celebration and Women of Impact—to broaden their thinking and make new professional connections.

One result of these internal and external celebrations of innovation is that Cisco was named #1 World’s Best Workplaces by Great Place to Work in 2019, capping off a year of employee engagement and Cisco’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in a wide variety of social endeavors around the world.

Enterprise Network Engineering is a significant driver of Cisco solutions. We take great pride in our innovations and progress in producing quality solutions for our worldwide customers. Now that we are an integral part of the larger Intent-Based Networking Group, I personally look forward to the amazing journey ahead in 2020.

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Cisco’s Fanless Catalyst 2960-L Switch for Unleashed SMB Performance

Making an investment in IT is more critical today than ever before for a small- to medium-size business. With so many open-air business settings and anywhere, any location workspace bring technology up close and personal. Cisco’s insight into saving  space and reducing noise makes everyone—from librarians to your coworkers—happier than ever.

We live in a connected world of phones, laptops and tablets in our hands, and we’re surrounded by our technology of whiteboards, routers, wireless access points, and switches that connect multiple devices on the same network within a building or campus. A switch is necessary because it enables connected devices to share information and talk to each other.

Cisco’s Catalyst 2960-L fanless switch.

Why does a feature like fanless matter? Fanless means quiet and compact. Compact because the use of fans requires airspace and airflow. A fanless switch  can be put in smaller spaces that wouldn’t normally work. A typical network switch is a bit noisy. Some networks range from a hum to what is best described as “helicopter-like whirling. That can be distracting in offices, retail, hospitality or clinics where noise can be an issue.” Being fanless opens up options for smaller organizations to create a robust network in smaller spaces than before.

The Cisco Catalyst 2960-L has been designed for just an environment. The Cisco Catalyst 2960-L Series switch isn’t just any fanless switch: it’s the industry’s first 24-port and 48 port 1 Gbps, POE, fanless switch.

Reliable, Secure and Intuitive

The Cisco Catalyst 2960-L includes a host of reliability and security features that come with Cisco IOS. And the Cisco Catalyst 2960-L is preloaded with Cisco Configuration Professional for Catalyst (CCPC) built-in. CCPC provides users with an easy-to-use and intuitive graphical interface to configure, manage and monitor a standalone, stack or cluster of Cisco Catalyst switches.

Key features that solve problems for SMBs:

◉ Quiet and cool operations — You won’t even know it’s there

◉ Small form factor — Great for mounting in confined spaces to be inconspicuous for hospitality, cruise ships, healthcare or retail locations.

◉ Perpetual PoE — Power over Ethernet for all connected devices avoids unnecessary power cabling to connect to the switch.

◉ Automatic switch recovery — No touch recovery. You can also configure automatic recovery on the switch to recover from the error-disabled state after the specified period of time.

◉ Bluetooth connectivity — You can access the Command-Line Interface (CLI) through Bluetooth connectivity by pairing the switch to a computer.

◉ Cost-effective connectivity — Ideal for branch offices, wired workspaces and infrastructure networks; conventionally wired workspaces with PC, phones and printers; building infrastructure networks to connect physical security, sensors and control systems; and any application requiring fast Ethernet connectivity and a low total cost of ownership.

◉ Enhanced limited lifetime hardware warranty — Next-business-day delivery of replacement hardware where available and 90 days of 8×5 Cisco Technical Assistance Center.

◉ Built-in web-based GUI: Catalyst 2960-L supports a day-zero GUI called Cisco Configuration Professional for Catalyst (CCPC) to help with easy deployment of the switch without the need for a CLI.

— Simple provisioning
— Easy-to-use diagnostics
— Performance at-a-glance dashboard

With these features, we believe our small business customers can affordably expand their IT reach.

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