Cisco intros desktop switches, one with USB-C to power your laptop
- Reference: 1611817025
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/01/28/cisco_desktop_catalyst_switches/
- Source link:
Switchzilla [1]suggested fibre-to-the-desk makes these devices sensible because it means you can run a connection all the way from one really big aggregation switch to a desktop or other device, instead of needing to put intermediary switches and distribution frames in different spots around your office.
[2]
Cisco also reckoned that if you're going to put a switch on your desk it needs to be quiet and small so the devices are fanless and the smaller models are 4.55cm x 9.0cm x 7.88cm – not much bigger than stack of five smartphones!
The manufacturer said that once you pop a powered device on a desktop it might as well share some juice with other devices so one model includes USB-C to keep your laptop alive. All three devices in the range offer power over Ethernet.
[3]
[4]
The new Cisco Catalyst Micro switches. Click to enlarge
Gigabit Ethernet is standard across the three models in the range, which should suffice for an awful lot of workloads.
The devices have been included in Cisco's flagship Catalyst range, can be managed by DNA Center and get the full "intent-based networking" treatment that Cisco advocates as the clever way to get all the benefits of software-defined networking without having to wrap your head around a pure-play stack.
Cisco said the devices can do duty beyond the desktop, suggesting cable ducts as a possible location and even offering a mount designed to fit on a din rail – a standard fitting found in all manner of equipment racks.
Cisco has not revealed pricing for the devices but they are on sale now. A data sheet can be found [5]here .
[6]
Perhaps curiously, Cisco hasn't explained why you'd run fibre to the desktop and splash down a presumably not-inexpensive device when Wi-Fi gets more reliable every year. Some of the company's marketing guff suggests one reason by depicting the switches deployed in scenarios such as hospitals where the equipment they connect may benefit from the solidity of a wired connection. ®
Get our [7]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/catalyst-micro-switches/nb-06-cat-micro-switch-series-ds-cte-en.html
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YBKZRQ6Jn63zNDQMM8tVXAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YBKZRQ6Jn63zNDQMM8tVXAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/01/28/cisco_catalyst_micro_switch_family.jpg
[5] https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/switches/catalyst-micro-switches/nb-06-cat-micro-switch-series-ds-cte-en.html
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/networks&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YBKZRQ6Jn63zNDQMM8tVXAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
There's also an element of future proofing in fibre. Lay it down once, and once only.
That's assuming something comes along that means we need it of course, like a return to office working, holographic VTCs, or Web technologies bloating even further to the point where a "Hello World" website is a couple of terabytes or so...
"Web technologies bloating even further to the point where a "Hello World" website is a couple of terabytes or so.."
Dunno about the web, but on desktop, I'm sure MICROS~1 can arrange that for you :p
As long as they write applications like Skype using Electron, that's sadly true...
Isn't Wi-Fi more conveniently future-proof then? Don't lay anything down, and then never lay anything down again.
is wifi really practical if you have 100 devices on a floor all needing gb data?
Future-proofing needs a better crystal ball
There's also an element of future proofing in fibre. Lay it down once, and once only.
We did that in an office in 1991, along with basic twisted pair for phones and the then-current 10baseT Ethernet. The assumption was that we'd be running 155Mbit/s ATM over the fibre "soon". Over the years we upgraded the twisted pair to Cat 5, Cat 6 etc.. When we left that office we had Gbit/s Ethernet over cat 6e to the desktops, WiFi everywhere for laptops, and the fibre was still gathering dust. Never became cost-effective.
Mandatory fibre-to-the-desk vital for viral defence and virile attacking systems
Cisco hasn’t explained why you’d run fibre to the desktop
Precisely, sanmigueelbeer, it aids an abundance of security precautions to try and ensure and insure guaranteed insulation and isolation against phishing and snooping.
Re: Mandatory fibre-to-the-desk vital for viral defence and virile attacking systems
But it is possible (though not easy) to put a passive "spy" on a fibre. I'm not sure how fibre protects against phishing.
"when Wi-Fi gets more reliable every year"
And in one hundred year or so it could be used instead of cables really. Probably when we'll have MU-MIMO 128x128, and each channel will be at least 160MHz without interference from neighborliness ones.
In these months of working from home the difference between those who have a cabled network at home, and those who relied on WiFi only, was pretty clear... WiFi in the office is for the occasional laptop/table/phone who can't access the network otherwise.
NIC?
AFAICT, those devices that have a USB-C port do not have NIC behind it — if ther were, the datasheet should mention, or more likely, crow about it. Seems to me that this would be an obvious thing to do, because it would allow a connected laptop to use a single cable for power and network.
Re: NIC?
I was thinking along the same lines. Would be interesting if integrated into a docking station rather than yet another box cluttering up my desk.
Pricing
Cisco’s not revealed pricing for the devices but they are on sale now.
How does that work then?
Re: Pricing
If you need to know the price then you can't afford it.
Pretty much says it al about Cisco gear.
Re: Pricing
For a device they're suggesting people put on their desks, you'd think they'd have put some of the budget into aesthetics. They're ugly at any price.
Re: Pricing
I thought that, but... two of the three are not intended to go on desks. They're intended to replace a Cat5 outlet, mounted half inside the wall, using a standard American back box. So the unpainted-metal- ugliness gets hidden inside the box, only the white part pokes out. And the fiber cable is hidden and protected inside the wall.
The all-white one with USB-C is the only real "desktop" model.
Re: Pricing
It works in that you have to buy 120K worth of s/w to configure them and you get the switches free. Don`t forget the yearly maint. charges!!!!
Spiral (Engrenages) Series 8
Anyone else watching this? The main gang-leader is Cisco...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000qzkq
I thought for a moment it meant a USB-C powered network switch. Which would actually be useful. I can't fathom why I'd want a network switch providing USB-C power only.
Turns out Ubiquity do the former already, which is something I'd actually want in my laptop bag.
https://www.ashbycomputers.co.uk/product/ubiquiti-usw-flex-mini-unifi-usw-flex-mini-5-port-smart-managed-usb-c-powered-gigabit-network-switch/
Any freebies included?
Like, say, an NSA/CIA mandated backdoor?
Re: Any freebies included?
It's only Huawei that has that on offer, no US mfgs ;-)
Ugly!
Why would anyone want that on their desk?
Fibre to the desk?
In my day that meant someone bringing you a nice bowl of Cornflakes if you got in early.
Yes, they're ugly.
One desktop switch, copper & SFP uplinks, has USB-C power out to save on a wall warts.
DIN mount, copper & SFP uplinks, just another option in the industrial range.
Cable Duct. this is the new one, it allows dual fibre links all the way to the wall outlet.
These replace the economy of scale found in high density UTP cabinet switch equipment by giving each outlet it's own redundant uplink path and a much lower impact from any individual device failure, The downside is an eye watering cost per outlet as the whole infrastructure has to be designed around them, diverse uplink paths from endpoint to multiple aggregation points are required to fully exploit this.
As per the first post, high security & high value operations will be the target market, there's a limited pool of likely buyers but they do have the cash.
Cisco hasn’t explained why you’d run fibre to the desktop
Some defense-related sites that have made fibre-to-the-desk mandatory.