Cisco Systems Catalyst 4003 Network Switch Review

Bottom-Line: If you need a reliable, scalable, robust networking switch for a medium-sized corporate environment the Cisco Catalyst 4003 might be the solution you have been looking for.

Bellwether Cisco Systems is the largest manufacturer of network switches in the world; the company dominates the global enterprise switch market.  Where once there was Digital, IBM, Bay Systems, 3Com, HP, Compaq, Lucent Technologies, now there is really only one choice for enterprise class switching, Cisco Systems. 

Currently, I work in an environment with numerous Cisco Catalyst series network switches that carry network traffic over a fairly wide area; at the center of the businesses network are a number of Cisco Catalyst 6009 network switches.  They act as the central hub from which a number of other network switches feed.  Some of these network switches are Cisco Catalyst 4003's.  Theses switch's like their more robust cousins have been in service over three years and are still going strong.  The business has never experienced downtime on one of these switches due to internal failure.      

The Catalyst 4003 Networking Switch

The Cisco Catalyst 4000 Series of modular networking switches include the Cisco Catalyst 4003 (the subject of this review) and Catalyst 4006 chassis.  The Cisco Catalyst 4003 derives it name from number of modules one can insert into the chassis slots; three, which the larger Catalyst 4006 will accept six modules.    

The Catalyst 4000 family provides intelligent (OSI model) Layer 2 and Layer 3 services at 24 Gbps bandwidth for reliable and versatile 10/100/1000-Mbps Ethernet Switching.  Catalyst 4000 family of Ethernet switches offer a broad range of functionality and can accept flexible modular configurations that provide a broad range of port densities for 10/100 Mbps to 1000 Mbps speeds.

The chassis of the Catalyst 4003 is black, heavy, and rack mountable.  The power cords plugs into the front of the unit at the top where the dual (hot-swappable), load sharing power supplies reside.  Why Cisco decided on this placement is a mystery, since the power cord tend to get in the way of the network patch cables and are not easily routed out of the way. 

Like the Catalyst 6000 Series, the Catalyst 4003 supports redundant AC-input and DC-input power supplies, but unlike the Catalyst 6000 Series, the power supplies on the Catalyst 4003 only support 400W and 650W configurations.  However the fans, supervisor & line-card modules remain redundant. 

Key Features Cisco Catalyst 4003 Networking Switch:

• Supports supervisor engine with two gigabit interface uplinks.
• Supports up to two additional switching modules (Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, ATM or Voice).
• 18 million packets-per-second throughput, with 24 Gbps switching bandwidth.
• All modules are hot-swappable.
• Supports redundant, hot-swappable AC-input or DC-input power supplies.
• Fan assembly is hot-swappable.
• Up to 96 10/100 or 100-FX Fast Ethernet ports, or up to 36 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
• Up to 90 10/100/1000BaseT triple-speed auto-sensing ports of 96 1000BASE-LX ports.

My Viewpoint

Managing the Cisco Catalyst 4003 is straight forward.  All I need is an IP address for the switch to identify itself on the network.  Outside of that, unless Virtual LAN's (VLAN) need to be set up, all that needs to be configured are the individual ports on the add-in networking modules for either 10, or 100Mbps speed and Full Duplex vs. Half Duplex.  I can also log into the switches remotely via Telnet over the network and manage them from my desktop, which is my preferred method.  Otherwise I could use the Supervisors module to gain access to the switch. 

Since installing the Cisco Catalyst 4003 networking switches some five years ago, we have yet to experience any downtime and we run the switch 24/7/365.  This switch works and works well.  Packet throughput is well within tolerance and actual packet collisions as on all Cisco enterprise class switches, are rare. 

The Catalyst 4000 series of switches come with hefty price tag, though used and refurbished units can be found at a substantial discount; you can expect to pay between $7,500 - $15,000 for a nicely configured Catalyst 4003 network switch.  Prices for a used chassis run from around $1,500 - $3,000 depending on the age of the unit and the vendor.  Modules can be bought separately.  However, if you need a reliable, scalable, robust networking switch for a medium-sized corporate environment the Cisco Catalyst 4003 might be the solution you have been looking for.