Guys, I am not from the cisco world. What switch will allow goos QOS management and has power blades? Customer right now has Cisco routers and some old HP switches which is causing nightmares as you well can imagine. BTW I am simply cleaning up someone elses mess so any help would be great.

I have heard better things from Foundry Networks over Cisco. Dont deal with either much except to work on broken Cisco stuff.
https://www.foundrynet.com/

I'm not sure what the phrase "power blades" means, but I've had pretty good luck with Dell switches and setting up QOS.

Power blades are for power over ethernet. Not my choice but it's what Cisco calls them. Hey, BTW I am also a Plainfield resident!


[This message has been edited by Coral Tech (edited July 29, 2005).]

Wish I had more experience with Cisco products. We use powered HP Procurves with Cisco routers in our VOIP installs, but we're not installing Cisco VOIP products (3com NBX).

The thing with HP is that they are providing power over the data pairs, not the spare pairs. No one else seems to do it this way, although it is allowed in the POE standard. The first generation of Cisco VOIP phones was not compatible with the Procurves, but I'm not sure about the newer products.

Not much help, I know, but keep us posted on the decision. I, for one, would like to move toward a unified solution, as opposed to the 3 distinct vendors we use now.


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-Steve

We use Catalyst 4506 cisco switches and you have a couple of options with the blades. You can use WS-X4148-RJ45V/DC IN LINE or WS-X4548-GB-RJ45V P.O.E (power over Ether)

Always choose Cisco. No one has ever been fired for buying Cisco.

Well maybe one Brian...
https://img282.imageshack.us/my.php?image=realization1zq.jpg


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Business Phone Systems

RBF,
RLOF LMAO

Kerry

You can get 6500 at almost the exact same price point as the 4500 with PoE blades. You are going to get a much better switch in a 6500 over the 4500. If you are going to do trade-in cisco will give you a better trade-in for a 6500 series over a 4500. I would look at the Foundry stuff though it could save you some good money and be a hell of a switch.

What's a blade? Is that yet another IT term being brought into telephone systems? I know what PoE means, but please tell me that this doesn't actually refer to pins in the connector.

In the bigger switches (Catalyst 4000, 5000 6000 series) they have what telco guys would call "cards". fiber blades, ethernet blades, POE ethernet blades etc.
Has nothing to do with telco at all, your "safe".

Brian are you not aware of the Dallas fiasco detailed in the following link??

https://www.digcom.com/Dallas%20City%20manager%20fires%20cio%20and%20assistant.pdf

The real truth of the story I uncovered is that Cisco failed to outline upfront a definite need for replacement of QOS routers, level two and three switches to deploy their solution on a structured network successfully!! That is why there was a shortfall of budgetary funds And the picture of a dumpster full of Cisco IP phones?? My biggest complaint is the ongoing recurring license fees and lack of working with a harmonius attitude towards even CCNA's, CCNE's

:shrug:

It is funny that you mention this, we just got a call from our Cisco rep yesterday saying they really do not want to do business with us anymore because we are selling the Shoretel project. The funny thing is, I am selling more Cisco now that I am doing selling Shoretel. I did a $75,000 router switch deal for a Shoretel system and a $125,000 switch deal, but because I did not sell Cisco phones they do not want to do business with us. I am a CCVP, we have a CCIE here 4 CCNP's, 11 CCNA's here and three Cisco Certed sales experts. Just because we feel the Callmanager solution is not a very good product and no longer want to sell it, even though we do at least one deal a month over $50k (all Cisco) and have other huge projects we are working on they start the threats! I hope they get a clue soon or the only vendors left selling Cisco will be the huge vendors!

A month ago they told us they would give us a huge discount on Cisco phone products to sell the product and the second we tried to use it they jumped all over us for not including them in the deal, they felt they could upsell the product a little better then we could. I don't want to seem like I am against Cisco in any way but as a small business they are murder on us if we don't do it exactly their way!

Unreal, yes let's sell the inferior Cisco product that is more expensive....wow