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Catalyst 2960 Switch Software Configuration Guide
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Chapter 1 Overview
Features
Ease-of-Use and Ease-of-Deployment Features
• Express Setup for quickly configuring a switch for the first time with basic IP information, contact
information, switch and Telnet passwords, and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
information through a browser-based program. For more information about Express Setup, see the
getting started guide.
• User-defined and Cisco-default Smartports macros for creating custom switch configurations for
simplified deployment across the network.
• An embedded device manager GUI for configuring and monitoring a single switch through a web
browser. For information about launching the device manager, see the getting started guide. For more
information about the device manager, see the switch online help.
• Cisco Network Assistant (hereafter referred to as Network Assistant) for
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Managing communities, which are device groups like clusters, except that they can contain
routers and access points and can be made more secure.
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Simplifying and minimizing switch and switch cluster management from anywhere in your
intranet.
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Accomplishing multiple configuration tasks from a single graphical interface without needing
to remember command-line interface (CLI) commands to accomplish specific tasks.
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Interactive guide mode that guides you in configuring complex features such as VLANs, ACLs,
and quality of service (QoS).
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Configuration wizards that prompt you to provide only the minimum required information to
configure complex features such as QoS priorities for video traffic, priority levels for data
applications, and security.
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Downloading an image to a switch.
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Applying actions to multiple ports and multiple switches at the same time, such as VLAN and
QoS settings, inventory and statistic reports, link- and switch-level monitoring and
troubleshooting, and multiple switch software upgrades.
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Viewing a topology of interconnected devices to identify existing switch clusters and eligible
switches that can join a cluster and to identify link information between switches.
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Monitoring real-time status of a switch or multiple switches from the LEDs on the front-panel
images. The system, redundant power system (RPS), and port LED colors on the images are
similar to those used on the physical LEDs.
• Switch clustering technology for
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Unified configuration, monitoring, authentication, and software upgrade of multiple,
cluster-capable switches, regardless of their geographic proximity and interconnection media,
including Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Fast EtherChannel, small form-factor pluggable (SFP)
modules, Gigabit Ethernet, and Gigabit EtherChannel connections. For a list of cluster-capable
switches, see the release notes.
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Automatic discovery of candidate switches and creation of clusters of up to 16 switches that can
be managed through a single IP address.
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Extended discovery of cluster candidates that are not directly connected to the command switch.
