Understanding Cisco's New Era of CBS (Cisco Business Managed)

Decoding Cisco Business Switch Model Numbers: A Comprehensive Guide

Cisco Business Switches (CBS) are designed to meet diverse networking requirements, offering various features across different series. The model numbers of these switches provide insights into their specifications and capabilities. This guide offers an overview of the CBS series and explains how to interpret their model numbers. Let's turn our gaze to the part numbers and try to understand the codes in detail.

Cisco Business Switch Series Overview

Series	Description	Management Type	Layer Support	PoE Support	Uplink Types
CBS110	Unmanaged switches offering basic network connectivity.	Unmanaged	Layer 2	No	Copper Ethernet
CBS220	Smart-managed switches with features like VLAN and QoS.	Smart Managed	Layer 2	PoE/PoE+	Copper Ethernet, SFP
CBS250	Smart-managed switches with Layer 2 and basic Layer 3 features, including static routing and enhanced security.	Smart Managed	Layer 2 and basic Layer 3	PoE/PoE+	Copper Ethernet, SFP, SFP+
CBS350	Fully managed switches with advanced Layer 3 features, such as dynamic routing, enhanced security, and stacking capabilities.	Fully Managed	Layer 2 and Layer 3	PoE/PoE+	Copper Ethernet, SFP, SFP+

Understanding these codes enables users to quickly identify the key features and capabilities of Cisco Business Switches, facilitating informed decisions based on specific networking needs.

Letter Code	Meaning
P	Power over Ethernet (PoE) support
PP	High PoE budget
FP	Full PoE support
T	Copper Ethernet uplink ports
G	Gigabit SFP uplink ports
X	10 Gigabit SFP+ uplink ports
E	Enhanced energy efficiency or environmental features
M	Multigigabit ports
S	Standard software image
EU	Models designed for the European market

 

Decoding Model Numbers

Cisco switch model numbers consist of alphanumeric codes that indicate specific features:

• Port Count: The initial numbers represent the total number of access ports. For example, in CBS250-24P-4G, "24" indicates 24 access ports.
• PoE Support:
  • P: Indicates Power over Ethernet (PoE) support.
  • PP: Signifies a higher PoE budget.
  • FP: Denotes full PoE support.
• Uplink Types:
  • T: Copper Ethernet uplink ports.
  • G: Gigabit SFP uplink ports.
  • X: 10 Gigabit SFP+ uplink ports.
• Additional Features:
  • E: Enhanced energy efficiency or environmental features.
  • M: Multigigabit ports.
  • S: Standard software image.
  • EU: Models designed for the European market.

Example Analyses
CBS250-24P-4G: CBS250: Cisco Business 250 Series 24 > 24 access ports P > PoE support 4G > 4 Gigabit SFP uplink ports	CBS350-8FP-E-2G: CBS350: Cisco Business 350 Series 8 > 8 access ports FP > Full PoE support E > Enhanced energy efficiency 2G > 2 Gigabit SFP uplink ports