Question 1

What is the Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series switch?

Accepted Answer

The Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series switch is a modular enterprise-class access and distribution switch offering high density, scalability and integrated services for campus and branch networks.

Question 2

What performance capabilities does the Catalyst 4500 deliver?

Accepted Answer

The Catalyst 4500 delivers up to 275 Gbps per slot switching capacity, hardware-based multicore forwarding and sub-microsecond latency to ensure wire-speed performance for business-critical applications.

Question 3

Which supervisor engine options are supported on Catalyst 4500?

Accepted Answer

Cisco offers Supervisor Engine 7-E, 6-E and 6L-E for the Catalyst 4500, each providing advanced QoS, high availability and unified access control to meet varied performance and security requirements.

Question 4

How do I achieve redundancy with Catalyst 4500 switches?

Accepted Answer

You can deploy redundant supervisor engines in active/standby configuration and redundant power supplies to eliminate single points of failure and ensure nonstop connectivity.

Question 5

Does the Catalyst 4500 support Power over Ethernet (PoE)?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Catalyst 4500 supports PoE and PoE+ on select line cards, delivering up to 30W per port to power IP phones, wireless access points and cameras without external power injectors.

Question 6

Can Catalyst 4500 switches be stacked or virtualized?

Accepted Answer

Catalyst 4500 supports Cisco StackWise Plus and VSS (Virtual Switching System) technologies to unify up to two chassis into a single logical switch for simplified management and increased throughput.

Question 7

What operating system runs on Catalyst 4500?

Accepted Answer

Catalyst 4500 runs Cisco IOS Software with advanced feature sets for routing, switching, security, QoS and network virtualization, all upgradeable via Cisco Smart Licensing.

Question 8

What security features are built into the Catalyst 4500?

Accepted Answer

Catalyst 4500 includes 802.1X authentication, MACsec encryption, TrustSec segmentation, control-plane protection and dynamic ARP inspection to safeguard access and data integrity.

Question 9

How do I manage Catalyst 4500 switches?

Accepted Answer

You can manage Catalyst 4500 using Cisco DNA Center, Cisco Prime Infrastructure, CLI, SNMP or REST APIs for automated provisioning, policy enforcement and real-time monitoring.

Question 10

Which line cards are available for the Catalyst 4500 Series?

Accepted Answer

The Catalyst 4500 offers Gigabit Ethernet, Multigigabit, 10/25/40/100GbE line cards with PoE/PoE+ options, service modules and high-density uplinks to address diverse application requirements.

Question 11

What is the maximum system forwarding capacity?

Accepted Answer

A fully populated Catalyst 4500E with Supervisor Engine 7-E supports up to 1.1 Tbps system forwarding capacity, ensuring ample bandwidth for large-scale enterprise deployments.

Question 12

How energy efficient is the Catalyst 4500?

Accepted Answer

Catalyst 4500 leverages Cisco EnergyWise and Unified Power over Ethernet to reduce power consumption by up to 60%, delivering environmental sustainability and cost savings.

Question 13

Can I upgrade from older Catalyst models to the 4500?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Catalyst 4500 maintains backward compatibility with existing power, fan and certain line cards, enabling non-disruptive upgrades from Catalyst 3750 and 3750-X platforms.

Question 14

What deployment scenarios suit the Catalyst 4500?

Accepted Answer

Catalyst 4500 excels as a campus distribution switch, branch aggregation device or data center access switch, supporting converged voice, video and data services at scale.

Question 15

When will Catalyst 4500 reach end-of-sale or end-of-support?

Accepted Answer

Cisco publishes end-of-sale and end-of-support dates on its website; most Catalyst 4500 variants remain fully supported with mainstream software updates through at least 2025.

Question 16

What warranty and support options are available?

Accepted Answer

Cisco offers a lifetime limited hardware warranty, optional Smart Net Total Care and Software Support services for 24×7 access to updates, advanced replacement and technical assistance.

Question 17

How does Catalyst 4500 integrate with Cisco DNA and SD-Access?

Accepted Answer

Catalyst 4500 integrates seamlessly with Cisco DNA Center and SD-Access to enable intent-based networking, policy automation, network segmentation and analytics for simplified operations.

Switches Catalyst 4500 Series

WS-C4503-E (Cat4500 E-Series 3-Slot Chassis, fan, no ps)

WS-C4506-E (Catalyst 4500 E-Series 6-Slot Chassis, fan, no ps)

WS-C4507R+E (CAT4500E 7SLOT CHASSIS 48GBPS/SLOT)

WS-C4500X-16SFP+ (Catalyst 4500-X 16 Port 10G IP Base, Front-to-Back, No P/S)

WS-C4500X-24X-IPB (Catalyst 4500-X 24 Port 10G IP Base, 10/100/1000base-T,Front-to-Back, No P/S)

WS-C4507R-E (Catalyst 4500 E-Series 7-Slot Chassis, fan, no ps, Red Sup Capable)

WS-C4510R+E (CAT4500E 10SLOT CHASSIS FOR 48GBPS/SLOT)

WS-C4510R-E (Cat4500 E-Series 10-Slot Chassis, fan, no ps,Red Sup Capable)

WS-C4503 (Cisco switch 4500 Chassis (3-Slot),fan, no p/s)

C1-C4500X-32SFP+ (ONE CATALYST 4500-X 32PORT 10G IP BASE FRONT TO BACK)

Questions & Answers

What is the Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series switch?

What performance capabilities does the Catalyst 4500 deliver?

Which supervisor engine options are supported on Catalyst 4500?

How do I achieve redundancy with Catalyst 4500 switches?