Switches

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What switch works best with IP-Audio?

We get asked a lot about which switches work best with Axia IP-Audio Networks. The answer is "that depends," primarily on the size of the system you're planning. Axia can recommend a variety of Cisco switches to suit the needs of different-sized installations.

Why Cisco? We have tested other switches and quite frankly, Cisco hardware is the best we've tested in all ways. After all, this is your program audio we're talking about, and Cisco's reputation for uptime in critical applications is unmatched; Cisco switches are used by hospitals, banks, stock exchanges, airlines… all 24/7 applications that need bulletproof reliability. Cisco also offers a wide range of switches at all price points to meet individual users' needs. (For further reading, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalyst_switch .)

The switches described below are a representative sample from our complete list of qualified switches, and provide a good balance of features and cost-effectiveness. An Axia Applications Engineer will be happy to assist you in determining the correct switch for your application – please contact us for assistance.

For single-studio applications:

Cisco Catalyst 2960G-8TC Compact Switch is perfect for small applications, like single-studio facilities, transmitter-building networks or home production setups. The 2960-8TC is a cost-effective, small-footprint switch with seven 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports and one dual-purpose Gigabit port. Measures just 4.4 x 27 x 16.3 cm, but can be rack-mounted with an accessory kit. Because all eight ports are 1000Base-T capable, it can also be used as a small edge switch in larger facilities.

For small and medium-sized studio networks:

Cisco Catalyst 2960-24TC is a great choice if your building plans call for 1 - 2 studios, or if you plan on expanding your studio network in the future. It has 24 10/100 Ethernet ports and two Gigabit ports. Typically, you'd use one per studio, connecting to other rooms with the second Gigabit switch. If your building plans call for just two studios, one 2960-24TC can serve both.

For medium-to-large studio networks:

Cisco Catalyst 3560 Series switches are recommended as an edge switch for medium-sized studio networks where it's desirable to share a switch between two to three studios on a single switch, or as a single-room switch for larger studios with large equipment loads. The 3560-48TS model has 48 10/100 ports and increases the number of dual-purpose Gigabit ports to 4. The 3560G switches have 24 to 48 10/100/1000 Ethernet port models with 4 dual-purpose Gigabit ports for better throughput capacity and is a good choice for use in systems with as many as 8-10 studios.

For "OMG-size" studio networks:

Building the next radio Taj Majal? Switches such as those from the the Cisco Catalyst 4500 family have the modularity and scalability that can help prepare your build for today's needs and tomorrow's. We've helped select switches for very large studio complexes built by MPR, Univision, Radio Free Asia and others. Give us a call or drop us a line... we're happy to help discuss your needs.

"Are those my only choices?"

The switches listed above will be perfect for 99% of all Axia users, but not everyone's needs are the same. Contact an Axia Applications Engineer if you have any questions about which switch is right for you.

 

Switch Mini-FAQ

"Why can't I just use my favorite switch with Axia?"

People ask us this question every so often. We have standardized on Cisco because their reliability, feature sets and performance are the best we've found. Cisco also offers a wide range of switches at all price points to meet individual users' needs.

How come other manufacturers' switches don't measure up? This is mostly due to individual manufacturers' differing implementation of the same "standards". For file transfers and e-mail, these differences are immaterial. But for VoIP and, most especially, IP-Audio, these implementations become more important. It's quite possible for a given switch to "work" with just a few nodes attached, but when a more robust test of Axia's capabilities is applied, that same switch can fail.

For example, we found a nice, inexpensive switch from a well-known manufacturer which, on paper, met all specs and worked with small systems in the lab. However, it turned out to not actually meet its own published specs when deployed for rigorous service in a large Livewire system.

For this reason, we recommend and qualify only Cisco switches for Axia clients.

"Why does Axia recommend EMI switch software versus SMI?"

Many Cisco switches are available with either the standard multilayer software image (SMI) or the enhanced multilayer software image (EMI). The SMI feature set includes advanced QoS, rate-limiting, ACLs, and basic routing functionality. The EMI provides a richer set of enterprise-class features, including advanced hardware-based IP unicast and IP Multicast routing as well as policy-based routing (PBR). While SMI-equipped switches perform well in systems of limited scale, EMI provides better performance in larger systems where more audio routing occurs.

 

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