As one of the market leaders in field of network solutions, Cisco is known for its wide range of products. The Cisco Nexus and Catalyst series in particular are often weighed up against each other in a professional context.
Both include switches for high-end solutions - albeit developed for different areas of application.
In short, Nexus is ideal for professional use in data centers and high-performance computing with a focus on scalability, performance and cloud integration. Catalyst offers a flexible, reliable solution for creating complete enterprise networks and campus environments.
The Cisco Catalyst series has been on the market since 1994 and has continued to develop ever since. It includes switches as well as wireless controllers. Wireless access points can be used to set up a complete network. Cisco Catalyst is primarily used in large enterprise networks, for example for campus networks with many users and long-range signals.
The Catalyst series provides a robust and reliable platform for connecting end devices and supporting enterprise applications. It is characterized by its versatility and ease of use. These switches offer advanced security mechanisms, energy efficiency and comprehensive management tools. This enables easy integration and simplified management within the enterprise network. In addition, Catalyst switches support a variety of connectivity options and are known for their durability and stability, making them a preferred choice for many IT departments.
The Cisco Nexus series has been around since 2008 and is specifically designed for servers that handle large amounts of storage and is therefore primarily used in data centers and similar nodes - often as a SAN switch (Storage Area Network Switch), for example.
The Cisco Nexus series is designed for data centers and large networks that require high scalability, performance and flexibility. These switches support innovative technologies such as virtualization and automated network management. They also provide comprehensive security features that enable large amounts of data to be processed efficiently and securely. With an architecture designed for low latency and high bandwidth, Cisco Nexus switches are ideal for companies that want to optimize their IT infrastructure and prepare for future requirements. Read our blog post “Build IT infrastructure and benefit from improved processes” to find out how you can optimize your IT infrastructure.
The Nexus switches use the NX-OS operating system, which you can access in different ways: Either via a web interface, which you can access via the browser, via a serial interface or via the console port. It is configurable and supports the IEEE standard LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocols).
The Catalyst series relies on Cisco IOS for configuration. Various access options are also available here - from the web interface with graphical user interface to direct access via the console, serial interface, USB 2.0 and the Cisco DNA control unit. In addition to LACP, the operating system also supports PAgP (prot aggregration protocols).
The Cisco Nexus switches offer you the option of setting up Ethernet networks and even faster fiber optic connections. The devices support FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet), which enables the consolidation of storage and data traffic via a single network. These three different connection types in one housing offer you particularly great flexibility and considerably simplify the network architecture. With features such as VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) and extensive support for automation and programmable networks, Cisco Nexus switches are ideally equipped for modern, scalable data centers.
The products in the Catalyst series offer you wired Ethernet connections and WLAN modules via the switches. Together with the wireless access points, you can also extend the range of the WLAN as required. The Catalyst series also includes advanced features such as Application Visibility and Control (AVC), which allow you to monitor and optimize network traffic in real time. With Power over Ethernet (PoE), the Catalyst switches also support powering end devices such as IP phones and cameras directly over the network, simplifying installation and maintenance. These comprehensive functions make the Catalyst series an ideal solution for a wide range of business requirements.
Both series allow you a modular structure and the subsequent adaptation of your IT infrastructure. The switches in the Nexus series are designed for installation in 19-inch racks and are therefore space-saving and easy to expand. Cisco Catalyst products are available with connections per height unit.
There are various sub-categories within Cisco Nexus series are suitable for your application depending on the specific area of use.
Nexus 3000 switches offer high performance and low latency and are therefore ideal for compute-intensive applications and virtualized environments. The Nexus 9000 series is aimed at data centers and communication interfaces with high data throughput.
The Catalyst switches include PoE-capable (Power over Ethernet) devices, such as the Catalyst 3850 switches. These can be used to supply network devices such as surveillance cameras or the wireless access points of the Catalyst Endpoint series directly with power via the Ethernet connection.
With both series, Cisco offers you extensive support and resources to create a network infrastructure on your terms. Which is the right choice for you ultimately depends on your individual requirements.
In modern data centers with a focus on high performance with cloud services, Nexus is often the better solution. If your focus is on flexibility, comprehensive security and support for a wide range of applications in the corporate and campus environment, Catalyst could be the right choice for you.
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The Cisco Nexus and Catalyst series differ in several areas, including features, operating systems and areas of application:
Cisco Nexus:
Cisco Catalyst:
The Cisco Nexus series uses the NX-OS operating system, which can be managed via a web interface, serial interface or console port. NX-OS is flexibly configurable and supports the IEEE standard LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol). The operating system is based on a modern Linux kernel and supports symmetric multiprocessing. This allows processes to be efficiently distributed across multiple CPU cores. NX-OS has a modular design, so that individual processes can be restarted in the event of a failure without affecting the entire system. It was developed specifically for data centre switches such as the Cisco Nexus series. The focus is on high availability, high performance and support for storage networks. In addition, NX-OS offers modern technologies such as vPC (Virtual Port Channel) for Layer 2 multipath communication as well as extensive API and automation functions.
The Cisco Catalyst series uses IOS or IOS-XE, which can also be administered via a web interface, console or serial interface. In addition to LACP, IOS-XE also supports PAgP (Protocol Aggregation Protocols). IOS-XE is also based on a Linux kernel, but differs in its structure. The classic IOS software runs here as a central main process. IOS-XE is the further development of the classic IOS and was developed specifically for enterprise routers and switches such as the Catalyst series. The aim is to combine routing, switching and security functions in one operating system. It supports typical enterprise functions, advanced routing protocols, WAN technologies and programmable APIs.
Yes, the Cisco Nexus series is particularly well suited for data centres and high-performance computing, as it was developed specifically for these areas of application. The focus is on high scalability, maximum performance and cloud integration. Thanks to features such as high port density, low latency and support for data centre protocols such as VXLAN or Fibre Channel over Ethernet, the Nexus series is better suited for data centre environments than the Catalyst series. Within the Nexus series, there are different product lines designed for different requirements. The Nexus 9000 series in particular is ideal for modern data centres with very high data throughput.
The Cisco Catalyst series, on the other hand, is used in campus and enterprise networks, where the focus is more on connecting many end devices.
Both series can be used for comprehensive support on the same network and are based on standard Ethernet protocols such as IEEE 802.1Q VLANs or Spanning Tree. End devices are connected via Layer 2 or Layer 3 connections.
The main differences are in the operating system: Cisco Catalyst uses IOS-XE, while Cisco Nexus is based on NX-OS, which means that knowledge of both systems is required. For link aggregation, Nexus only supports LACP, while Catalyst offers LACP and PAgP. Virtual Port Channels (vPC) also only work between Nexus switches.
