Catalyst 2960-X and 3850 end of life: 9200 or 9300 replacement

If you run Cisco Catalyst 2960-X, 2960-XR or 3850 switches, Cisco has announced end of sale and end of life for them. This guide shows how to choose a Catalyst 9200 or 9300 replacement by port count, PoE and uplinks, and what changes in stacking, modules, licensing, power and software.

The short answer

• Cisco's own end-of-life bulletins map the 2960-X to the Catalyst 9200L (fixed uplinks), the 2960-XR to the Catalyst 9200 (modular uplinks) and the 3850 to the Catalyst 9300 (modular uplinks).
• Match the replacement on port count, PoE class and uplink speed first. Then check the stack, the network module, the licence and the power supplies, because these are the parts that differ.
• The licence model changes from feature sets such as LAN Base and IP Base to Network Essentials or Network Advantage, optionally with a Cisco DNA subscription.
• The catalogue sells the 9200 and 9300 successors, not the old models. Send the exact old and new part numbers with a quote request.

What Cisco has published: end-of-life milestones

These dates are copied from Cisco's bulletins. Check the bulletin for your exact part number, because other part numbers (licences, fibre models, accessories) have separate bulletins.

The 3850 fibre models have their own bulletin, EOL13873: end-of-sale April 30, 2022 and last date of support April 30, 2027. The 3850 licence SKUs are covered by EOL14994, with end-of-sale September 5, 2023. Cisco's 3850 bulletins state that customers with active service contracts continue to receive support under the contract terms. Whether any support applies to a given unit depends on that unit's own entitlement, so confirm it with Cisco or your service provider.

Replacement mapping by port count, PoE and uplinks

Pairs below come from the Replacement column of the bulletins above. Cisco marks the 48-port LPD and LPS models as "See Product Migration Options section for details", so confirm those with Cisco.

2960-X to Catalyst 9200L

The 2960-X data sheet gives the old uplinks and PoE budgets. Cisco's replacement names carry the Catalyst 9200L's own uplink code: 4G is four 1G uplinks and 4X is four 1G/10G uplinks, so a 2960-X with two 10G uplinks moves to a switch with four.

2960-XR to Catalyst 9200

Cisco maps every 2960-XR model to a Catalyst 9200 (not 9200L) by port count and PoE: 24-port PoE+ to C9200-24P, 24-port data to C9200-24T, 48-port PoE+ (including the 48FPD and 48FPS models) to C9200-48P, 48-port data to C9200-48T and the 48-port LPD/LPS models to C9200-48PL. Cisco lists the 2960-XR power supplies (C2KXR-PWR series and PWR-C2-250WAC) with no replacement.

3850 to Catalyst 9300

The suffixes below are the pairs printed in Cisco's EOL13188 replacement column: its -L (LAN Base) models pair with -E codes and its -S and -E models with -A codes. Cisco's 3650/3850 upgrade guide, which we also fetched, does not state a licence-tier mapping, so treat the suffix as Cisco's bulletin pairing and confirm the tier you need before ordering.

Note the last row: Cisco's bulletin pairs the 24XU-L with C9300-24U-E, a 24 x 1G UPOE model, which would drop the multigigabit ports. For like-for-like speed, the 9300 data sheet lists the multigigabit UPOE 24UX class, so we show that instead. Match PoE budget too: the 3850 data sheet gives, for example, 435 W for the 24P and 800 W for the 48F with default supplies, and the 9300 budget depends on the supply fitted, so check the data sheet's PoE table for your chosen supplies. The 3850 fibre models are mapped in EOL13873, for example WS-C3850-24S-S to C9300-24S and WS-C3850-12XS-S to C9300X-12Y.

Differences that affect the swap

Stacking

• 2960-X and 2960-XR stack with an optional FlexStack-Plus module at 80 Gbps, up to eight members.
• The 9200L uses StackWise-80 (80 Gbps) and the 9200 uses StackWise-160 (160 Gbps), both up to eight members, per the Catalyst 9200 data sheet. Cisco maps the 2960-X stack module to C9200L-STACK-KIT, so order stack kits explicitly.
• The 3850 uses StackWise-480. Cisco's 3650/3850 upgrade guide says the same stacking cables can be used for C9300 modular-uplink models, which stack at 480 Gbps. Cisco's data sheet limits fixed-uplink 9300L models to StackWise-320 and does not stack them with modular models.
• Plan the cut-over per stack. These sources do not say old and new families interoperate in one stack.

Uplinks and network modules

The 2960-X has fixed uplinks. The 9200L does too, which is why the mapping above is one-to-one. The 9200 and 9300 have modular uplinks, and the module is usually a separate line on the order.

The 3850 network modules have their own replacements in EOL13873: C3850-NM-4-1G to C9300-NM-4G, C3850-NM-2-10G to C9300-NM-8X, C3850-NM-2-40G to C9300X-NM-2C, and C3850-NM-4-10G and C3850-NM-8-10G to C9300X-NM-8Y. C3850-NM-BLANK has no replacement listed. Do not assume an old module fits a new chassis; confirm with Cisco's install guide for the exact model.

Licence model

The 2960-X is sold with LAN Lite or LAN Base and the 2960-XR with IP Lite; the 3850 with LAN Base, IP Base or IP Services. The Catalyst 9200 and 9300 use perpetual Network Essentials and Network Advantage licences. A Cisco DNA Essentials or Advantage subscription (3, 5 or 7 years) is available, and its tier must match the network licence tier. Cisco's data sheets also describe a newer Cisco Networking Subscription with Switching Essentials and Switching Advantage tiers and a 36-month standard minimum. See Licences and support contracts before you specify.

Power supplies

The 2960-X has one fixed power supply with an optional external RPS 2300. The 9200 and 9300 take field-replaceable supplies: the 3850 supplies PWR-C1-350WAC, 715WAC and 1100WAC have -P replacements in EOL13873. The 9300 also takes 1900 W AC supplies, and PoE budget depends on the supply fitted. Check per-model PoE budgets in the data sheet: a 24-port PoE+ switch can draw 720 W if every port reaches 30 W, which exceeds a 370 W budget.

IOS to IOS XE

The 2960-X runs Cisco IOS; the 3850 and the new switches run IOS XE (9200 requires release 16.9.2 or later). Configuration rarely carries over line for line. Cisco's upgrade guide notes that Control Plane Policing is enabled by default on the 9300, egress queuing is per port rather than shared, and the legacy ip device tracking commands are replaced by SISF-based device tracking. Interface names also change with stack member numbers.

Common mistakes

• Treating a 2960-X and a 2960-XR as the same replacement: one maps to the 9200L and the other to the 9200.
• Ordering a modular-uplink switch and forgetting the network module.
• Replacing 2 x 10G uplinks with a 1G-only variant.
• Ignoring the PoE budget of the power supply fitted.
• Assuming the old licence transfers to Network Essentials or Network Advantage.
• Ordering by the end of a part number. Check what each Cisco part number means.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Catalyst 2960-X end of life?

Yes. Cisco's bulletin EOL13603 lists end-of-sale October 31, 2022 and last date of support October 31, 2027.

What replaces a WS-C2960X-24PS-L?

Cisco's bulletin lists C9200L-24P-4G, a 24-port PoE+ switch with four 1G uplinks.

What replaces the Catalyst 3850?

Cisco's bulletin EOL13188 maps the copper models to Catalyst 9300 models by port count, PoE and licence level.

Do we need new SFP modules?

Uplink optics depend on the uplink speed you choose. See SFP vs SFP+ vs SFP28.

What the catalogue covers

The catalogue lists the successor families, not the old models: C9200-24T-E (guide), C9200L-24T-4G-E (guide), C9200L-24P-4X-E (guide), C9300-24T-E (guide). For other models in the mapping tables, ask in your quote request. To pick a family, see Catalyst 9200 vs 9300 and How to choose a campus switch.

What to include in your quote request

• The old part numbers and quantities, plus the stack layout.
• The replacement part numbers you propose, including the licence suffix.
• Uplink speed and the network module, if the chassis is modular.
• PoE class and total PoE budget needed, and the power supplies.
• Stacking kits and cables.
• DNA subscription, or perpetual licence only.
• Shipping country.

Send these in a quote request.

Download: the Catalyst 2960-X/3850 replacement worksheet (Excel) holds these mapping tables, with columns for your quantities and sites.