In the era of the early high-end Cisco Catalyst switches, the Cisco Catalyst operating system (CatOS) and the command-line interface (CLI) were significantly different from the Cisco IOS mode navigation interfaces available on all newer Cisco Catalyst platforms. The two interfaces have different features and a different prompt and CLI syntax
In the Cisco Catalyst software, commands are executed at the switch prompt, which can be either non-privileged (where a limited subset of user-level commands is available) or at a password-protected privileged mode (where all commands are available). Configuration commands are prefaced with the keyword set
Cisco Catalyst switch platforms have had a number of different operating systems and user interfaces. Over the years, Cisco has made great strides in converting the interface on nearly every Cisco Catalyst platform to the Cisco IOS interface familiar to users of Cisco routing platforms. Unlike the Cisco Catalyst software, various modes are navigated to execute specific commands
Some widely used Cisco Catalyst switch platforms that support the Cisco IOS interface are 2950, 2960, 3550, 3560, 3750, 4500*, 6500*, and 8500.
* These platforms have an option to use either Cisco IOS or Cisco Catalyst software for Layer 2 configuration.
The Catalyst software interface exists on several modular Cisco Catalyst platforms, including the Cisco Catalyst 4500, 5500, 6000, and 6500 Series.
For example, on the Cisco Catalyst 6500, you have the option of using the Cisco Catalyst software, Cisco Catalyst software plus Cisco IOS software, or Cisco IOS software functionality
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