standby switch

[blue4cisco]

Hi , we have couple of cisco switch on mission critical operation ( 3560,3550) what I want a cold stand by solution in case whenever any of above switch goes down I put it's configuration file in new device .

Pls. let me know these devices replacement & compatibility if any with new same category switch

[Joseph W. Doherty]

The most "compatible", especially to copy a config, would be a spare switch of the same type.

If you need to support mission critical operation, have you considered using extra devices within your network such that there's redundancy? At L2, you can have multiple switches "hot" with spanning tree blocking redundant paths. If you're supporting L3 on your 3560s or 3550, routing can support mulitple active paths.

You might also want to consider other Cisco devices that support redundancy on one "logical" device, such as the new 2975 series for L2 or the 3750 series for L2/L3.

[hobbe]

I agree with Josephdoherty that the best solution would be a switch of the same type.

however I would like to make some extra points that he does not touch base on.

one of the best thing with having the exact same equipment as a spare is that you can test out your configurations and new ios versions on the spare before upgrading in the real environment.

that way you will find some glitches before they become a problem for you.

To make a better point in cost effectiveness you can use the spare for labworks. you can also use it to lern new configurations and to test new technology and to get familiarised with the switch.