Quote Originally Posted by badkuk View Post
Advisable ba bumili ng refurbished Cisco 3560 for my home lab? i just want to play around with configuration. A quick check reveals naka EOL na siya last year. The SG300 is cheaper and newer pero limited features din.


Me local source kaya? tia
When you say lab, is this for a Cisco lab in preparation for a Cisco cert, or just lab in general (ie. working with Windows Server and/or Linux, to develop apps or whatnot)?

For the former, yes, the 3560 is still a capable switch to practice on. It runs full IOS and depending on the feature set you've installed, can pretty much practice anything that will likely turn up in your exam. The cert exams don't usually rely on the latest and greatest hardware anyway.

The only thing to note is that the 3560 (most models) only have 10/100 ports. When working with certain features like STP, port costs and such, a port running 1000 mbps would have a lower port cost and will have an effect on root switch election, among others. So be wary of that in case it pops up in your exam.

The SG300, though also a managed switch, should not be used when studying for Cisco certs. But as a basic switch in a lab to practice the other things I mentioned, it should be ok.