Cisco's Catalyst IE3200 Rugged Series is presented as a secure, fixed, full-Gigabit industrial switching platform managed with Cisco DNA Center. With 8 PoE+ in a compact form factor, these rugged switches are designed for power and space-constrained areas. The Cisco Catalyst IE3200 Rugged Series brings intent-based networking to industrial use cases.
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HPE Aruba Ethernet Switches
Score 8.6 out of 10
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HPE offers Ethernet switches under the Aruba Networks product line.
In areas with harsh temperatures like freezers they are an awesome fit, as I mentioned in the first part of this review. I would not recommend this switch in an area where it may be exposed to other elements like water. For example, in a washdown area like in our food production plants, we are constantly hosing down / steaming the area to sanitize. The only way I would recommend it in an area like that is if it is physically located inside of some sort of enclosure, but in that case you might as well purchase a less expensive non-ruggedized switch and do the same.
These devices are rock solid, you will se them up once and not have to mess with them for years. They are work horses that don't die. We use them in an office environment and have only ever had 1 fail due to a PSU issue, we got a replacement next day and it's been working great.
Wireless Access Points (APs) zero touch provisioning
Its high-end family (running the AOS-CX firmware) supports a virtualization technology called VSX (Virtual Switching Extension) which allows 2 switches to present itself as one virtualized switch under Layer 2, and as 2 separate routers under Layer 3; thereby providing high availability.
I have had issues finding monitoring software that natively supports Provision/Aruba OS. Most are designed primarily with Cisco in mind.
HPE/Aruba switches have historically had issues with corrupt flash. This seems to be less common in more recent models.
HPE/Aruba's switching portfolio can be confusing. Some models run on the Aruba OS while some others run on Comware. There is some overlap in these model lines so at times is can be tough to tell which switch is right.
I preferred the OS running on the 2530 series switches, but the ArubaOS is very usable. It's similar to the Cisco OS command line interface, but somehow more understandable. It takes a bit of getting used to, but the documentation is great and it makes sense after a while of using it.
HPE Support is very easy to reach. A knowledgable rep can be reached in a few minutes. After some basic troubleshooting if the failure is due to hardware I can receive a replacement within a day or even in a few hours.
When comparing the Cisco Catalyst IE3200 Rugged Series Switches to the IE3300 model, I selected the IE3200 due to its affordability and comparable performance. The IE3200 offers a cost-effective solution without compromising on durability or functionality. Additionally, the IE3200's compact size and easy integration into existing infrastructure were additional factors that influenced my choice. Overall, the Cisco Catalyst IE3200 Rugged Series Switches provide a reliable and budget-friendly solution for rugged industrial environments.
We used to have a lot of Cisco switches which are great, but the support contracts and other expenses mount up quickly; one of the main reasons for switching to HP for networking was the cost, but the hardware and software have gotten so much better over the years.
I can’t see us changing network hardware unless the price increases dramatically.
When comparing Aruba to Cisco and Dell there is no comparison in cost. Aruba is a better value and will not require additional licensing like it often the case with Cisco.
The Aruba OS is very simple to use and understand. A user with very little networking experience can understand the config of an Aruba switch.
Aruba's hardware warranty assures me that even my oldest switches are covered due to hardware failure.
In the 11 years I have worked with HPE/Aruba and with over 55 switches I have had a hardware failure less than a handful of times.