The Cisco Catalyst 3550 Series is a family of Layer 3 network switches designed for medium-sized enterprises and organizations. These switches offer advanced Layer 2 and Layer 3 capabilities, making them suitable for both access and distribution layer deployments. Key features of the Cisco Catalyst 3550 Series include support for Virtual LANs (VLANs), Quality of Service (QoS) features, security features such as access control lists (ACLs), and robust management capabilities.
One notable feature of the Catalyst 3550 Series is its support for IP routing, which allows these switches to perform routing functions between VLANs, making them suitable for more complex network configurations. They also come in various port configurations, including Fast Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) and Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 Mbps) ports, providing flexibility for different network requirements.
These switches were popular in their time and played a crucial role in enhancing network performance and capabilities. However, please note that my knowledge is based on information available up to September 2021, and there may have been advancements or updates in Cisco's product lineup since then.