Cisco vs HP
Cisco, Cisco Routers and Cisco Switches, HP, HP switches, Networking, Open IT Forum, Routers, Switches
I have read a lot about the debate between Cisco and HP switches. In what use cases does going with the HP product make a lot of sense and how much of Cisco's installed base is realistically at risk? What are the primary factors that sway decision makers one way or the other?
Software/Hardware used:
Software/Hardware used:
ASKED:
July 6, 2011 6:12 PM
UPDATED:
March 31, 2012 10:11 PM
Answer Wiki:
The difference, I've found, between HP and Cisco switches operationally is nill. They both do the job. Yes, they're different but similar enough to not give you too much of a headache. In any event, once you get used to them, they're not a problem. The CLI is mostly semantic; "Display" vs "Show", for example, or "undo" vs "no".
Then there's the business issue and this is what swayed me from Cisco to HP. HP is not only less expensive, but the lifetime warranty is "free" versus Cisco's pricy SmartNet.
I also just stacked a couple of HP A5500 switches and was able to do this with only one CX4 10GB cable. The last set of Cisco switches I stacked required two cables. And at about $400 per cable, this was a cost savings as well.
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at my side last time we actually use both and both is reliable but it goes down to 1 thing, pricing..
Pricing is an issue but there is also the fact that the cisco gear often more complicated to do the same task.
While the embedded software of the HP switches works it is and is easy to use it is a little disjointed. Seems like several departments were asked to make a section for the switch software and didn’t talk to each other at all………..then bolted it together.
Still when it comes to switches and routers you really do get what you pay for.
We haven’t looked at HP for two or three years, but found the hardware just slightly less solid. The lifetime warranty is a selling point, and forced Cisco to give lifetime hardware warranty. We found the HP to have fewer features; the ultimate deal-breaker was the astonishingly minimal documentation on the web for HP.
We have been extremely disappointed that the Cisco switches do not have the capability of blocking IPV6 Router Advertisements at layer 2. This is a vital security feature as we move into IPV6. It would cost us more that $1500 per switch to upgrade to the L3 feature sets.
We found Juniper switches to be extremely well-made, full-featured, competitively priced. We have simply not had the time to learn JUNOS, which is totally different that cisco CLI. Since all Juniper switches are L3 enabled at no additional charge, one can block rogue V6 router advertisements.