Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Will Replace the Catalyst 3850 Series
Is Your Network Ready for the New Era? Cisco announced its new Catalyst series switches-the Catalyst 9000 Series, introducing an entirely new era of networking. The Network. Intuitive.
There are three series in the new Catalyst 9000 switch family:
1. Catalyst 9300 Series (LAN Access Switches): the top fixed-access enterprise network switch series, stacking to 480 Gbps.
2. Catalyst 9400 Series (LAN Access Switches): the leading modular-access switches for enterprise, the Catalyst 9400 Series supports up to 9 Tbps.
3. Catalyst 9500 Series (LAN Core and Distribution Switches): the industry’s first fixed-core 40-Gbps switch for the enterprise.
Learn more: The New Catalyst 9000 Switches Simplify IoT & Cloud Requirements
In this article we will talk about the new Catalyst 9300 Series, the Next Level of the Market-Leading Fixed Access Switching Platform.

Will the Catalyst 9300 replace the Catalyst 3850 Series? Definitely, it is the best replacement for the Catalyst 3850 Series. Why? Let’s check the more detailed features of the Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series.

Switch models and configurations
The Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series is made up of seven different switch models. Any of the models can be used together in a stack of up to eight units.
The Table below lists port scale and power details for the Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series models.
Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switch configurations
Model | Total 10/100/1000 or Multigigabit Copper Ports | Default AC Power Supply | Available PoE Power | Cisco StackWise-480 | Cisco StackPower |
C9300-24T | 24 | 350WAC | Yes | Yes | |
C9300-48T | 48 | 350WAX | |||
C9300-24P | 24 POE+ | 715WAC | 445W | ||
C9300-48P | 48 POE+ | 715WAC | 437W | ||
C9300-24U | 24 Cisco UPOE | 1100WAC | 830W | ||
C9300-48U | 48 Cisco UPOE | 1100WAC | 822W | ||
C9300-24UX* | 24 Multigigabit Cisco UPOE (100 Mbps or 1, 2.5, 5, or 10 Gbps) | 1100WAC | 490W |
Network modules
The Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches support optional network modules for uplink ports. The default switch configuration does not include the network module. When you purchase the switch, you can choose from the network modules described in the following Table.

- Uplink modules supported on all 9300 Series copper models
- Online Insertion and Removal (OIR) supported on all uplink modules
Network module numbers and descriptions
Network Module | Description |
C9300-NM-4G | 9300 Series 4x 1G Network Module |
C9300-NM-8X | 9300 Series 8x 10G Network Module |
C9300-NM-2Q | 9300 Series 2x 40G Network Module |
C9300-NM-4M | 9300 Series 4x Multigigabit Network Module |
Please note: Existing 3850 network modules are also supported in the Catalyst 9300 Series platforms.
Power Supplies
The Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches support dual redundant power supplies. The switches ship with one power supply by default, and the second power supply can be purchased when the switch is ordered or at a later time. If only one power supply is installed, it should always be in power supply bay #1. The switches also ship with three field-replaceable fans.


Table3 lists the different power supplies available in these switches and available PoE power.
Table3. Power supply models
Models | Default Power Supply | Available PoE Power |
24-port data switch | PWR-C1-350WAC | – |
48-port data switch | ||
24-port PoE+ switch | PWR-C1-715WAC | 445W 437W |
48-port PoE+ switch | ||
24-port Cisco UPOE switch | PWR-C1-1100WAC | 830W 822W |
48-port Cisco UPOE switch | ||
24-port Multigigabit Cisco UPOE switch | PWR-C1-1100WAC | 490W – Support in Open IOS-XE 16.6 |
Power supply requirements for PoE and PoE+
24-Port PoE Switch | 48-Port PoE Switch | |
PoE on all ports (15.4W per port) | 1 PWR-C1-715WAC | 1 PWR-C1-1100WAC or 2 PWR-C1-715WAC |
PoE+ on all ports (30W per port) | 1 PWR-C1-1100WAC or 2 PWR-C1-715WAC | 2 PWR-C1-1100WAC or 1 PWR-C1-1100WAC and 1 PWR-C1-715WAC |
Power supply requirements for Cisco UPOE
| 24-Port UPOE Switch | 48-Port UPOE Switch | 24-Port Multigigabit UPOE Switch |
Cisco UPOE (60W per port) on all ports (24-port switch) or up to 30 ports (48-port switch) | 1 PWR-C1-1100WAC and 1 PWR-C1-715WAC | 2 PWR-C1-1100WAC | 2 PWR-C1-1100WAC |
● Perpetual PoE: With Perpetual PoE, the PoE power is maintained during a switch reload. This is important for IoT endpoints such as PoE-powered lights, so that there is no disruption during switch reboot.
● Fast PoE: When power is restored to a switch, PoE starts delivering power to endpoints without waiting for the operating system to fully load, thereby speeding up the time for the endpoint to start up.
Software requirements
Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches run on Open IOS XE 16.5.1a release or later. This software release includes all the features listed earlier in the Platform Benefits section.

- Up to 8 Switches can be stacked together using back stacking cables
- All 9300 models are supported in the stack
- All the switches in the stack should run the same IOS and License
- Mixed stacking between 9300 and 9300 is not supported
Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series StackPower

“Zero-Footprint” RPS Deployment
• Provides RPS functionality with Zero RPS Footprint
• Pay-as-you-grow architecture–similar to the Data Stack
• 1+N Redundancy with Inline Power
• Up to 4 Switches in a StackPower Ring
• Multiple StackPower Possible within one Data Stack
• Up to 9 Switches in a star topology with XPS

Mapping Between Cisco Catalyst 3850 and 9300
3850 PIDs | 9300 PID | Short description |
C9300-24T | Catalyst 9300 24-port data only switch | |
C9300-24P | Catalyst 9300 24-port PoE+ switch | |
C9300-24U | Catalyst 9300 24-port UPOE switch | |
WS-C3850-24XU | C9300-24UX | Catalyst 9300 24-port mGig and UPOE switch |
C9300-48T | Catalyst 9300 48-port data only switch | |
WS-C3850-48P | C9300-48P | Catalyst 9300 48-port PoE+ switch |
WS-C3850-48U | C9300-48U | Catalyst 9300 48-port UPOE switch |
Learn More: Why Migrate to Cisco Catalyst 9300 Switches?
More Related…
Why Migrate to the Cisco Catalyst 9400 Series Switches?
Why Migrate to Cisco Catalyst 9500 Switches?
Q and A: Cisco Catalyst 9400 Overview
The New Catalyst 9000 Switches Simplify IoT & Cloud Requirements