Can we replace Cisco 6500 with Meraki Switch ?

[Par_23]

Hi Team

We are planning to move Cisco 6500 to Meraki 450/425.

Can anyone suggest is it recommended or is it implemented ?

Any challenges if it is implemented ? 

Requesting best solution from expert. 

Regards

Par. 

[ww]

Depends  on what functions the 6500 is running. You can do a lot with cisco catalyst  that you cant  with meraki.  Make a list of current/requested features. and check the datasheet.

[cmr]

I agree with @ww , if you are using 6500 as a big layer 2 switch then no problem, if you are using layer 3 services, then the more advanced you go, the more likely that Meraki might not support them.  i.e. BGP, OSPF, EIGRP.  The first two are supported to a degree, but the third is not.

[Par_23]

Appreciating your reply

[MerakiDave]

Hi @Par_23 and welcome to the Meraki Community.  @cmr and @ww are correct and the answer is "it depends" because you'll need to review the configuration of the 6500 and determine the features enabled and any other requirements.  Yes it has been recommended and implemented, and I have seen several Catalyst 6500/4500 networks refreshed with Meraki.  I have also seen some deployments where Meraki could not be used because there were some specific feature requirements configured on the Catalyst including VRFs or EIGRP routing or LISP & VXLAN. There's also no SGTs on MS425/450, that's only on the MS390 so far.  I have also seen plenty of hybrid deployments, very common to leverage Catalyst for the core and Meraki for distribution and access.  Sorry there's no simple formula here, it's on a case by case basis.  Hope that helps!

[Ethical1]

I have done this exact swap out, one thing you must look into if its on your network is multicast traffic,Specifically layer 3, Meraki switches functionality is vastly different as they will use the dataplan of 1 switch for a entire stack (remember 6500's have Sups that handle the grunt), so if you had layer 2 line cards in your 6500 the same replication would not be that simple. 

Example: 

If you had 3 x line cards with 48 ports on each, all that have phones connected for example. This would not be as simple as moving these over to a stack of 3 x 450 Meraki switches as 3 x 48 ports of data would travel through one 450's processing power. 

You will need to outlay your requirements and potentially split your original 6500 into 2 stack of 450's to balance the data that spreads across them, or run a distribution layer and a access layer in turn avoiding this issue altogether. I hope that has helped!.