MS390 vs Catalyst 9300-M

[RobinsonRoca]

So, we now have the Catalyst 9300-M available to us and I get worried, do I sell this thing?  We all know how things went with the MS390.  Am I in for the exact same thing with the Catalyst 9300-M?  Is the Catalyst 9300-M another MS390, just rebranded?  

I know its all built on the Catalsyt 9300 platform, and the data sheets for both are pretty much the same, but did Meraki do something different on this "new" itteration?

Previosiously, the MS390, ran the Meraki OS in a KVM on IOS-XE, this was the reason for the crazy long boot time, it was also the cause of many of the issues faced with that platform.  

Can someone please tell me that the Catalyst 9300-M is designed to run Meraki OS differently.  Is there anyone who can give me the nitty gritty differences between these two platforms? @cmr @PhilipDAth @alemabrahao  anyone?

[Inderdeep]

@RobinsonRoca : here you go 
Cisco Catalyst 9300-M Vs Meraki MS390 - The Network DNA
Ref: Your Network, Your Way: A Journey to Full Cloud Management of Cisco Catalyst Products - Cisco Blogs 

• The catalyst switch or access point when put in the Meraki mode of operations, their features align with what is available in the Meraki Dashboard. For example, the Cisco Catalyst 9300 switch in Meraki Mode is aligned with the switching features available for the Cisco Meraki MS390.

[PhilipDAth]

Personally, I am not going to sell any Catalyst switch running in Meraki managed mode for a long time.

I am happy to sell a 9300 switch running Catalyst software and onboard it into the Meraki Dashboard, and run it in Meraki monitored mode.  This is because if the Meraki monitoring breaks, it won't affect the operation of the network.

I have three Catalyst 9300s enrolled in the Meraki Dashboard so far, running in monitoring mode.  Of those 3, one has stopped working (shows as offline in the Meraki dashboard).  Meraki support has told me I need to re-enrol it again, which I will do when I am bored.

[alemabrahao · Accepted solution]

The Catalyst 9300-M and the MS390 are indeed built on the same Catalyst 9300 platform. However, there are differences in their software and how they operate.

The MS390, as you mentioned, runs the Meraki OS in a Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) on IOS-XE. This was indeed the cause of the long boot time and some of the issues with the platform.

As for the Catalyst 9300-M, it's not explicitly stated whether it operates differently from the MS390 in terms of its OS. However, it's important to note that the Catalyst 9300-M is part of the Catalyst family, which is known for its robustness and reliability.

In terms of hardware, both the MS390 and the Catalyst 9300-M offer similar features, such as high-density stacking bandwidth, flexible uplink offerings, and high multigigabit ports.

However, without specific information on the Catalyst 9300-M's software operation, it's difficult to provide a definitive answer. I would recommend reaching out to Cisco or Meraki directly for more detailed information on the differences between these two platforms.

[RobinsonRoca]

This is exaclty what I needed!  I'm pretty sure the software is still being loaded the same way, and likly behaves the same as the MS390.  This feels like a rebranding excersize. Thank you so much @alemabrahao !