Cisco Catalyst 2960-L end of life

Cisco Catalyst 2960-L support dates

Where the Cisco Catalyst 2960-L stands today

Cisco's support page currently says the 2960-L 'is supported by Cisco, but is no longer sold', with End-of-Support given as 31 October 2026. EOL13611 was announced on 31 October 2020: sale ended on 31 October 2021, the last units shipped on 30 January 2022, and End of Software Maintenance Releases and End of New Service Attachment both passed on 31 October 2022. The final contract renewal date, 29 January 2026, has also gone. What remains is the shared End of Vulnerability/Security Support and Last Date of Support on 31 October 2026.

EOL13611 also covers the Smart Managed models (WS-C2960L-SM-*) and the -AP, -JP and ++ regional and bundle PIDs, with the same dates as the standard switches, so those variant part numbers do not move the date. A separate 2023 notice, EOL14981, applies only to the IOS software licence SKUs (C2960L-*-SW and C2960L-SM-*-SW): announced on 7 March 2023, with End-of-Sale on 5 September 2023 and last ship on 4 December 2023, the only three milestones its table lists. It does not cover switch hardware.

What still works after Cisco support ends

End of Software Maintenance Releases for the 2960-L passed on 31 October 2022. End of Vulnerability/Security Support falls on 31 October 2026, and after that date Cisco Engineering will release no planned security remedies. With renewals already closed, Cisco's security policy lets an owner without a contract ask TAC for a free update as an exception, citing the advisory URL, and Cisco says it decides these 'on a case-by-case basis' and that free updates are 'typically limited to Critical- and High-severity vulnerabilities'.

From 31 October 2026, Cisco PSIRT will still take vulnerability reports about the 2960-L, but it will not analyse, fix or disclose them or issue CVEs for the product. The bulletin says that after the Last Date of Support 'all support services for the product are unavailable', so maintenance from November 2026 has to come from outside Cisco, and what third-party maintenance covers explains the scope such cover usually has: diagnosis, replacement parts and engineers.

• End of SW Maintenance Releases passed on 2022-10-31. End of Vulnerability/Security Support falls on 2026-10-31; after that, Cisco Engineering will release no planned security remedies. (cisco.com)
• Without a contract (renewals closed 2026-01-29): customers ask Cisco TAC for a free update on an exception basis, citing the advisory URL. Cisco decides 'on a case-by-case basis', and free updates are 'typically limited to Critical- and High-severity vulnerabilities'. (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com)
• From the Last Date of Support (2026-10-31), Cisco PSIRT will accept vulnerability reports but will not analyse, fix or disclose them, and will issue no CVEs. (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com)

What a maintenance contract needs to cover on the Cisco Catalyst 2960-L

The 2960-L comes in 8-, 16-, 24- and 48-port Gigabit Ethernet versions, data-only (T) or PoE+ (P), so the part number on each unit defines what a contract is covering. Uplinks are two 1G SFP on the 8- and 16-port models, four 1G SFP on the 24- and 48-port TS and PS models and four 10G SFP+ on the TQ and PQ models. PoE+ budgets are 67W on the 8PS, 120W on the 16PS, 195W on the 24PS and 24PQ, and 370W on the 48PS and 48PQ, all with Perpetual PoE+.

Each 2960-L has a single fixed power supply, so spares are best planned as whole switches matched by PID. Cooling varies by model: all run fanless up to 45°C except the 48-port PoE models, the 48PS and 48PQ. Management differs as well: standard models use Enhanced IOS LAN Lite with CLI and/or a web UI, while Smart Managed (WS-C2960L-SM) units are set up through an on-box web interface with limited CLI, so note which variant each unit is when listing it for cover. To ask for a price, use the maintenance coverage builder.

Extend or refresh the Cisco Catalyst 2960-L?

From 31 October 2026, keeping a 2960-L in service means running a switch whose newly reported vulnerabilities Cisco will no longer analyse or fix. Hardware cover after that date can replace a failed unit like for like, which suits a short, dated bridge to a replacement rather than an open-ended arrangement, and switches in less exposed parts of the network.

For the replacement, EOL13611 names Catalyst 1000 switches PID for PID, for example WS-C2960L-24PS-LL to C1000-24P-4G-L and WS-C2960L-48PQ-LL to C1000-48P-4X-L. Cisco's support page suggests the Catalyst 9200 Series instead, so there are two Cisco-endorsed directions to compare; the Catalyst 9200 end of life page shows that line's current position.

• Support ends on 2026-10-31. Contract renewals already closed on 2026-01-29. After the Last Date of Support, 'all support services for the product are unavailable', so no Cisco contract extends past that date. (cisco.com)
• The bulletin names PID-for-PID Catalyst 1000 replacements (e.g. WS-C2960L-24PS-LL to C1000-24P-4G-L; WS-C2960L-48PQ-LL to C1000-48P-4X-L). Cisco's support page instead suggests the Catalyst 9200 Series. (cisco.com)
• The same bulletin and dates cover the Smart Managed variants (WS-C2960L-SM-*) and the -AP, -JP and ++ regional/bundle PIDs. (cisco.com)
• Cisco's support page confirms End-of-Sale 31-OCT-2021 and End-of-Support 31-OCT-2026, and says the 2960-L 'is supported by Cisco, but is no longer sold'. (cisco.com)

Keep your Cisco Catalyst 2960-L covered

Tell us how many you run and when your current cover ends, and we will come back with a like-for-like maintenance quote for that estate. Your model and its support status are attached to the enquiry automatically, so there is nothing to re-type.

Related models

The 2960-L, released on 23 August 2016, is dated by its own bulletin, EOL13611, which also covers its Smart Managed variants. If the same network includes 2960-X switches, see Catalyst 2960-X end of life for their separate timetable; other Cisco lines start from Cisco hardware.

• Catalyst 2960-X end of lifeEnd-of-life announced — vendor support still available
• Catalyst 3650 end of lifeEnd-of-life announced — vendor support still available
• Catalyst 3850 end of lifePast the vendor’s last date of support
• Catalyst 9200 end of lifeCurrent — no end-of-life announced
• Catalyst 9300 end of lifeCurrent — no end-of-life announced
• ISR 4000 Series (ISR 4321 / 4331 / 4351) end of lifeEnd-of-life announced — vendor support still available

Look up another model in the server & network end-of-life checker, or read what third-party maintenance covers.

Questions people ask about the Cisco Catalyst 2960-L

Sources

Every date, rule and specification above was checked against these on 8 October 2026 by an independent verification pass. Vendors revise lifecycle notices; this page is re-checked by 8 January 2027.

1. Cisco EOL13611 (Amended, updated 10 Nov 2022): End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Catalyst C2960L Series Switches — cisco.com
2. Cisco EOL14981 (Amended, updated 30 Mar 2023): EoS/EoL Announcement for the Cisco IOS Software for Catalyst 2960-L Series Switches — cisco.com
3. Cisco Catalyst 2960-L release — cisco.com
4. sec.cloudapps.cisco.com — sec.cloudapps.cisco.com
5. cisco.com — cisco.com

Last reviewed 7 October 2026. Lifecycle dates for the Cisco Catalyst 2960-L are re-verified against Cisco's own notices at each review; a date a vendor has not published is never filled in.