Cisco Catalyst 4500-X end of life

Cisco Catalyst 4500-X support dates

Where the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X stands today

Every milestone in EOL13216 is now behind us. Cisco announced the end of life on 31 October 2019, ended sale on 30 October 2020 and made its last shipments on 29 January 2021. Software maintenance releases and new contract attachment both stopped on 30 October 2021, the last contract renewals had to be placed by 28 January 2025, and End of Vulnerability/Security Support and the Last Date of Support arrived together on 31 October 2025. The series was released on 23 January 2012, and by October 2026 it has spent almost a year past the end of Cisco support.

Cisco's own definitions spell out what that leaves. The bulletin describes the Last Date of Support as the point after which all support services for the product are unavailable and the product becomes obsolete. End of Vulnerability/Security Support is the last date on which Cisco Engineering may release 'a planned maintenance release or scheduled software remedy for a security vulnerability issue'. The same bulletin also covers the back-to-front airflow models, the C4KX-NM-8SFP+ network module, the 750W supplies and the fans. Other hardware in the estate can be checked in the server and network end-of-life checker.

What still works after Cisco support ends

There is no Cisco contract option left for the 4500-X: renewals closed in January 2025 and the Last Date of Support has passed. Under Cisco's security vulnerability policy, reports about the 4500-X are still accepted after 31 October 2025, but PSIRT will not analyse, fix or disclose them, nor will any CVE be issued for the product.

With End of Vulnerability/Security Support behind it, the 4500-X will receive no further planned maintenance release or scheduled security remedy from Cisco Engineering, so the IOS XE release running on each unit should be recorded. The 4500-X runs Cisco IOS XE (minimum 3.3.0SG), with 3.4.0SG or later required for VSS, and Cisco last updated its 4500-X data sheet on 31 January 2019, with no newer vendor specification published. Keeping configuration backups for each switch matters more than usual on hardware in this position.

• Since the Last Date of Support (2025-10-31), Cisco PSIRT accepts vulnerability reports but will not analyse, fix or disclose them, and issues no CVEs for this product. (sec.cloudapps.cisco.com)
• End of Vulnerability/Security Support (2025-10-31) has passed. Cisco defines it as the last date that Cisco Engineering may release 'a planned maintenance release or scheduled software remedy for a security vulnerability issue'. (cisco.com)
• The bulletin defines Last Date of Support as the point after which all support services for the product are unavailable and the product becomes obsolete. (cisco.com)

What a maintenance contract needs to cover on the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X

The 4500-X is a fixed 10 Gigabit aggregation switch with a short but specific parts list. The WS-C4500X-32SFP+ has 32 SFP+/SFP ports and the WS-C4500X-16SFP+ has 16, with the SFP+ ports supporting both 10GE and 1GE, and both exist as back-to-front airflow versions (WS-C4500X-F-32SFP+ and WS-C4500X-F-16SFP+). An optional C4KX-NM-8SFP+ module adds eight more 10GE SFP+/SFP ports. Power comes from redundant, hot-swappable 750W AC or 750W DC supplies with AC-to-DC and DC-to-AC failover, and cooling from five field-replaceable fans, where a single fan failure has no performance impact.

A maintenance schedule should record airflow direction, network module and supply type for every unit. EOL13216 lists no replacement for the back-to-front models, the C4KX-NM-8SFP+, the 750W supplies or the fans, and Cisco no longer sells them, so spares now come from the secondary market. Virtual Switching System pairs, up to two switches joined by up to eight virtual switch links at 1GE or 10GE, should be covered together. What third-party maintenance covers sets out the usual scope after a vendor has stepped away: diagnosis, replacement parts and engineers.

Extend or refresh the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X?

Keeping a 4500-X running on hardware break-fix support is a practical bridge where the switch is stable, its VSS pair is healthy and a replacement is already scheduled. Hardware cover restores the ability to swap a failed supply, fan or switch; it does not bring back the security remedies that ended on 31 October 2025. Up to 800 Gbps of system throughput and 250 Mpps of IPv4 routing in hardware may still be adequate for the links it carries; where it is, the pressure to replace comes from the software position rather than from capacity.

For the refresh, EOL13216 named Catalyst 9500 replacements: the C9500-16X for the 16-port model, the C9500-24X for the 24X and the C9500-48Y4C for the 32-port and 40X models. Two of those have since passed End-of-Sale themselves, the C9500-16X and C9500-24X on 30 April 2026 under EOL15621, while the C9500-48Y4C had no hardware end-of-life notice on Cisco's 9500 listing as of 8 October 2026. Cisco's support page for the 4500-X suggests the Catalyst 9300 Series. Check the lifecycle of whichever replacement you shortlist before committing.

• Two of the replacements EOL13216 names, C9500-16X and C9500-24X, have themselves since passed End-of-Sale (2026-04-30, EOL15621). The third, C9500-48Y4C, had no hardware EoL notice on Cisco's Catalyst 9500 EoL listing as of 2026-10-08. (cisco.com)
• EOL13216 lists no replacement for the back-to-front airflow models (WS-C4500X-F-16SFP+ / -F-32SFP+), the C4KX-NM-8SFP+ network module, the 750W AC/DC PSUs or the fans. Cisco no longer sells these parts, so spares for them now come from the secondary market. (cisco.com)
• Cisco's support page shows status 'End of Support' and suggests the Catalyst 9300 Series. (cisco.com)
• Cisco last updated its 4500-X data sheet on 31 Jan 2019 and has published no newer vendor specification. (cisco.com)

Keep your Cisco Catalyst 4500-X 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 bulletin that retired the 4500-X, a series released in January 2012, points forward to named Catalyst 9500 PIDs, while Cisco's support page suggests the Catalyst 9300 Series, whose position is set out on the Catalyst 9300 end of life page. To request a price for cover on the 4500-X units that remain, use the maintenance coverage builder.

• 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 4500-X

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 EOL13216 (updated 18 Jan 2023): End-of-Sale and End-of-Life Announcement for the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X Series Switches — cisco.com
2. Cisco Catalyst 4500-X release — cisco.com
3. sec.cloudapps.cisco.com — sec.cloudapps.cisco.com
4. cisco.com — cisco.com
5. cisco.com — cisco.com

Last reviewed 7 October 2026. Lifecycle dates for the Cisco Catalyst 4500-X are re-verified against Cisco's own notices at each review; a date a vendor has not published is never filled in.