The Catalyst 6000 series of modular switches from Cisco took home the silver award in our modular switches category, earning high marks in many of the evaluation criteria, but not enough to top HP ProCurve's 5000 series, which got the gold.

The Catalyst 6000 took top honors in breadth of service modules, raking in good or excellent votes from 83% of users. It also ranked highest for ease of adding or changing modules and services, and ease of installing, configuring and administering, with more than 75% of users rating it good or excellent in both categories. Cisco was also highest ranked in vendor service and support, with more than 77% of users calling it good or excellent.

"These boxes are rock solid! Most have been powered on for well over a year with no interruptions," one reader commented. Another said of the Catalyst 6000 series: "There is a reason this is the standard switch -- it works."

Other users praised the Cisco Catalyst 6000 series by saying, "We never think of using anything else" and "highly reliable and excellent support."