IOS versus IOS XE

Question

    What are the major differences between IOS and IOS XE ?  Is this a big learning curve ?  The reason I'm asking is we are looking aT replacing EOL 3750G's and we aren't sure whether to go to 3750-X  or  go to 3850  (IOS XE) .   We don't really want to go thru another big learning curve like Nexus OS  was  .    It's not really a performance issue as the current 3750G have done the job more than adequately so we don't really need the big performance increase of the 3850's .  That being said I'm not sure what the EOL is for the 3750-X  and we don't want to have to do this again anytime in the near future .  I'm sure the 3850's would get me into my retirement date  :-)  .

Answer 1

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In principle, IOS XE should differ little from the same level of IOS.  What can be more of a change shock, is differences due to features differences between IOS versions (for example, your 3750G might be running 12X while 3850s will likely run 15x) and hardware feature differences (3750G and 3750-X are much more alike than a 3750 and a 3850).
I suspect the 3750-X is getting close to an EoL announcement.  The longer term support prospects should be much better for the 3850 series.