S6720-52X-PWH-SI

The Huawei S6720-52X-PWH-SI is a high-density, multi-gigabit 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) fixed switch from Huawei’s S6720-SI series. This switch is distinguished by its large number of multi-gigabit copper ports with Power over Ethernet (PoE++) capabilities, making it an excellent choice for modern, high-density network deployments, particularly those involving advanced wireless infrastructure. The “SI” indicates it’s a “Standard Version” with a comprehensive set of Layer 2 and Layer 3 features.

Here’s an introduction to its key features and applications:

Key Features:

• High-Density Multi-Gigabit Base-T Ports with PoE++: This is the defining characteristic of this model. It features a remarkable 48 x 100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10G Base-T Ethernet ports, all supporting PoE++ (802.3bt). This extensive number of multi-gigabit ports with high power output makes it ideal for:
  • Connecting and powering a very large number of high-performance Wi-Fi 6/6E access points (APs) that demand more than 1 Gbps bandwidth and significant power.
  • Supporting other high-power PoE devices such as advanced IP surveillance cameras, video conferencing systems, and thin clients across a large area.
  • The auto-negotiation of speeds provides flexibility for various connected devices, from legacy 100Mbps to bleeding-edge 10Gbps.
• 10GE SFP+ Fixed Uplink Ports: It also includes 4 x 10GE SFP+ ports. These are crucial for providing high-bandwidth uplinks to the aggregation or core layer of the network, ensuring smooth data flow from the high-density access layer. They can also connect to 10GE servers or storage.
• No Extended Slots: Unlike some other S6720-SI models, this particular switch (S6720-52X-PWH-SI) does not support extended slots, meaning its port configuration is fixed.
• Dual Pluggable Power Supplies: The switch is designed with two power supply slots, supporting 1+1 power redundancy. This is vital for ensuring high availability and continuous network operation in mission-critical environments. You would typically purchase the specific AC or DC power modules separately (e.g., for AC, you’d specify the S6720-52X-PWH-SI with AC power modules).
• High Performance:
  • Switching Capacity: 2.56 Tbit/s (terabits per second). This ensures wire-speed, non-blocking forwarding across all its 52 ports, even under heavy traffic loads and with full PoE utilization.
  • Packet Forwarding Rate: 480 Mpps (million packets per second). This is a very high forwarding rate, indicating its ability to process a massive volume of network packets efficiently.
• Comprehensive Security Policies: The switch incorporates a wide array of security features to protect the network from various attacks and unauthorized access:
  • Defense against DoS (Denial of Service), ARP, and ICMP flood attacks.
  • DHCP snooping, IP source check, and strict ARP learning to prevent IP/MAC spoofing and related man-in-the-middle attacks.
  • 802.1X, centralized MAC address authentication, and portal authentication for stringent user and device access control.
  • Port security and MAC address limits to prevent MAC address table exhaustion.
  • CPU defense mechanisms to protect the switch’s control plane.
• Advanced QoS (Quality of Service): It offers sophisticated QoS mechanisms to ensure the priority of critical services:
  • Traffic classification based on various criteria (e.g., 5-tuple, IP precedence, DSCP, VLAN IDs, CoS).
  • Flow-based two-rate three-color CAR (Committed Access Rate).
  • Multiple queue scheduling algorithms (WRR, DRR, PQ, WRR+PQ, DRR+PQ) to guarantee the performance of delay-sensitive services like voice and video.
• High Reliability: To maximize network uptime, it supports numerous redundancy protocols:
  • STP/RSTP/MSTP for loop prevention.
  • RRPP (Rapid Ring Protection Protocol), Smart Link, SEP (Smart Ethernet Protection), and G.8032 ERPS (Ethernet Ring Protection Switching) for rapid protection switchover in various network topologies.
  • Enhanced Trunk (E-trunk) for inter-device link aggregation and load balancing.
  • BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) for rapid fault detection with routing protocols.
• Flexible Management and iStack:
  • iStack Technology: This allows multiple physical switches to be virtualized into a single logical switch, simplifying network management, enhancing scalability, and improving overall network resilience. Any MultiGE or 10GE SFP+ ports can be configured as stack ports (up to 16 physical ports in a stack).
  • Supports various management interfaces, including CLI, Web-based NMS, and SNMPv1/v2c/v3.
  • Features like automatic configuration, plug-and-play, USB-based deployment, and batch remote upgrades streamline operations and maintenance.
• Layer 3 Routing Capabilities: As a “Standard Version” (SI) switch, it provides a comprehensive set of IPv4 and IPv6 routing protocols:
  • IPv4: Static, RIPv1/v2, OSPF, IS-IS, BGP, ECMP, VRRP, policy-based routing.
  • IPv6: Static, RIPng, OSPFv3, IS-ISv6, BGP4+, VRRP6.

Typical Applications:

• High-Density Wireless Access Layer: This is perhaps its most compelling application. With 48 multi-gigabit PoE++ ports, it’s perfectly suited for large-scale deployments of high-performance Wi-Fi 6/6E APs in modern campus environments (universities, large enterprises, public venues).
• High-Density PoE Device Connectivity: Ideal for scenarios requiring a large number of PoE-powered devices, such as extensive IP surveillance networks, large-scale VoIP deployments, or VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) environments utilizing thin clients.
• Data Center Access Layer: Can serve as a high-density access switch for 10GE servers in data centers, particularly where integrated PoE capabilities are also beneficial for server management or other powered devices within the rack.
• Campus Network Access/Aggregation: Functions as a powerful access or aggregation switch in enterprise or educational campus networks, accommodating a wide range of devices and supporting demanding applications.

The S6720-52X-PWH-SI is a top-tier choice for building highly scalable, secure, and resilient networks that can effortlessly handle the demands of multi-gigabit devices and extensive PoE requirements.