S6720-54C-EI-48S-AC

The Huawei S6720-54C-EI-48S-AC is a high-performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) fixed switch, part of Huawei’s S6720-EI series. The “EI” (Enhanced Version) designation indicates that this switch offers advanced features for large-scale enterprise campus networks, data centers, and metropolitan area networks (MANs), providing rich routing capabilities and robust scalability. The “-AC” suffix confirms that it includes an AC (Alternating Current) power supply.

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

Key Features:

• High-Density 10GE SFP+ Ports: It comes with 48 x 10GE SFP+ fixed ports. This high density of 10 Gigabit fiber ports makes it ideal for connecting a large number of servers in a data center, or for providing 10GE access for high-performance workstations and aggregation of access layer switches in a campus network. These ports generally support auto-sensing down to 1GE speeds for backward compatibility and flexibility.
• High-Bandwidth 40GE QSFP+ Uplink Ports: It includes 2 x 40GE QSFP+ fixed uplink ports. These high-speed ports provide significant bandwidth for uplinks to the core or aggregation layer of your network. Each 40GE QSFP+ port can typically be split into four 10GE SFP+ ports using breakout cables, offering even more flexibility for 10GE connectivity if needed.
• One Extended Slot: The presence of one extended slot allows for future expansion and increased density. This slot can typically accommodate various interface cards, such as a 4-port 40GE QSFP+ interface card or an 8-port 10GE SFP+ interface card, further boosting its uplink or access capabilities.
• Built-in AC Power Supply and Dual Pluggable Slots: The “-AC” means it’s bundled with an AC power supply. More importantly, it features dual pluggable power supply slots, enabling 1+1 power redundancy. This ensures continuous operation and high availability, as the switch can continue to function even if one power supply unit fails. You would typically install two AC power modules (e.g., 600W AC power modules) for full redundancy.
• High Performance:
  • Switching Capacity: 2.56 Tbit/s (Terabits per second). This very high capacity ensures non-blocking, wire-speed forwarding across all its ports, capable of handling demanding traffic loads.
  • Packet Forwarding Rate: 1,080 Mpps (Million packets per second). This indicates its extremely efficient processing of a large volume of network packets.
• Advanced Layer 2 & Layer 3 Features (EI Version): As an “EI” series switch, it offers a rich set of networking protocols and capabilities, making it suitable for complex network architectures:
  • Comprehensive Layer 3 Routing: Supports a wide range of IPv4 and IPv6 routing protocols, including Static, RIP, OSPF, IS-IS, BGP, VRRP, ECMP, and policy-based routing. This enables efficient network segmentation, inter-VLAN routing, and complex network designs.
  • Large MAC Address Table: Supports a large MAC address table (e.g., 288k MAC address entries), suitable for high-density environments.
• Robust Security Policies: It integrates extensive security features to safeguard the network:
  • Defense against DoS (Denial of Service), ARP, and ICMP flood attacks.
  • DHCP snooping, IP source guard, and strict ARP learning to prevent IP/MAC spoofing.
  • 802.1X, MAC address authentication, and portal authentication for granular user and device access control.
  • MACsec (Media Access Control Security) for encryption of Ethernet frames.
• Sophisticated QoS (Quality of Service): Provides advanced QoS mechanisms to prioritize critical services and ensure performance:
  • Flexible traffic classification based on various criteria (e.g., 5-tuple, IP precedence, DSCP, VLAN IDs).
  • 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 traffic like voice and video.
• High Reliability: Designed for maximum network uptime with 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.
  • E-trunk for inter-device link aggregation and load balancing.
  • BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) for quick fault detection.
• Flexible Management and iStack:
  • iStack Technology: This feature allows multiple physical switches to be virtualized into a single logical switch, greatly simplifying management, enabling higher scalability, and improving overall network resilience. Any 10GE SFP+ or 40GE QSFP+ ports can be configured as stack ports.
  • Supports various management interfaces, including CLI, Web-based NMS, and SNMPv1/v2c/v3, for versatile network administration.
  • Features like automatic configuration, plug-and-play, USB-based deployment, and remote upgrades simplify operations and maintenance.
• Compact Design: The switch has a compact size (e.g., 220 mm depth in some variants, fitting into 300mm deep cabinets), saving installation space.

Typical Applications:

• Data Center Access Layer: The high density of 10GE SFP+ ports makes it an excellent choice for providing high-bandwidth access to servers in data center racks, with the 40GE uplinks connecting to spine or aggregation switches.
• Campus Network Aggregation/Core: Can function as a core or aggregation switch in large enterprise or educational campus networks, aggregating traffic from access layer switches and providing high-speed connectivity to the rest of the network.
• Metro Ethernet Networks: Its robust Layer 3 features and high performance make it suitable for certain aggregation points within metropolitan area networks (MANs).

The S6720-54C-EI-48S-AC is a powerful and reliable solution for building high-performance, scalable, and secure networks that demand substantial 10GE and 40GE connectivity.