S6720-54C-EI-48S-DC

The Huawei S6720-54C-EI-48S-DC 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 beyond the “LI” (Lite) or “SI” (Standard) versions, including richer routing capabilities, larger MAC address tables, and more robust scalability, making it suitable for large-scale enterprise campus networks, data centers, and metropolitan area networks (MANs).

The key differentiator here is the “-DC” suffix, which means it is equipped with a DC (Direct Current) power supply, making it suitable for environments where DC power infrastructure is preferred or standard, such as telecommunications facilities or specific data center designs.

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

Key Features:

• High-Density 10GE SFP+ Ports: It features 48 x 10GE SFP+ fixed ports. This high density of 10 Gigabit fiber ports is 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 typically support auto-negotiation down to 1GE speeds for flexibility.
• High-Bandwidth 40GE QSFP+ Uplink Ports: It includes 2 x 40GE QSFP+ fixed uplink ports. These high-speed ports provide substantial bandwidth for uplinks to the core or aggregation layer of your network. Each 40GE QSFP+ port can usually be split into four 10GE SFP+ ports using breakout cables, offering even more flexibility for 10GE connectivity if required.
• 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 (e.g., ES5D21Q04Q01) or an 8-port 10GE SFP+ interface card (e.g., ES5D21X08S00), further boosting its uplink or access capabilities.
• Built-in DC Power Supply and Dual Pluggable Slots: The “-DC” means it comes with an integrated DC power supply. Crucially, it features dual pluggable power supply slots, enabling 1+1 power redundancy. This is vital for ensuring continuous operation and high availability, as the switch can function even if one DC power supply unit fails. Common compatible DC power modules include the PDC-350WA-B.
• 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.
  • MPLS and VPLS support: The “EI” series typically supports MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) and VPLS (Virtual Private LAN Service), enabling carrier-grade VPN services and more sophisticated traffic engineering.
• 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 hardware-based encryption of Ethernet frames between devices.
  • CPU defense mechanisms to protect the control plane.
• 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) and WRED (Weighted Random Early Detection) for congestion avoidance, ensuring high-quality voice, video, and data services.
• 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 millisecond-level protection switchover in various network topologies.
  • E-trunk for inter-device link aggregation and load balancing.
  • BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) for rapid 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 (up to 16 10GE or 6 40GE physical ports in a stack).
  • 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.

Typical Applications:

• Data Center Access Layer (DC Power Environments): The high density of 10GE SFP+ ports and DC power capability make it an excellent choice for providing high-bandwidth access to servers in data center racks, particularly in facilities that standardize on DC power infrastructure. The 40GE uplinks connect to spine or aggregation switches.
• Telecommunications Rooms and Central Offices: Ideal for deployment in telecommunications facilities where DC power is the standard for power distribution, providing high-speed aggregation for various network services.
• 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, especially if the campus infrastructure utilizes DC power.

The S6720-54C-EI-48S-DC is a powerful, reliable, and feature-rich solution for building scalable, secure, and highly available 10GE networks, particularly suited for environments where DC power is the preferred or required power source.