S6720S-26Q-SI-24S-AC

The Huawei S6720S-26Q-SI-24S-AC is a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) fixed switch that is part of Huawei’s S6720-SI series. This model is designed for high-performance applications in campus networks and data centers, offering a balance of 10GE access and 40GE uplink capabilities. The “SI” signifies that it’s a “Standard Version” with a comprehensive set of Layer 2 and Layer 3 features, and the “-AC” denotes that it comes with an integrated AC power supply.

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

Key Features:

• 24 x 10GE SFP+ Ports: These provide high-density 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, ideal for connecting servers, high-performance workstations, or for acting as an aggregation point for other access layer switches. These ports generally support auto-negotiation down to 1GE speeds for flexibility.
• 2 x 40GE QSFP+ Uplink Ports: These two 40 Gigabit Ethernet ports serve as high-bandwidth uplinks, enabling the switch to connect to the core or aggregation layer of the network with significant throughput. Each 40GE QSFP+ port can typically be split into four 10GE SFP+ ports using breakout cables, effectively providing additional 10GE ports if needed.
• Built-in AC Power Supply: The “-AC” suffix indicates that the switch is equipped with an integrated AC power supply, allowing for direct connection to standard electrical outlets.
• Dual Pluggable Power Supplies: The switch supports dual pluggable power supplies for 1+1 power redundancy, ensuring high availability and continuous operation even if one power supply unit fails.
• No Extended Slot: This particular model has a fixed port configuration and does not support additional extended slots for modular interface cards.
• High Performance:
  • Switching Capacity: 2.56 Tbit/s (terabits per second). This substantial switching capacity ensures wire-speed, non-blocking forwarding across all ports, even under heavy traffic loads.
  • Packet Forwarding Rate: 240 Mpps (million packets per second). This metric highlights its efficient processing of a large volume of network packets.
• Comprehensive Security Features: The switch is designed with robust security measures to protect the network from various threats:
  • Defense against DoS (Denial of Service), ARP, and ICMP attacks.
  • DHCP Snooping, IP Source Check, and strict ARP learning.
  • 802.1X authentication, centralized MAC address authentication, and portal authentication for strong user and device access control.
  • Port security to limit MAC address learning.
• Advanced Quality of Service (QoS): It offers sophisticated QoS capabilities to ensure the performance of critical applications:
  • Traffic classification based on various criteria (e.g., 5-tuple, IP preference, DSCP, VLAN ID, CoS).
  • CAR (Committed Access Rate) for bandwidth control.
  • Multiple queue scheduling algorithms (WRR, DRR, PQ, WRR+PQ, DRR+PQ) to prioritize voice, video, and data traffic effectively.
• High Reliability: The switch incorporates various mechanisms to ensure network uptime and resilience:
  • STP/RSTP/MSTP for loop prevention.
  • RRPP, Smart Link, SEP, G.8032 ERPS for fast (millisecond-level) switchover in ring or tree topologies, minimizing service interruption.
  • E-trunk for inter-device link aggregation and load balancing.
  • BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) for rapid fault detection.
• Flexible Management and iStack:
  • iStack Technology: Allows multiple physical switches to be virtualized into a single logical switch, simplifying management and providing greater scalability. Any 10GE SFP+ or 40GE QSFP+ ports can be configured as stack ports.
  • Multiple Management Interfaces: Supports CLI, Web NMS, and SNMPv1/v2c/v3.
  • Automated Deployment: Features like automatic configuration, plug-and-play, USB-based deployment, and batch remote upgrades streamline operations.
• Layer 3 Routing Capabilities: Provides essential IPv4 routing (Static, RIP, OSPF, IS-IS, BGP, VRRP, policy-based routing) and IPv6 routing (Static, RIPng, OSPFv3, BGP4+, ISISv6) for network segmentation and efficient inter-VLAN communication.

What about the “S” in S6720S?

While the S6720-SI series generally refers to multi-gigabit fixed switches, the “S” in S6720S-26Q-SI-24S-AC often indicates a specific variant within the series. In some Huawei product lines, the “S” might suggest a more compact design or a slightly specialized configuration compared to the non-“S” models. However, for this specific model, the core specifications like port count, switching capacity, and forwarding performance are generally consistent with the broader S6720-SI capabilities for 10GE access and 40GE uplinks. It’s essentially a specific model within the S6720-SI range.

Typical Applications:

• 10GE Access Layer in Campus Networks: A perfect fit for providing high-bandwidth access to servers and high-performance user groups within large enterprise or educational campus environments, with the 40GE ports providing robust uplinks to the distribution or core layers.
• Data Center Access Layer: Ideal for connecting racks of 10GE servers in a data center, with the 40GE uplinks providing high-capacity connections to spine or aggregation switches, facilitating efficient east-west and north-south traffic flow.

The S6720S-26Q-SI-24S-AC is a reliable and high-performing switch for building robust 10GE networks.