VSP and VOSS Switches
Virtual Services Platform 8400
Flexible, Compact Form-Factor Ethernet Switch Designed to Deliver Sophisticated Functionality for Mid-Sized Enterprises
Product Highlights
- High-performance 10/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet Switch
- Flexible pay-as-you-grow semi-modular design
- Flexibly supports high-density 10 Gigabit, 40 Gigabit, 100 Gigabit, and Combination modules
- At home in both the Campus Core and as the Spine Switch in a Data Center Spine/Leaf Top-of-Rack deployment
- Efficient compact form-factor that reduces power and footprint consumption
- Supports both conventional Routed IP and/or Fabric-based network deployments
- Delivers high-end functionality, performance, and scalability while helping to avoid the traditional "Chassis Tax"
The VSP 8400 Series introduces the Compact Form-Factor Ethernet Switch to address the unique networking need of mid-sized enterprises. The Compact Form-Factor design transforms the cost/benefit proposition for the mid-sized core switch; delivering higher port density, better price/ port, enhanced power efficiency, smaller physical footprint, and easy scalability. Essentially, it gives mid-sized enterprises a solution that fits their needs, while avoiding the ‘Chassis Tax’ associated with larger modular chassis options.
By tightly integrating the switching hardware with Extreme Networks’ proven VSP Operating System, the VSP 8400 delivers a compelling package of enhanced functionality and robustness. It supports Extreme Networks’ innovative Fabric Connect technology, as well as conventional IPv4 and IPv6 routing, to satisfy a range of deployment scenarios. This enables businesses to easily transition from inefficient legacy technologies to an agile solution that dramatically reduces operational overhead and total cost of ownership.
The VSP 8400 shares the same next-generation hardware and software technology as the existing VSP 8200 Series. This positions the product line to support both today’s requirements and tomorrow’s emerging needs.
Benefits
Introducing the Compact Form-Factor concept, the VSP 8400 provides a very high-capacity, high-performance connectivity solution for mid-sized campus networks.
The VSP 8400 also natively supports the Extreme Networks Fabric Connect technology, whose benefits include:
- Makes the need to configure network-wide VLANs obsolete
- Replaces multiple legacy protocols with this one single unified technology
- Removes the risk of network loops
- Delivers an Edge-only provisioning model that seamlessly integrates with orchestration and automation
- Fully optimizing all links and all devices enabling businesses to get the most out of infrastructure investments
Traditionally, provisioning new network services requires engineers to touch every device in the service path, configuring each device to enable both the active and redundant links. The bigger the network, the more complex and risky this becomes.
Leveraging Fabric Connect delivers fundamental change. Rather than the network appearing as a mass of individual devices it becomes a single cloud, so that engineers only need to touch the unique device that is providing service directly to the end-point. Fabric Connect instantly propagates all of the end-point's service attributes to every other node within the cloud.
- Flexible support for up to 96 ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet,24 ports of 40 Gigabit Ethernet or up to 8 ports of 100 Gigabit Ethernet
- Hot-swappable Ethernet Switch Modules
- Non-blocking, wire-speed switching architecture
- Integrated design that is optimized for low latency
- Flexible table architecture delivers MAC, ARP, and IP Routing scalability
- Feature-rich support for conventional VLAN, Link Aggregation, Spanning Tree technologies
- Supportfor IP Routing techniques including Static, RIP, OSPF, eBGP, BGP+, ECMP, DvR/VRRP, PIM-SM/ SSM, and VRF. Additionally, supports Static, RIPng, OSPFv3, BGPv6 Peering, ECMP, VRRP, and VRF for IPv6 deployments
- IPv6-optimized hardware
- Extreme Networks Switch Cluster technology supports Triangle and Square configurations, with both Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality
- Extreme Networks Fabric Connect technology supports L2 Virtual Service Networks (VSNs), Layer 3 Virtual Service Networks, Inter-VSN Routing, IP Shortcut Routing, IP Multicast-over-Fabric Connect and Fabric Connect-PIM Gateway, Fabric Attach Server and Client, Fabric Extend, and Zero-Touch Fabric Connect
- MACsec and Enhanced Security Mode options
- High Availability Power and
Cooling
- Up to 2 field-replaceable, hot-swappable AC or DC internal Power Supplies
- 4 field-replaceable fan modules
The VSP 8400 Ethernet Switch provides four front-panel slots that support the flexible deployment of high-density VSP 8400 Series Ethernet Switch Modules. By default, the VSP 8400 is a “zero port” system, with a Chassis that integrates the switching fabric and all associated control and management electronics. Ethernet interfaces are delivered by the addition of one or more field-replaceable and hot-swappable Ethernet Switch Modules (ESMs).
Extreme Networks has expanded the capability of the VSP 8400 Series with the introduction of the VSP 8404C 100G-capable Chassis. This variant features a new switching fabric that has been specifically optimized to support 100 Gigabit Ethernet and the companion 8402CQ 2-port 100 Gigabit Ethernet ESM. In every other respect, the new VSP 8404C Chassis is identical to the original VSP 8400: form, fit, and function; power and cooling, size and weight.
In this manner, the VSP 8400 provides a low-cost, pay-as-you-grow solution formid-sized businesses that wish to retain a high degree of flexibility as they develop solutions for their networking requirements.
TheVSP 8400 Series Ethernet Switch odules are as follows:
- 8402CQ 2-port 100 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP28 ESM
- 8408QQ8-port 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ ESM
- 8418XSQ 16-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ and 2-port 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ Combo ESM
- 8418XTQ 16-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 and 2-port 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ Combo ESM
- 8424XS 24-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ ESM
- 8424XT 24-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ESM
- 8424GS 24-port Gigabit Ethernet SFP ESM
- 8424GT 24-port Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ESM
It should also be noted (refer to the product technical documentation for further details):
- 8402CQ 100 Gigabit ESM is supported only in the VSP 8404C, not in the VSP 8400
- 40 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP+ ports support Channelization and can therefore be individually subdivided into four 10 Gigabit Ethernet channels
- 10 Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ ports also support a wide range of 1 Gigabit Ethernet SFP Transceivers
- 10 Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports also support 100/1000Mbps connectivity
- Gigabit Ethernet SFP ports support a wide range of 1 Gigabit Ethernet SFP Transceivers
- Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports support 10/100/1000Mbps connectivity
The innovative design leverages an advanced chip set, featuring 2.56Tbps of switching and 1,428Mpps of frame forwarding performance.
From a software perspective, the VSP 8400 Series was introduced with the VOSS 4.2 software release; this is, therefore, the minimum level of software available to operate the switch. VOSS 7.1 and later releases deliver the following major enhancements:
- Application Telemetry: A unique feature of ExtremeAnalytics that enables the ExtremeSwitching infrastructure to participate in the forwarding and analysis of network application flows. By combining packet flow information from the VSP switch along with deep packet inspection abilities of ExtremeAnalytics, it provides actionable insights into network and application performance. This all without the need for expensive sensors or collectors. With this release, an Application Telemetry agent on the VSP can now work in tandem with ExtremeAnalytics to deliver this granular visibility into application performance, users, locations and devices.
- VXLAN VTEP Hardware Configuration and Management using OVSDB.