High-Density GE Access, Leading Performance

• Each CE5800 switch provides 48*GE line-speed ports, which facilitates future data center expansion.
• CE5850 is the first GE access switch to provide 40GE uplink ports. CE5850 switches can work with CE12800 switches to build a high-performance data center network that provides 40GE access. The two 40GE uplink ports on CE5850 back up each other to improve system reliability.



Highly Reliable Stacking, Superior Capacity

• The industry's first 16-member stack system:
  A stack system of 16 member switches has more than 768*GE access ports to support high-density server access in a data center.
  Multiple switches in a stack system are virtualized into one logical device, making it possible to build a scalable and easy-to-manage data center network platform.
  A stack system separates the control plane from the data plane. This eliminates the risk of single-point failures and greatly improves system reliability.
• Long-distance flexible stacking:
  CE5800 switches can use either 10GE or 40GE ports as stack ports. A stack system can be established by switches in the same rack or different racks even over long distances.
  The 40GE ports of CE5800 switches can set up large-capacity stack channels so that multiple CE5800 switches can constitute a non-blocking stack system.

Large-Scale Routing Bridge, Flexible Deployment

• All CloudEngine series switches support IETF TRILL protocol and can constitute a large Layer 2 TRILL network with GE/10GE servers. The TRILL network can contain more than 500 nodes, allowing flexible service deployments and large-scale VM migrations.
• The TRILL protocol uses a routing mechanism similar to IS-IS and sets a limited TTL value in packets to prevent Layer 2 loops. This significantly improves network stability and speeds up network convergence.
• On a TRILL network, all data flows are forwarded quickly using shortest path tree (SPF) and equal-cost multipath (ECMP) routing. SPF and ECMP avoid the suboptimal path selection problem in STP and increase the link bandwidth efficiency to 100%.
• Each CE5800 switch supports up to 16 TRILL-based Layer 2 equal-cost paths, greatly improving load balancing capabilities of links. The network has fat-tree architecture to support smooth expansion.



Changeable Air Flow Direction, Innovative Energy-Saving Technologies

• Flexible front-to-rear/rear-to-front ventilation channel design:
  The CE5800 uses a straight ventilation channel design that separates cold air flows from hot air flows to improve heat dissipation efficiency. This is the best ventilation channel design for data center equipment rooms.
  Air can flow from front to rear or rear to front in ventilation channels when different fans and power modules are used.
  Power modules and fans can be configured in redundancy mode to ensure uninterrupted service transmission.
• Innovative energy-saving technologies:
  The CE5800 has innovative energy-saving chips and can measure system power consumption in real time. The fan speed can be adjusted dynamically based on system consumption. These energy-saving technologies reduce O&M costs and contribute toward a greener data center.



Clear Indicators, Simple Maintenance

• Clear indicators:
  Port indicators show the port status and port speeds clearly. The 40GE port indicators can show the states of all the 10GE ports derived from the 40GE ports.
  State and stack indicators on both the front and rear panels enable operators to maintain the switch from either side.
  CE5800 switches support remote positioning. Operators can turn on the remote positioning indicators on the switches they want to maintain, so that they can find these devices easily in an equipment room full of devices.
• Simple maintenance:
  The management port, fans and power modules are on the front panel, which facilitates device maintenance.
  Data ports are located at the rear, facing servers. This simplifies cabling.

Application in a Data Center

On a typical data center network, CE12800 switches work as core switches and CE6800/CE5800 switches work as TOR switches. CE6800/CE5800 switches connect to CE12800 switches through 40GE/10GE ports. The CE12800 and CE6800/CE5800 switches use the TRILL protocol to build a non-blocking Layer 2 network, which allows large-scale VM migrations and flexible service deployments.

Note: The TRILL protocol can also be used on campus networks to support flexible service deployments in different service areas.

Application on a Campus Network

CE5800 switches can be used as aggregation or access switches on a campus network. Their high-density line-speed GE ports, unique 40GE uplink ports and high stacking capabilities can meet the ever-increasing demand for network bandwidth. CE6800 switches are cost-effective campus networks switches, thanks to their abundant service features and innovative energy-saving technologies.

On a typical campus network, two CE12800 switches are virtualized into a logical core switch using the CSS technology. Multiple CE6800 switches at the aggregation layer form a logical switch using the iStack technology. The CSS and iStack technologies improve network reliability and simplify network management. At the access layer, CE5800 switches are stacked using iStack technology to provide high-densities of line-speed ports.

Note: The iStack technology is also widely used in data centers to facilitate network management.