There is nothing more important
than our customers.
Product Overview
Designed for customers seeking industry-leading performance, rock-solid reliability, and embedded
voice/video/data priority, the Enterasys A-Series delivers line-rate switching along with advanced
priority features. The Enterasys A2 is a high-performance, fast ethernet edge switch that provides
scalable, wire-rate performance in support of the bandwidth-intensive and delay-sensitive
requirements of today’s demanding applications. With support for 8,000 MAC addresses, the A2 is
an excellent choice for environments that require complete multi-layer switching capabilities and
support for high density (10/100Base-T, 100Base-FX) Ethernet ports. The A2 is well-suited for 100 Mbps
networks that may also require Gigabit Ethernet uplink connections. In addition to its complete
multi-layer switching capabilities, the A2 also provides multi-layer packet classification and priority
queuing for differentiated services. Along with a switch capacity of 17.6 Gbps, the A2 provides up to
48 10/100Base-T or 24 100Base-FX Ethernet ports as well as two 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports,
which can be used as uplink or stacking connections. As many as 8 A2s can be interconnected
in a single stack to create a virtual switch that provides 140.8 Gbps of capacity and up to 384
10/100Base-T or 192 100Base-FX Ethernet ports as well as 32 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports for
uplink or stacking connections.
Robust Quality of Service (QoS) features enable strong support for integrated multimedia networks,
including Voice over IP (VoIP) and video, as well as all types of data-intensive applications. The A2
provides 8 hardware-based priority queues for each Ethernet port to support a suite of differentiated
services with as many as 8 distinct priority levels. In conjunction with its non-blocking L2 switching
architecture, the A2’s intelligent queuing mechanisms ensure that mission-critical applications
receive prioritized access to network resources.
The A2 provides a secure network by utilizing its authentication and security features, which can be
applied at the port level or at the user level. The A2 supports a single user/device per port, which
can be authenticated via IEEE 802.1X or MAC address.
The A-Series provides high port density in a 1u footprint and is environmentally friendly by design.
By maximizing port density within a given amount of rack space, the A2 minimizes its cooling
requirements. The A2’s overall electrical requirement is further reduced by a low current draw and
an extreme tolerance for high environmental temperatures. A highly-scalable architecture and a
lifetime warranty ensures that an A2 network investment will sustain a secure, feature-rich, and
cost-effective network well into the future.
There is nothing more important
than our customers.
Benefits
Business Alignment
• Granular QoS capabilities support
converged multimedia networks
• Reliable network operation for mission-
critical applications
Operational Efficiency
•
Scalable architecture supports
continued growth of network capacity
• Consolidated management capabilities
reduce network operational expenses
• Security capabilities without the
high overhead
Security
•
Network access secured by 802.1x
and MAC address authentication
methods
• Network security maintained
concurrently with user mobility
• Architecture designed with integral
network security
Support and Service
• Industry-leading customer satisfaction
and first call resolution rates
• Personalized services, including site
surveys, network design, installation,
and training
• Lifetime warranty
High-availability design assures
reliable network operations
Granular QoS capabilities support
converged multimedia networks
PoE supports a variety of
network devices
Investment protection via lifetime
warranty
140.8 Gbps capacity and
104.8 Mpps
A-Series
Fast Ethernet Stackable L2 Switch
DATASHEET
