In particular, the Brocade HyperEdge
™
Architecture allows premium switch features
and services to be shared with entry-level
switches (Brocade ICX 6450 only). The
Brocade ICX switches also are hardware-
capable for easy software implementation
(software available in a future release) of
emerging security (IEEE 802.1AE MACsec)
and energy savings (IEEE 802.3az EEE)
standards, helping to protect today’s
investments while supporting tomorrow’s
needs.
Brocade ICX 6430 and 6450 Switches
come with three years of technical support
from the Brocade Technical Assistance
Center and software maintenance updates.
With these capabilities, organizations gain
peace of mind while freeing up IT budget
and resources to grow their businesses.
AUTOMATED DEPLOYMENT
AND MANAGEMENT
Brocade ICX 6430 and 6450 Switches
help simplify network deployment and
management by enabling auto-discovery of
new Brocade ICX switches within the stack.
IT organizations can auto-configure switches
using pre-set instructions on the network. To
further simplify management, these stacked
switches collectively utilize only a single IP
address and offer transparent forwarding
across the stack.
By embedding sFlow capabilities into the
Brocade ICX 6450, Brocade delivers an
“always-on” monitoring technology that
operates with wire-speed performance.
sFlow dramatically reduces implementation
complexity compared to traditional network
monitoring solutions that rely on mirrored
ports, probes, and line-tap technologies.
HIGH AVAILABILITY AND RESILIENCY
Brocade Ethernet switch stacking
technology helps IT organizations meet
growing user demand by delivering
high availability through real-time state
synchronization across the stack and
instantaneous hitless failover support.
In addition, organizations can use hot-
insertion and removal of stack members
to avoid interrupting network service
when adding or replacing a switch. High-
performance Link Aggregation Groups
(LAGs) increase 10 GbE uplink bandwidth
and redundancy to the core, giving users
uninterrupted high performance to support
the most demanding applications. Brocade
ICX 6430 and 6450 Switches also offer an
external power supply for added resiliency
and increased PoE/PoE+ port availability
(see Figure 3).
STACKING TECHNOLOGY FOR THE
MOST DEMANDING CAMPUS LAN
ENVIRONMENTS
Brocade Ethernet switch stacking
technology makes it possible to stack up
to eight Brocade ICX 6450 Switches into a
single logical switch (except the Brocade
ICX 6450-C), providing simple and robust
expandability for future growth at the
network edge. This stacked switch has only
a single IP address to simplify management
and offers transparent forwarding across
a pool of up to 384 1 GbE ports and 32
10 GbE ports. When new switches join the
stack, they automatically inherit the stack’s
existing configuration file, enabling true
plug-and-play network expansion. Flexible
licensing of 1 GbE to 10 GbE ports for
uplink and stacking allows organizations to
optimize network performance based on
specific requirements. Brocade stacking
technology also delivers high availability,
enabling instantaneous hitless failover to a
standby stack controller if the master
stack controller fails. In addition,
organizations can use hot-insertion
and removal of stack members to
avoid interrupting network services.
For networks with lower bandwidth
requirements, the Brocade ICX 6430 offers
the same rugged stacking capability (except
the Brocade ICX 6430-C) at a reduced price,
providing a lower-density solution of up to
192 1 GbE access ports with 16 1 GbE
uplink and stacking ports, and a maximum
stack height of four switches.
Built to Power Next-Generation
Edge Devices
The Brocade ICX 6430 and 6450 can
deliver both PoE power and data across
network connections, providing a single-
cable solution for the latest edge devices
(see Figure 4). Brocade ICX switches are
compatible with industry-standard Voice
over IP (VoIP) equipment as well as legacy
IP phones. In addition, they support the
PoE+ standard (IEEE 802.3at) to provide up
to Class 4 (30 watts) power to each device.
This high-powered solution simplifies wiring
for next-generation edge devices, such
as video conferencing and VoIP phones,
surveillance cameras, and 802.11n wireless
Access Points (APs). The PoE capability
reduces the number of power receptacles
and power adapters while increasing
reliability and wiring flexibility. The Brocade
ICX 6450 can provide PoE power to all ports
and PoE+ (30 watts) to all ports when an
external power supply is deployed.
Figure 1.
Brocade ICX 6450 Switches support four dual-mode
1 GbE/10 GbE SFP/SFP+ ports for uplink and stacking,
and up to 48 1 GbE RJ-45 ports. Brocade ICX 6430-24
and 6430-48 Switches support four 1 GbE SFP ports for
uplink and stacking to provide a cost-optimized solution
for lower-traffic networks.
Figure 2.
The Brocade ICX 6430-C and ICX 6450-C Compact Switches
support two 1 GbE RJ-45 and two 1 GbE SFP ports for uplink
and 12 1 GbE RJ-45 ports with four PoE/PoE+ capable ports in
a compact and fanless design—ideal for deployment outside the
wiring closet. The ICX 6450-C can be powered either from its
internal power supply or with POE/PoE+, through its two RJ45
uplink ports enabling the switch to be deployed in environments
where no AC power outlet is present.
