FS S5860-20SQ vs. S5850-24S2Q: A Detailed Comparison to Help You Decide

In today's fast-paced digital world, choosing the right network switch is crucial for ensuring efficient and reliable connectivity. The FS S5860-20SQ and S5850-24S2Q are two high-performance 10G switches designed to meet the demands of various network environments. This article aims to comprehensively compare these two switches, focusing on their specifications, performance, features, and application scenarios. By the end of this article, you'll have a clear understanding of which switch is best suited for your network needs.

Product Specifications

To start, let's take a look at the primary specifications of the S5860-20SQ and S5850-24S2Q. Below is a table summarizing their key features:

Performance Comparison: S5860-20SQ vs. S5850-24S2Q

When comparing the performance of the S5860-20SQ and S5850-24S2Q, several key metrics come into play: switching capacity, forwarding rate, throughput, and stacking capability.

Switching Capacity and Forwarding Rate

The S5860-20SQ offers a higher switching capacity of 760 Gbps and a forwarding rate of 565 Mpps, compared to the S5850-24S2Q's 640 Gbps switching capacity and 480 Mpps forwarding rate. The greater switching capacity and forwarding rate enable the S5860-20SQ to handle more simultaneous data streams and ensure smoother, more efficient network performance, especially in enterprise settings where data traffic is heavy and varied.

Throughput

Both switches deliver excellent throughput, ensuring efficient data transfer across the network. Throughput is crucial for maintaining the speed and reliability of data communication within the network. However, the S5860-20SQ's higher switching capacity and forwarding rate provide a distinct advantage in handling larger volumes of data with minimal latency. This means that in scenarios where large amounts of data are being transferred, such as in data centers or high-performance computing environments, the S5860-20SQ can maintain optimal performance without bottlenecks, ensuring smooth and fast data transmission.

Stacking Capability

Both the S5860-20SQ and S5850-24S2Q support stacking, a feature that allows multiple switches to operate as a single unit. This enhances network scalability and simplifies management, making it easier to expand the network as needed without significant reconfiguration. The stacking capability ensures that both switches can be seamlessly integrated into growing network environments. By supporting stacking, these switches provide flexibility and efficiency in network design, allowing for easy expansion and management of network resources as organizational needs evolve. Stacking also improves network redundancy and reliability, ensuring continuous operation even if one of the stacked switches fails.

Feature Comparison: S5860-20SQ vs. S5850-24S2Q

Network Management and Monitoring

Both switches offer comprehensive network management features, including CLI and web-based management, allowing for versatile and user-friendly configuration and monitoring. Additionally, the S5860-20SQ supports SSH, providing a secure method for remote management and ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of network communications.

In terms of monitoring capabilities, the S5860-20SQ supports SNMP, RMON, and Syslog, enabling efficient network monitoring, performance analysis, and fault detection. The S5850-24S2Q, on the other hand, supports a more extensive set of monitoring protocols, including SNMP, RMON, OAM, SSH, and SSL, offering enhanced security features and comprehensive network management. These robust management options provide network administrators with the flexibility and control needed to efficiently manage and optimize network configurations, ensuring high performance and reliability.

Security Features and Advanced Routing

Security is a critical aspect of any network switch. Both the S5860-20SQ and S5850-24S2Q come equipped with advanced security features such as 802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS+, AAA, and ACLs, providing comprehensive protection against unauthorized access. Additionally, they support advanced routing features like OSPF, BGP, and VRRP, ensuring robust and secure network operations with enhanced routing efficiency and redundancy. These capabilities make both switches ideal for maintaining secure, high-performance, and reliable network environments.

Energy Efficiency and Cooling

Energy efficiency and effective cooling are essential for maintaining network performance and reducing operational costs. Both switches are equipped with energy-saving features and smart fans, which operate at variable speeds to optimize cooling. The front-to-back airflow design ensures superior cooling while reducing noise and power consumption.

Additionally, they feature 1+1 hot-swappable power supplies, allowing PSUs to be removed or replaced without shutting down the system. These features work together to minimize energy usage and enhance overall network efficiency.

Application Scenarios

S5860-20SQ: Data Centers and High-Performance Computing Environments

The S5860-20SQ is ideally suited for data centers and high-performance computing environments. Its high port density, combined with 40G uplinks, makes it perfect for handling the high bandwidth requirements of data-intensive applications. The advanced features and robust performance of the S5860-20SQ ensure efficient and reliable network operations.

The S5860-20SQ positioned at the core of the network connects to two S3910-24TS switches, each 24-port GbE L2+ switches, positioned at the access layer. The core switch, S5860-20SQ, utilizes a 40Gbps link to connect to the access switches via 40G to 4x10G fiber connections, providing 10Gbps links to each access switch. The S3910-24TS switches are interlinked for redundancy and connect to end devices, such as PCs, via Gigabit Ethernet. This setup ensures high-speed, reliable, and scalable network connectivity from the core to the access layer.

S5850-24S2Q: Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises and Branch Networks

The S5850-24S2Q is designed for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and branch networks. With its versatile 10G and 40G port options, it provides the necessary connectivity and performance for SME networks. The advanced routing and security features, along with its stacking capability, make it a flexible and scalable solution for growing network demands.

The S5850-24S2Q switch can be used in the aggregation layer. It connects to the core switch, the S5860-48SC, a 48-port 10GbE L3 switch, via multiple 10Gbps links. This setup ensures high-speed data transfer and efficient aggregation of network traffic, enhancing overall network performance and scalability.

Conclusion and Recommendation

In conclusion, both switches offer energy-efficient designs and advanced routing capabilities, catering to the diverse needs of modern network infrastructures.

• S5860-20SQ: This switch excels in high-performance environments like data centers and high-performance computing. It offers superior switching capacity, forwarding rate, and advanced management features such as SNMP and SSH. It's ideal for enterprises needing scalable and reliable network performance, especially where high bandwidth and low latency are critical.

• S5850-24S2Q: This switch is well-suited for small to medium-sized enterprises and branch networks. It provides versatile connectivity with 10G and 40G ports, emphasizing comprehensive security features and extensive monitoring capabilities (SNMP, RMON, OAM, SSH, SSL). Its stacking capability enhances scalability, making it adaptable to evolving network needs.