How to Choose a Suitable 10G Switch for Your Network?

“I need a Layer2/Layer3 10Gb switch with 8 or 12 SFP+ ports and a relatively cheap price, and it must support QinQ, MLAG and STP/RSTP/MSTP. Any suggestions?”

Nowadays, questions like this frequently trouble network managers as there are increasing requirements of Ethernet switches. Evidence has shown dramatically growing demands for 10G switches as their prices come down. 10Gb switches with higher Ethernet speeds are quite popular and serve as a leaf switch for network upgrades. This article is a simple guide on how to choose a suitable 10G switch for your network.

Why You Need a 10G Switch?

With a 10Gb switch, network congestion at busy times can be avoided, shortening the response time and improving productivity. This helps overcome some difficulties with 1Gb switches. 10G switches include 10GBASE-T switches and 10Gb SFP+ switches, but a 10Gb SFP+ switch consumes less power and has lower latency than a 10GBASE-T switch.

     " Also check - FS 10G Switches

The power consumption of 10GBASE-T switch is 1.5 to 4 watts per port depending on the distances, while 10GbE SFP switch uses approximately 0.7 watts per port regardless of distances. Moreover, 10G SFP+ switch offers lower latency with about 0.3 microseconds per link. 10GBASE-T switch latency is about 2.6 microseconds per link due to more complex encoding systems within the equipment. With the advantages of low power consumption and latency, 10Gb SFP+ switch is suitable for large high-speed applications.

     " Also check - FS S5860-20SQ, 24-Port Ethernet Layer 3 10Gb Switch

How to Choose a Suitable 10Gb Switch?

Possibly you will get confused by a number of options of 10G switches in the market with different configurations from various vendors. Here is a thorough 10G switch buying guide we've prepared for you.

Switch Port

The first factor to be considered is port, including port types and numbers. 10G switches often come with 10G SFP+ ports, RJ45 or SFP combo ports, and a console port. 10G SFP+ ports are used for uplinking connections and combo ports are deployed for accessing networks. The number of 10G ports often comes with 8, 12, 24 or 48.

Furthermore, the 8-port and 12-port SFP+ switches are commonly used for home or small business. 24-port and 48-port SFP+ switches are mainly deployed in data centers or large enterprise networks. You can choose a suitable one based on your needs.

     " Also check - Get Further Understanding of Ethernet Switch Port Types

Switching Capacity

Switching capacity is an important indicator used to measure the bandwidth and packets per second forwarding capacity of a switch. Definitely the faster the better. But you should know there are no certain relations between the port density and the switching capacity of a 10G switch. You can have a very high port density switch with a low switching capacity.

Or you can have a low port density switch with pretty good switching capacity. Thus, you should not simply look at the port number of a switch when considering the switching capacity, but compare the detailed information carefully.

     " Also check - FS S5800-48T4S, 48-Port Ethernet Layer 3 10G Switch

Power Consumption

The power consumptions of 10Gb switches also vary in different vendors. This is a vital factor needed to be considered for every switch manager, especially in data centers, as the switch and port numbers are both very large. Some 10G switches are configured with independent overload and short circuit protection, and others have LED indicators to show power status.

These can help you better conduct operations. Actually, specific power consumption largely depends on how heavily you deal with the data. Thus, you can choose a 10G switch with relatively low power consumption that can fit your needs.

     " Also check - FS S5850-24S2Q, 24-Port Ethernet Layer 3 10G Switch

Switch Layer

Usually, 10Gb switches work at Layer 2 or Layer 3. A Layer 2 10G switch can only switch packets from one port to another, while a Layer 3 10G switch is capable of both switching and routing, which is the main difference between them.

Thus, a Layer 2 10G switch is a cheap and easy solution for small networks, while a Layer 3 switch with more functions is a better choice for large networks, enabling enterprise networks to be segmented and controlled without loss of bandwidth. Well, it isn’t always the case that a more advanced switch is better. You should choose the most appropriate one for your specific application.

     " Also check - S5850-48S6Q, 48-Port Ethernet Layer 3 10G Switch

Functions

This factor means the highlights of 10Gb switches of different types. 10G switch supports some common features such as MLAG, IPv4/IPv6, VXLAN, NVGRE, SNMP, MSTP, etc, fitting equally in traditional or fully virtualized data centers. Some advanced security features such as Storm Control and IGMP Snooping are also available. They can monitor broadcast, multicast, or unknown unicast traffic to save bandwidth in the network.

Conclusion

The 10Gb switch is a good solution for both home use and data center networks. To choose a suitable switch for your network, you need to have a detailed network plan, figure out your needs and different application scenarios, and consider the above concerns as well.