Introduction to FS N-Series Bare Metal Switches

Posted on Feb 22, 2024 by

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In the ever-evolving world of networking, White Box Switches have emerged as high-performance, customizable network devices with a wide range of applications. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the FS N5850, N8550, and N9550 series switches, delving into their hardware and software features, comparing their differences, and offering guidance on selecting the right product for different applications, along with the services provided by our company.

FS N-Series Bare Metal Switches at a Glance

The table below shows all the N-series bare metal switches and FS provides. Each of them supports the PicOS® and SONiC network operating systems. Moreover, FS also provides optional PicOS® License & Service.

Type	Product	Port	Switching Capacity	Airflow	Forwarding Rate	Power Supplies	Fan	Management
N9550 Series	N9550-64D	64x 400G QSFP-DD	51.2 Tbps full duplex	Front-to-Back	10300 Mpps	4 (3+1 Redundancy)	6 (5+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System
N9550 Series	N9550-32D	32x 400G QSFP-DD	12.8 Tbps	Front-to-Back	5210 Mpps	2 (1+1 Redundancy)	6 (5+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System
N8550 Series	N8550-48B8C	48x 25G SFP28, 2x 10Gb SFP+, 8x 100G QSFP28	4 Tbps full duplex	Back-to-Front	2900 Mpps	2 (1+1 Redundancy)	6 (5+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System
	N8550-32C	32x 100G QSFP28, 2x 10Gb SFP+	6.4 Tbps full duplex	Back-to-Front	4700 Mpps	2 (1+1 Redundancy)	6 (5+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System
	N8550-24CD8D	24x 200G QSFP56, 8x 400G QSFP-DD	8.0 Tbps	Front-to-Back	5350 Mpps	2 (1+1 Redundancy)	6 (5+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System
	N8550-64C	64x 100G QSFP28	6.4 Tbps full duplex	Front-to-Back	4.2 bpps	2(1+1 Redundancy)	4(3+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System
N5850 Series	N5850-48S6C	48x 10G SFP+, 6x 100G QSFP28	1.08 Tbps	Front-to-Back	964.28 Mpps	2(1+1 Redundancy)	5 (4+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System
	N5850-48S6Q	48x 10G SFP+, 6x 40G QSFP+	1.44 Tbps full duplex	Back-to-Front	1000 Mpps	2(1+1 Redundancy)	5 (4+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System
	N5850-48X6C	48x 10G RJ-45, 6x 100G QSFP28	1.08 Tbps	Front-to-Back	964.28 Mpps	2(1+1 Redundancy)	5(4+1 Redundancy)	Support PicOS® and SONiC Network Operating System

Comparative Analysis of N-Series Switches

N9550 Switches: N9550 Network switches are spine switches with 400Gb QSFP-DD (Except N9550-32D, each QSFP-DD port also supports 1x 100GbE, or via breakout cables4x 100GbE or 4x 25GbE), providing high-density availability. Built with a reliable Broadcom chipset and hot-swappable redundancies, they are equipped with EVPN-VXLAN and MLAG features through software.
N8550 Switches: N8550 Ethernet switches are ideal for small and medium data centers and large enterprise networks. They are TOR (Top-of-Rack) or leaf switches with 100Gb QSFP28. Each QSFP port is capable of 40Gb or 100Gb for high-density availability and uplink options, or via breakout cables 4x 25G or 4x 10G (Except N8550-24CD8D, which features 24x 200Gb QSFP56 and 8x 400Gb QSFP-DD).
N5850 Switches: N5850 White Box switches are TOR (Top-of-Rack) or leaf switches with flexible 10/100GbE interface speeds (Except N5850-48S6Q, which features 48x 10Gb SFP+ and 6x 40Gb QSFP+).

白盒交换机

FS N-Series Bare Metal Switches	Speed	Throughout	Type	Application
N9550 Series	25/100/400GbE interface speeds	Higher throughput compared to the N8550 series.	Spine switches	Data centers
N8550 Series	10/25/40/100/200/400GbE interface speeds	Higher throughput compared to the N5850 series.	TOR (Top-of-Rack) or leaf switches	Small and medium data centers and large enterprise networks
N5850 Series	10/100/40GbE interface speeds	High throughput	TOR (Top-of-Rack) or leaf switches	Small data center

Guidance on Product Selection for Different Applications

At present, the deployment of bare metal switches is mainly concentrated in cloud data center scenarios. Bare metal switches typically play three roles in data centers: the Spine, the Server Leaf, and the Gateway Leaf. These three roles handle different traffic (east or south-north) and require different proportions of hardware resources.

When the bare metal switch is used as a spine switch (N9550 switches), it considers the flow from leaf to leaf and has the characteristics of large capacity and multiple tenants. The server leaf (N8550 switches) switch gathers traffic from the server node and connects to the core of the network, while the gateway leaf (N5850 switches) switches are used for external traffic to the south-north. A bare metal switch with a programmable chip can play various roles, handle different flow forwarding, and provide different functions.

FS Services Ensure Long-Term Superior Performance

FS N-series bare metal switches come with an industry-leading 5-year limited lifetime warranty and a 30-day return policy against defects in materials or workmanship. Besides, FS offers each customer a personal account manager, free professional technical assistance, and 24/7 live customer service.

Professional Lab: Test each product with the latest and advanced networking equipment.
Free Technical Support: Provide free & tailored solutions and services for your businesses.
80% Same-day Shipping: Immediate shipping for in-stock items.
Fast Response: Direct and immediate assistance from an expert.

In addition to the above free reliability services, FS also provides paid PicOS® Standard Maintenance & Support. If customers choose PicOS® software and this service, FS can provide configuring or operating PicOS®, error corrections, software updates, and other extensive network technology services during the maintenance term.

Conclusion

It's important to note that the specific performance characteristics may vary depending on the exact models within each series and the configurations chosen. It is recommended to consult the detailed specifications and performance data provided by FS for a more precise understanding of the performance differences between the N-series bare metal switches.