Premier Product Portfolio for Optimal Large and Midsize Campus Networks

Businesses and educational institutions are experiencing exponential growth in bandwidth needs, driven by the proliferation of IoT devices, cloud-based applications, and the increasing reliance on video conferencing and other high-bandwidth activities. The need for a reliable, high-speed, and scalable campus network is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Upgrading to a 100G enterprise campus network is essential to address these challenges. FS Large and Midsize Campus Network Solution offers a robust framework for organizations to meet these demands effectively, ensuring a stable and future-proof campus network.

Why Upgrade to a 100G Campus Network?

Increasing Bandwidth Demands

In today’s business environment, the volume of data traversing networks has skyrocketed. Whether it’s streaming high-definition videos for training purposes, running complex data analytics, or simply supporting a growing number of connected devices, the need for higher bandwidth is undeniable. A 100G enterprise campus network can easily handle these demands, ensuring that users experience seamless connectivity and minimal latency. For instance, in a large corporate campus with thousands of employees, a 100G network can support simultaneous video conferencing sessions, high-speed data transfers, and cloud-based operations without a hitch.

Enhanced Network Stability

Network stability is critical for maintaining productivity. Inconsistent connectivity or frequent downtime can lead to significant disruptions, affecting business operations and causing user frustration. Upgrading to a 100G campus network enhances the overall stability of the network by reducing bottlenecks, improving redundancy, and ensuring that critical applications run smoothly. For example, in a university campus, where multiple departments rely on uninterrupted access to resources, a stable network ensures that learning and research activities are not compromised.

Scalability for Future Growth

As organizations grow, so does their network. A 100G enterprise network provides the scalability needed to accommodate future growth without requiring a complete overhaul. This future-proofing aspect is crucial for businesses planning to expand their operations, add new devices, or adopt emerging technologies. For instance, a large manufacturing plant planning to integrate more automated machinery and IoT devices will benefit from a network that can easily scale to meet these new demands.

FS Large and Midsize Campus Network Solution Overview

FS Large and Midsize Campus Network Solution is designed around a traditional three-tier architecture, which consists of the access layer, aggregation layer, and core Layer. This architecture, combined with FS PicOS® enterprise switches and the AmpCon™ management platform, offers a high-bandwidth, stable, and easy-to-manage campus network solution. Let’s delve into each layer and the key products involved.

Access Layer: Connecting the Endpoints

The access layer is the foundation of a campus network, responsible for connecting end-user devices and providing network access. This layer usually includes switches, wireless access points, and VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) that control access and authenticate users.

In the FS campus network solution, the access layer utilizes both non-PoE and PoE switches such as the S3410-24TS-P, S3410-48TS-P, S3910-24TS, and S3910-48TS. These switches are equipped with a variety of ports, including 1G RJ45, 10G SFP+, combo, and PoE+ ports, ensuring ample connectivity options for a vast number of endpoint devices. They are connected to endpoint devices using cat6a patch cables, ensuring reliable and high-speed connections. Wireless devices, like access points, are directly connected through PoE switches, reducing the need for additional power sources. For uplink connections to the aggregation layer, SFP-10GSR-85 10G optical modules and OM4 multimode fiber optic cables are used, ensuring high-speed data transmission with minimal latency.

Aggregation Layer: Routing and Traffic Distribution

The aggregation layer acts as a bridge between the access layer and the core layer, handling routing and traffic distribution. This layer is crucial for enhancing network performance and reliability by providing redundant paths and managing traffic efficiently.

FS campus network solution employs S5860-20SQ switches at the aggregation layer, which offers 20x 1G/10G downlinks, 4x 10G/25G SFP28, and 2x 40G QSFP+ ports. This configuration is ideal for handling the traffic between the access layer and the core layer, ensuring that data is routed efficiently and that the network remains resilient even in the face of heavy traffic loads. The S5860-20SQ switch is connected to the core layer using QSFP-SR4-40G 40G optical modules and MTP® jumpers, providing a robust and high-capacity connection.

Core Layer: The Backbone of the Network

The core layer is the heart of a campus network, responsible for managing traffic between the different layers and ensuring that data reaches its destination quickly and securely. This layer must be robust enough to handle the entire network’s traffic while providing high-speed connectivity to all endpoints.

In this campus solution, the S5860-48SC switch serves as the core layer switch. This high-performance switch features 48x 10Gb SFP+ ports and 8x 100Gb QSFP28 ports, supporting stacking for added redundancy and scalability. With a switching capacity of 2.56T and a forwarding rate of 1904 Mpps, the S5860-48SC is more than capable of handling the demands of a large or midsize campus network. The 100G uplinks are particularly crucial for ensuring that the network can support high-bandwidth applications and a large number of users without any performance degradation. This layer's QSFP-SR4-100G 100G modules guarantee top-tier performance and reliability.

Egress: Managing External Connections

The egress point of the network is where external connections are managed, typically involving a combination of routers and firewalls. In the FS campus network solution, routers are placed at the network’s edge to handle VPN and routing tasks, ensuring secure and efficient connectivity to the wider internet. The choice of routers and their configuration will depend on the specific needs of the organization, but the FS campus network solution offers the flexibility to integrate with various firewall and router setups, providing a comprehensive and secure networking environment.

Key Products of FS Large and Midsize Campus Network Solution

PicOS® Enterprise Switches

At the core of the FS large and midsize campus network solution are the PicOS® enterprise switches, all managed through the AmpCon™ platform. This combination simplifies network management, from deployment to lifecycle management, minimizing downtime and reducing the need for manual intervention. PicOS® switches are pre-loaded with PicOS® switch software, a more resilient, programmable, and scalable networking operating system (NOS) at a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

• S5860-48SC: A high-performance 48-port Ethernet L3 switch. Its 48x 10Gb SFP+ ports and 8x 100Gb QSFP28 ports provide ample bandwidth for large-scale network environments. Its cutting-edge Broadcom chip and ARM A9 Quad-Core CPU ensure it can handle the most demanding network tasks, delivering a switching capacity of 2.56T and a forwarding rate of 1904 Mpps. This switch is ideal for organizations that require a robust and scalable network backbone.

• S5860-20SQ: A next-gen L3 10G switch designed for optimal routing and traffic distribution. Its 20x 1G/10G downlinks, 4x 10G/25G SFP28, and 2x 40G QSFP+ ports make it a versatile choice for connecting different segments of the network. This managed enterprise switch also adopts cutting-edge Broadcom chips to deliver 760 Gbps switching capacity and 565 Mpps forwarding rate. It is packed with redundant hot-swappable power supplies, dual hot-swappable smart fans, and a hardware-level dual-flash chip for superior processing performance and network reliability. Thus, the S5860-20SQ managed switch is ideal for large-scale campus network aggregations, and small and medium-sized network cores.

• S3410-24TS-P: A managed PoE+ switch equipped with 24x 10/100/1000BASE-T ports, 2x 1Gb RJ45/SFP combo ports and 2x 1/10Gb SFP+ uplinks. 24x RJ45 ports support both IEEE 802.3af PoE and IEEE 802.3at PoE+ (up to 30W per port). The PoE+ switch can provide connectivity to a wide range of PoE and POE+ end network devices, including wireless access points, IP phones, and cameras, which makes it ideal for organizations that need a reliable and flexible access solution.

• S3910-24TS: A managed switch ideal for access layer deployment. It features 24x 10/100/1000BASE-T ports and 4x 10Gb SFP+ uplinks for high-speed connectivity. Designed to operate in temperatures ranging from 0°C to 50°C and equipped with 6KV lightning protection, this switch is perfect for complex environments, providing resistance to corrosion, dust, and moisture. Additionally, the 24-port gigabit managed switch includes 1+1 hot-swappable dual power supplies and supports virtual stacking of up to 4 units, ensuring network redundancy, simplified management, and enhanced resilience.

Wireless (AP/AC)

In addition to switches, FS Large and Midsize Campus Network Solution includes advanced wireless components that are essential for providing seamless connectivity across campus networks. For medium to large-scale enterprises, wireless devices offer significant advantages, such as enabling mobility for employees, ensuring consistent and reliable access to network resources regardless of location within the campus, and reducing the need for extensive cabling.

• AP-N515: An 802.11ax-compliant wireless access point designed to deliver high-speed connectivity and robust performance in high-density environments. Supporting Wi-Fi 6 and equipped with 4x4 MU-MIMO, it can simultaneously operate on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, achieving speeds of up to 5375 Mbps. The AP-N515's built-in smart antennas ensure that signals dynamically follow devices (STAs), providing enhanced coverage and reliable connectivity across expansive campus networks.

• AC-7072: A high-capacity cloud managed Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax wireless controller, crucial for managing large-scale wireless networks in medium and large enterprises, as well as educational institutions. It supports advanced services such as voice-over Wi-Fi, IP-based video streaming, secure enterprise access, and tiered Wi-Fi services. By enabling centralized management and seamless roaming, the AC-7072 ensures that users experience uninterrupted and consistent connectivity as they move throughout the campus, maintaining high-quality network performance across all devices.

Optical Modules

Optical modules play a critical role in ensuring that data is transmitted efficiently across the campus network, particularly in environments where high-speed connectivity is essential. In FS Large and Midsize Campus Network Solution, three key optical modules are utilized: QSFP-SR4-100G, QSFP-SR4-40G, and SFP-10GSR-85. Each of these modules contributes uniquely to the campus network’s performance, stability, and scalability.

• QSFP-SR4-100G: The QSFP-SR4-100G module is designed for high-speed 100G Ethernet connections, making it a cornerstone of the core layer in the 100G campus network architecture. This module supports data rates of up to 100Gbps over multimode fiber, with a reach of up to 100 meters using OM4 fibers. Its high performance and reliability are crucial for maintaining the integrity of the campus network’s backbone, ensuring that critical data flows uninterrupted. It is ideal for environments that demand high throughput, such as data centers, large campuses, and enterprise networks.

• QSFP-SR4-40G: The QSFP-SR4-40G module provides 40G Ethernet connectivity, which is particularly suited for the aggregation layer in the FS campus network architecture. This module supports data transmission over multimode fiber with a reach of up to 150 meters using OM4 fibers, making it ideal for connecting switches across the campus. Featured with low-power, high-density, and high-speed, QSFP-SR4-40G offers a popular way to help you quickly ramp up to 40G transmission.

• SFP-10GSR-85: The SFP-10GSR-85 module is a 10G optical transceiver that supports data rates of 10Gbps over multimode fiber, with a reach of up to 400 meters using OM4 fibers. Digital diagnostics monitoring is available via a 2-wire serial interface, as specified in SFF-8472. Featuring low power consumption and high density, this 10G SFP+ transceiver ensures seamless 10G connectivity. Its TO-Can packaging also offers great reliability, airtightness, and heat dissipation performance.

Upgrade to a 100G Campus Network with FS Solution

Upgrading to a 100G campus network is no longer just a luxury—it's a necessity for maintaining competitive advantage and ensuring operational efficiency. FS Large and Midsize Campus Network Solution is specifically designed to meet these needs, offering flexibility, reliability, and performance essential for supporting a diverse array of applications and devices for midsize and large enterprises.

For more info about the FS solution, or to schedule a consultation with our experts, don't hesitate to get in touch. Let FS help you build a campus network that drives productivity, enhances user experience, and supports your organization’s growth for years to come.