United States
Q
What are HPE Data Center Switches?
A
HPE Data Center Switches are high-performance Ethernet switches designed for modern data center architectures, offering low latency, high throughput and advanced programmability for cloud-ready and virtualized environments.
Q
Which HPE switch families are available for data centers?
A
HPE offers the FlexNetwork, Aruba CX and HPE Cloud Fabric families, each providing modular and fixed-port options with 1/10/25/40/100 GbE support, scalable architectures and integrated management tools.
Q
How do HPE Data Center Switches deliver high performance?
A
HPE switches leverage ASIC-accelerated forwarding, deep packet buffers and cut-through switching to minimize latency and maximize throughput, ensuring consistent performance under heavy east-west traffic loads.
Q
What network protocols and features do HPE switches support?
A
HPE switches support industry standards including VXLAN, EVPN, MLAG, STP/RSTP, OSPF, BGP, IP multicast and segment routing, enabling robust L2/L3 services and seamless multi-tenant segmentation.
Q
Are HPE Data Center Switches scalable for growing environments?
A
Yes. HPE switches offer pay-as-you-grow density modules, fabric extender stacking and disaggregated spine-leaf architectures to expand port capacity and bandwidth without forklift upgrades.
Q
How can I manage and automate HPE switches?
A
Use HPE OneView or Aruba Central for policy-based management, RESTful APIs, Ansible and Terraform integrations, enabling zero-touch provisioning, automated firmware updates and real-time analytics.
Q
Do HPE Data Center Switches integrate with HPE OneView?
A
Absolutely. HPE switches integrate natively with HPE OneView for unified infrastructure monitoring, configuration management and health trending across compute, storage and networking.
Q
What security features are built into HPE Data Center Switches?
A
Built-in features include MACsec encryption, role-based access control (RBAC), 802.1X port-based authentication, dynamic ACLs and secure boot to protect data in motion and prevent unauthorized access.
Q
How do HPE switches ensure network redundancy and high availability?
A
They support MLAG, VRRP, LACP, hitless failover, in-service software upgrades (ISSU) and dual-power/cooling modules to eliminate single points of failure and maintain uninterrupted operations.
Q
What energy-efficiency technologies do HPE Data Center Switches offer?
A
HPE switches feature dynamic power scaling, front-to-back airflow, fan speed optimization and Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) to reduce power consumption and lower total cost of ownership.
Q
Are HPE Data Center Switches compatible with major virtualization platforms?
A
Yes. They interoperate with VMware NSX, Microsoft Hyper-V, OpenStack and KVM, leveraging VXLAN and EVPN overlays for seamless VM mobility, micro-segmentation and multi-tenant isolation.
Q
What warranty and support options are available for HPE switches?
A
HPE offers a limited lifetime warranty with next-business-day spare parts delivery, plus Proactive Care and Datacenter Care support services for 24×7 expert assistance and rapid issue resolution.
Q
How are advanced features licensed on HPE Data Center Switches?
A
Advanced features like VXLAN routing, MLAG and automation API access require HPE Software-Defined Networking (SDN) or Aruba CX licenses, available as perpetual or term-based subscriptions.
Q
Can HPE switches integrate with public cloud services?
A
HPE switches support hybrid and multi-cloud through native integrations with AWS Transit Gateway, Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute and Google Cloud Interconnect for secure, high-performance connectivity.
Q
Which optics and cabling are recommended for HPE data center switches?
A
HPE-compatible transceivers (SFP+/QSFP28), DAC cables and fiber cables (OM3/OM4 multimode or OS2 single-mode) ensure optimal signal integrity and diagnostic monitoring via DOM support.
Q
How do HPE Data Center Switches support edge computing?
A
They extend enterprise-grade features to edge sites with compact form factors, automated zero-touch provisioning, secure segmentation and integration with Aruba ESP for unified edge-to-cloud operations.
