United States
Q
What is the HPE 5500 EI Switch series?
A
The HPE 5500 EI Switch series is a family of high-performance, fixed-port Gigabit and 10GbE Ethernet switches designed for enterprise edge and SMB access networks, offering advanced features such as SDN-ready programmability, robust security, and flexible PoE support.
Q
Which port densities and models are available in the HPE 5500 EI series?
A
The HPE 5500 EI series offers 24- to 48-port Gigabit models, optional 10GbE uplink ports (SFP+ and QSFP+), and both PoE+ and non-PoE configurations to meet diverse deployment needs.
Q
Does the HPE 5500 EI support Power over Ethernet (PoE)?
A
Yes, selected HPE 5500 EI models support PoE+ with up to 30 W per port and a shared PoE budget up to 740 W, enabling reliable power delivery for IP phones, cameras, and wireless access points.
Q
What stacking capabilities does the HPE 5500 EI offer?
A
The HPE 5500 EI supports Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) stacking of up to four switches, delivering up to 1.28 Tbps of backplane bandwidth and single-pane management for simplified scaling and redundancy.
Q
Which management interfaces are available on the HPE 5500 EI?
A
Management options include a web-based GUI, CLI (SSH/Telnet), SNMP v1/v2c/v3, and RESTful APIs, allowing flexible integration with network management systems and automated workflows.
Q
What Quality of Service (QoS) and security features are built in?
A
The HPE 5500 EI provides advanced QoS with eight hardware queues, 802.1p, DiffServ, ACLs, 802.1X port security, DHCP snooping, IP source guard, and dynamic ARP inspection to ensure secure, low-latency traffic forwarding.
Q
How does the HPE 5500 EI support virtualization and SDN?
A
It supports HPE Intelligent Resilient Fabric (IRF) for virtualization, OpenFlow-based SDN, and VXLAN gateway services to simplify multi-tenant deployments and enable agile, programmable networks.
Q
What is the switching capacity and forwarding rate of the HPE 5500 EI?
A
Depending on the model, the HPE 5500 EI delivers up to 176 Gbps switching capacity and 130 Mpps forwarding rate, ensuring wire-speed performance for critical business applications.
Q
What uplink options are available on the HPE 5500 EI?
A
Uplink options include fixed and modular SFP/SFP+ cages supporting 1 GbE and 10 GbE, as well as optional QSFP+ ports for 40 GbE aggregation and high-speed server connectivity.
Q
How energy-efficient is the HPE 5500 EI series?
A
The HPE 5500 EI incorporates Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE), Smart Power mode, and fan speed control to reduce power consumption and operating costs without sacrificing performance.
Q
What licensing models are required for advanced features?
A
All basic Layer 2/3 features are included; optional advanced services such as OpenFlow SDN, IRF stacking, and VXLAN require Smart Rate or Flexible Licensing bundles to activate specific capabilities.
Q
How does the HPE 5500 EI compare to the HPE 1920 and 1950 switches?
A
Compared to the 1920/1950 series, the HPE 5500 EI offers higher port densities, SDN programmability, IRF stacking, and enhanced security, making it better suited for large enterprise and campus edge deployments.
Q
What are the ideal use cases for the HPE 5500 EI series?
A
The HPE 5500 EI excels in campus access, branch office aggregation, PoE deployments for IP telephony and wireless, and environments requiring SDN integration and high-availability stacking.
Q
Which environmental and compliance standards does the HPE 5500 EI meet?
A
The HPE 5500 EI complies with RoHS, WEEE, CE, FCC, and UL standards and operates in temperatures from 0 °C to 45 °C, ensuring global regulatory conformance and reliable performance.
Q
What warranty and support options are available for the HPE 5500 EI?
A
HPE provides a limited lifetime warranty on the hardware chassis, one year on fans and power supplies, and offers optional HPE Foundation Care or Proactive Care services for 24×7 support and rapid replacement.
