Description
Enterprise-Class Stackable Switches for the Network Edge
The Brocade® FCX Series of switches provides new levels of performance, scalability, and flexibility required for today’s enterprise campus and data center networks. With advanced capabilities, these switches deliver performance and intelligence to the network edge in a flexible 1U form factor that helps reduce infrastructure and administrative costs.
Designed for wire-speed and non-blocking performance, the Brocade FCX Series includes 24- and 48-port models, in both Power over Ethernet (PoE) and non-PoE versions. Utilizing Brocade stacking technology, organizations can stack up to eight switches into a single logical switch with up to 384 ports.
The Brocade FCX Series offers a comprehensive line of switches with specific models optimized for campus and data center deployments.
Built for Next-Generation Enterprise Networks
The Brocade FCX Series can deliver both power and data across network connections, providing a single-cable solution for edge devices such as Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, video surveillance cameras, and wireless Access Points (APs). The switches are compatible with industry-standard VoIP equipment as well as legacy IP phones.
These switches support the PoE Plus (PoE+) standard (802.3at) to provide up to 30 watts of power to each device. This high-powered solution simplifies wiring for video conferencing phones, pan/tilt surveillance cameras, and 802.11n wireless APs. The PoE capability reduces the number of power receptacles and power adapters while increasing reliability and wiring flexibility.
The 24-port Brocade FCX PoE model can supply full Class 3 (15.4 watts) or full PoE+ (30 watts) power to every port, and the 48-port model can supply full Class 3 power to every port or full PoE+ power to 26 ports. The switches can power a combination of PoE and PoE+ devices while staying within the switches’ 820-watt power budget.
Plug-and-Play Operations for Powered Devices
The Brocade FCX Series supports the IEEE 802.1AB Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) and ANSI TIA 1057 Link Layer Discovery Protocol-Media Endpoint Discovery (LLDP-MED) standards that enable organizations to deploy interoperable multivendor solutions for Unified Communications (UC).
Configuring IP endpoints such as VoIP phones can be a complex task requiring manual and time-consuming configuration. LLDP and LLDP-MED address this challenge, providing a standard, open method for configuring, discovering, and managing network infrastructure. The LLDP protocols help reduce operational costs by simplifying and automating network operations. For example, LDP-MED provides an open protocol for configuring Quality of Service (QoS), security policies, Virtual LAN (VLAN) assignments, PoE power levels, and service priorities.