Brocade MLXe-4 Enterprise Switch
4-Slot Multiservice IP SDN Switch

Features:

Flexibility, Scale, and Investment Protection without Performance Compromise

The Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switches are optimized for IP Ethernet deployments, providing symmetric scaling with chassis options that include 4- and 8-slot systems. These switches offer industry-leading wire-speed port capacity without compromising the performance of advanced software capabilities. Support for dense wire-speed 100 GbE, 40 GbE, 10 GbE and 1 GbE, flexible MAC and route scale and port-level hardware based encryption (IPsec and MACsec) in these multiple modular chassis sizes support the needs for campus and data center core and border in all organizations.

Industry-Leading SDN for Programmatic Control of the Network

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a powerful new network paradigm that promises breakthrough levels of customization, agility, and scale, enabling more open, automated, and efficient networks. The Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switches enable SDN through support for the OpenFlow protocol. This open protocol allows communication between an OpenFlow-enabled controller and an OpenFlow-enabled switch for the purpose of controlling network forwarding behavior. Using this approach, organizations can separate fine-grained flow control from the individual forwarding devices and control their entire network programmatically. The flexibility for customized and dynamic end-user or application-centric flow control with this approach helps transform the network into a platform for innovative new services and application models while helping maximize resource utilization and automate decisions based on policy and real-time analytics.

The Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switches support OpenFlow 1.3 in Hybrid Port Mode. This innovative forwarding architecture allows concurrent support of traditional switching protocols and the OpenFlow protocol for SDN on the same port. This approach enables deployment of a single switch with simultaneous support for both traditional switching and SDN on a single port. This highly differentiated capability enables interworking between legacy networking and the New IP, allowing SDN to be applied to immediate business needs while providing a pragmatic path to a SDN architecture. The sixth-generation Brocade VersaScale™ processor of the Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switches provides hardware support for all protocols, including OpenFlow. This programmable forwarding engine delivers the leading scale and performance of hardware with the flexibility of software that organizations need in the demanding yet dynamic environments of modern IT driven by mobile, social, and cloud technologies.

Designed for Non-Stop Networking

Designed to enable reliable converged infrastructures and support missioncritical applications, the Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switch features advanced redundant switch fabric architecture for very high availability. The architecture helps ensure that the system continues to operate at peak performance even in the case of a switch fabric card failure. In the highly unlikely case of additional fabric failures, the advanced architecture allows the system to continue operating as the system tunes its performance to the remaining fabric capacity.

The advanced fabric architecture is complemented by comprehensive hardware redundancy for the management modules, power supplies, and cooling system. In addition, the Brocade NetIron Operating System (NIOS) offers hitless management failover for IPv4 and IPv6 with Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), IS-IS, and IP multicast non-stop routing, and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Graceful Restart capabilities—as well as hitless (in-service) software upgrades to further enhance both system availability and overall network availability. To maintain continuous operations in data centers and metro networks, the innovative Brocade Multi-Chassis Trunking (MCT) feature provides fast link and node failover protection while simultaneously maximizing network utilization. Additionally, the robust control plane of the Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switch is proven in thousands of missioncritical deployments around the globe, supporting networks with the highest reliability.

Advanced Capabilities for a Broad Range of Applications

The Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switch provides a wide range of capabilities to support advanced applications and services in the most demanding network environments, including the data center and campus.

In-Flight Data Security without Compromising Network Performance

The Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switches provides inline IPsec encryption at wire speed, ensuring security of all data at Layer 3 across a network link without compromising performance or complicating deployment models. With support for four ports of 10/1 GbE (combo) and four ports of 1 GbE, the IPsec interface module supports an industryleading capacity of more than 44 Gbps encrypted traffic per half-slot and up to 32 10 GbE ports of IPsec-encrypted traffic in a single system. The port-based IPsec does not require spate encryption services modules, allowing for more free slots in the chassis for additional interface modules, simplifying sparing configuration and operations and reducing upfront capex. Built on the innovative Brocade VersaScale™ processor, the programmable forwarding engine enables in-line hardware support for one of the strongest commercially available cryptographic suites—IPsec Suite B—with support for AES 256-bit keys. For data security at Layer 2, the Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switches also support IEEE 802.1AE (MACsec), which provides highdensity, 128-bit, port-based, hop-by-hop encryption at wire-speed for 10 Gbe and 1 GbE.

Simplified Service Management To simplify the manageability of Ethernet services, the Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switch leverages Brocade Network Advisor, an application that unifies network management for all Brocade products. In addition, the sFlow-based technology utilized by Brocade Network Advisor reduces network downtime with proactive monitoring, traffic analysis, and reporting.

The standards-based sFlow technology supported by the Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switches provides traffic monitoring technology, enabling unprecedented visibility into real-time network usage. Integrated into the line module hardware, the sFlow technology enables the monitoring of high-speed links without impacting performance.

Enabling Green Operations

Although adding routers to address bandwidth shortage might initially solve the capacity problem, it does so at the expense of the environment and the opportunity to reduce energy and space costs. Any new solution that fails to reduce energy consumption is only a partial answer to the problem. Each new generation of line modules in the MLXe Enterprise switch consumes less energy per bit than the previous generation while significantly increasing throughput per module. In addition, the switches provide industry-leading port densities for 1 GbE, 10 GbE, 40 GbE, and 100 GbE interfaces, efficiently consolidating more services and collapsing network layers.

The Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switch Interface

The Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switch provides a wide range of leading-edge Ethernet modules for 1 GbE, 10 GbE, 40 GbE, and 100 GbE that enable organizations to use a single platform for many applications. For more information about these modules, see Tables 1 and 2.

Table 1. Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switch Interface Modules.

Interface Module	-DM	-M	-X	-X2
24×1 GbE RJ45
24×1 GbE Fiber
48×1 GbE MRJ21
8×10 GbE
24×10 GbE
20×10 GbE
20×1 GbE (upgradable to 10 GbE)
4×10 GbE IPsec
4×40 GbE
2×100 GbE CFP2

Table 2. Supported Route Table Scalability for Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switch Interface Modules.

Interface Module Version	Supported Route Table Scalability
-DM	Up to 256,000 IPv4 routes Up to 64,000 IPv6 routes
-M	Up to 512,000 IPv4 routes Up to 256,000 IPv6 routes
-X	Up to 1 million IPv4 routes Up to 240,000 IPv6 routes
-X2	Up to 2.4 million IPv4 routes Up to 1.8 million IPv6 routes

Brocade Global Services

Brocade Global Services has the expertise to help organizations build scalable, efficient cloud infrastructures. Leveraging 15 years of expertise in storage, networking, and virtualization, Brocade Global Services delivers worldclass professional services, technical support, and education services, enabling organizations to maximize their Brocade investments, accelerate new technology deployments, and optimize the performance of networking infrastructures.

Affordable Acquisition Options

Brocade Capital Solutions helps organizations easily address their IT requirements by offering flexible network acquisition and support alternatives. Organizations can select from purchase, lease, Brocade Network Subscription, and Brocade Subscription Plus options to align network acquisition with their unique capital requirements and risk profiles.

Maximizing Investments

To help optimize technology investments, Brocade and its partners offer complete solutions that include professional services, technical support, and education.

Technology Summary:

Comprehensive, wire-speed, dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 routing support based on the Brocade NetIron OS:

• High-performance, robust routing using Forwarding Information Base (FIB) programming in hardware
• RIP/RIPng, OSPF/OSPFv3, IS-IS/IS-IS for IPv6, and BGP-4/BGP-MP for IPv6
• Secure Multi-VRF routing for supporting virtual routing applications
• VRRP and VRRP-E
• 127-bit IPv6 interface addresses

Industry-leading scalability up to:

• 10 million BGP routes
• 2.4 million IPv4 routes in hardware (FIB)
• 1.8 million IPv6 routes in hardware (FIB)
• 153,600 multicast routes
• 2,000 BGP peers per system
• 4,094 VLANs and up to 2 million MAC addresses

Software-Defined Networking (SDN):

• OpenFlow 1.3: QoS (for metering and enqueue), Group Table (select and fast failover), QinQ (TAG type autorecognition), Active-Standby Controller, IPv6, Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2 (controller interface)
• Brocade OpenFlow in hybrid port mode with support for sFlow, and IP, and with protected VLAN for additional flexibility
• Up to 32,000 flows supported

Superior high-availability design:

• Redundant management modules
• Redundant switch fabrics
• Redundant power supplies and cooling system
• Hitless Layer 2/3 failover with stateful OSPF IS-IS and BGP Graceful Restart
• Hitless (in-service) software upgrades with Graceful Restart

Advanced QoS:

• Hierarchical Quality of Service (H-QoS): Supports up to four levels of hierarchy— port, logical port (optional), customer (optional), and service
• Inbound and outbound two-rate threecolor traffic policers with accounting
• Eight distinct priority levels
• WRED support for congestion management and precedence dropping (tunable via configuration)
• Support for hybrid queue servicing disciplines: Mixed, Strict Priority, and Weighted Fair Queuing

Comprehensive hardware-based security and policies:

• Layer 2/3 ACLs (both inbound and outbound)
• Granular ACL accounting (both inbound and outbound)
• Hardware-based packet filtering
• Hardware-based Policy-Based Routing (PBR)
• Unicast Reverse Path Forwarding (uRPF)
• IPv4/IPv6 Receive ACLs
• IPv6 ACL-Based Rate Limiting
• ACL Editing
• Port-based network access control using 802.1x or MAC port security
• Root guard and BPDU guard
• Broadcast, multicast, and unknown unicast rate limits
• ARP inspection for static entries
• Multi-port Static ARP and Static MAC
• 256-bit Suite B Algorithm IP-layer encryption
• 128-bit MAC-layer encryption
• Multi-Chassis Trunking with support for up to 512 clients (Active/Active mode or Active/Standby mode for Active/ Passive access for client ports)

Full suite of unicast and multicast IPv4 and IPv6 routing protocols:

• Supported IPv4 protocols include RIP, OSPF, BGP-4, IS-IS, PIM-DM, PIMSM/SSM, IGMP, BGP-MP for multicast, MSDP, Anycast RP, PIM Multicast ECMP, and RPF shortcut
• Supported IPv6 protocols include RIPng, OSPFv3, IS-IS for IPv6, BGPMP for IPv6 (BGP4+), PIM-SM/SSM, MLD, VRRPv6, IPv6 Non-Stop Routing (NSR), VRRP-E, PIM Multicast ECMP, and RPF shortcut

Specifications:

	MLXe-4	MLXe-8
System Summary
Interface slots	4	8
Switch fabric capacity	1.92 Tbps	3.84 Tbps
Data forwarding capacity	1.6 Tbps	3.2 Tbps
Packet routing performance	1.6 billion pps	2.38 billion pps
Maximum 100 GbE ports	8	16
Maximum 40 GbE ports	16	32
Maximum 10 GbE ports	96	192
Maximum 1 GbE ports	192	384
Height (inches/rack units)	8.71 in./5RU	12.21 in./7RU
Management module redundancy	1:1	1:1
Switch fabric redundancy	N+1	N+1
Power supply redundancy	1+1	1+1
Airflow	Side to back	Side to back
Power
Maximum DC power consumption (W)	2,083	4,060
Maximum AC power consumption (W) (100-240 VAC)	2,083	4,060
Maximum thermal output (BTU/HR)	7,108	13,858
Mechanical
Dimensions (WxHxD)	17.20 in. W × 8.71 in. H × 23.0 in. D (43.69 cm × 22.12 cm × 58.42 cm)	17.20 in. W × 12.21 in. H × 24.0 in. D (43.69 cm × 31.01 cm × 60.96 cm)
Weight	117 lb (53 kg)	171 lb (78 kg)
Environmental
Operating Temperature	0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
Relative Humidity	5% to 90%, at 40°C (104°F), non-condensing
Operating Altitude	6600 ft (2012 m)
Storage Temperature	−25°C to 70°C (−13°F to 158°F)
Storage Humidity	95% maximum relative humidity, non-condensing
Storage Altitude	15,000 ft (4500 m) maximum
Regulatory Compliance and Safety Approvals
Safety Agency Approvals	CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1-3 UL 60950-1 IEC 60950-1 EN 60950-1 Safety of Information Technology Equipment EN 60825-1 Safety of Laser Products—Part 1: Equipment Classification, Requirements and User's Guide EN 60825-2 Safety of Laser Product—Part 2: Safety of Optical Fibre Communication Systems
Electromagnetic Emission	ICES-003 Electromagnetic Emission FCC Class A EN 55022/CISPR-22 Class A/VCCI Class A AS/NZS 55022 EN 61000-3-2 Power Line Harmonics EN 61000-3-3 Voltage Fluctuation and Flicker EN 61000-6-3 Emission Standard (supersedes EN 50081-1)
Immunity	EN 61000-6-1 Generic Immunity and Susceptibility (supersedes EN 50082-1) EN 55024 Immunity Characteristics. Supersedes: — EN 61000-4-2 ESD — EN 61000-4-3 Radiated, radio frequency, electromagnetic field — EN 61000-4-4 Electrical fast transient — EN 61000-4-5 Surge — EN 61000-4-6 Conducted disturbances induced by radio-frequency fields — EN 61000-4-8 Power frequency magnetic field — EN 61000-4-11 Voltage dips and sags
TELCO NEBS/ETSI	Designed to meet the following specifications (formal testing under way): Telcordia GR-63-CORE NEBS Requirements: Physical Protection Telcordia GR-1089-CORE EMC and Electrical Safety Telcordia SR-3580 Level 3 ETSI ETS 300-019 Physical Protection — Part 1-1, Class 1.1, Partly Temperature Controlled Storage Locations — Part 1-2, Class 2.3, Public Transportation — Part 1-3, Class 3.1, Temperature Controlled Locations (Operational) ETSI ETS 300-386 EMI/EMC
Power and Grounding	ETS 300 132-1 Equipment Requirements for AC Power Equipment Derived from DC Sources ETS 300 132-2 Equipment Requirements for DC Powered Equipment ETS 300 253 Facility Requirements
Physical Design and Mounting	19-inch rack mount supporting racks compliant with: ANSI/EIA-310-D ETS 300 119 GR-63-CORE Seismic Zone 4 Table top
Environmental Regulatory Compliance	EU 2002/95/EC RoHS (with lead exemption) EU 2002/96/EC WEEE
Network Equipment Building Standards (NEBS)	GR-1089-CORE NEBS EMC and Safety GR-63 CORE: NEBS Physical Protection SR-3580: NEBS Criteria Levels (Level 3)

Switch Features:

MLX Series Line Modules:

The Brocade MLX Series provides a wide range of leading-edge Ethernet modules and traditional SONET line modules. The flexible half-slot 1 GbE, 10 GbE, and full-slot 100 GbE modules enable organizations to use a single platform for both low-speed and high-speed applications. These Ethernet line modules support advanced Layer 2/3 features and scalable MPLS features such as VPLS and Layer 3 VPNs—helping service providers to maximize their revenue opportunities and enterprises to design highly virtualized data centers.

The line modules include:

• 100 GbE modules
• 10 GbE modules (24-, 8-, and 4-port models)
• 1 GbE modules (48- and 24-port models)
• SONET modules

100 GbE Module

The 2-port 100 GbE module provides unmatched performance and scalability up to 32 wire-speed 100 GbE ports in a single Brocade MLXe-32 router and 16 wire-speed 100 GbE ports in a single Brocade MLX-32 router. This full-slot module complies with the IEEE 802.3ba standard and supports CFP-based short-reach and long-reach optics. Each 2X100 GbE module delivers 400 Gbps of throughput per module without compromising the performance of features such as IPv4, IPv6, and MPLS.

Service providers that want to scale beyond 100 GbE can utilize the industry's only multi-terabit trunks—a single logical connection formed by aggregating multiple 100 GbE ports—to achieve superior scalability and performance for Internet backbones. For network planners following a pay-as-you-grow strategy, the 2X100 GbE module supports an innovative "Ports on Demand" feature that non-disruptively enables the second port via a software license.

10 GbE Modules

10 GbE modules for the Brocade MLX Series are available in 24-, 8-, and 4-port models.

24-Port 10 GbE Module The half-slot Brocade MLXe 24-port 10 GbE module provides the highest 10 GbE port density in a single router. It supports up to 256,000 IPv4 routes in the FIB, one million MPLS labels, and up to 200 Gbps—in addition to Layer 2, IPv4/IPv6, MPLS VPLS/VLL, and L3 VPN services. This module is ideal for high-density MPLS LSR core, data center core routing, and Layer 2/3 switching and routing. The 24X10 GbE-DM module is the greenest and most efficient 10 GbE module in the Brocade MLX Series, providing up to 57 percent power savings per 10 GbE basis compared to 8-port 10 GbE modules.
8-Port 10 GbE Module The half-slot 8-port 10 GbE module is available in three versions: 8X10 GbE-X, 8X10 GbE-M, and 8X10 GbE-D. All support wire-speed performance on all ports simultaneously, irrespective of the service deployed. The 8X10 GbE module supports hot-swappable SFP+ optical transmitters with software-configurable LAN PHY and WAN PHY modes. The 8X10 GbE-X module has a FIB size of one million entries and supports full Layer 2/IPv4/IPv6 functionality with advanced features such as MPLS, VPLS, QinQ, and H-QoS. This module is ideal for service provider core applications. The 8X10 GbE-X module has a FIB size of one million entries and supports full Layer 2/IPv4/IPv6 functionality with advanced features such as MPLS, VPLS, QinQ, and H-QoS. This module is ideal for service provider core applications. The 8X10 GbE-M module has a FIB size of 512,000 entries and supports full Layer 2/IPv4/IPv6 functionality with advanced features such as MPLS, VPLS, QinQ, and H-QoS. This module is ideal for metro aggregation and provider edge applications that require advanced Layer 2 and MPLS services as well as greater scalability. The 8X10 GbE-D module supports Layer 2/IPv4/IPv6 functionality with a FIB capacity of up to 256,000 IPv4 routes. It is ideal for data centers that require Layer 2/3 architecture with Layer 2 and IP services, and do not need the higher 10 GbE density available on the 24X10 GbE-DM module.
4-Port 10 GbE Module This half-slot module supports Layer 2 and advanced MPLS features, enabling network planners to follow a pay-as-you-grow model. The 4X10 GbE module is available in two versions, one with a FIB capacity of 512,000 routes and the other with 1 million entries. The 4X10 GbE module supports hot-swappable XFP optical transmitters with software-configurable LAN PHY and WAN PHY modes.

1 GbE Modules

1 GbE modules for the Brocade MLX Series are available in 48- and 24-port models.

48-Port 1 GbE Module This auto-sensing tri-speed (10/100/1000 Mbps) module incorporates a space-saving design with mini-RJ21 connectors. It supports wire-speed performance of IPv4 and advanced MPLS features, and enables massive consolidation with 1536 GbE ports in a single chassis. In data center environments the 48-T module, along with the MRJ-21 patch panel, allows direct connection from the server to the Brocade MLX Series, reducing cabling complexity, latency, and management overhead. 24-Port 1 GbE Module

24-Port 1 GbE Module This half-slot module, available in RJ45 copper and SFP versions, is ideal for environments that need to aggregate multiple 1 GbE fiber links. It supports full Layer 2/IPv4/IPv6 functionalities while supporting advanced features such as MPLS, VPLS, and QinQ. In addition, the 24X1 GbE module has a FIB capacity of 512,000 routes and a built-in upgrade path to scale to 1 million entries.

Documentation:

Download the Brocade MLXe Enterprise Switches Datasheet (PDF).