Recommendations for Popular 12-Port 10GbE Switches

As the total expenditure decreases of 10GbE network and the increasing data traffic in modern business, the specific demands for 10Gb switches have been put forward. As we know, there are 8-port 10GbE switch, 12-port 10GbE switch, 24-port 10GbE switch and 48-port 10GbE switch in the market. With so many types to choose from, many users have troubles in making a decision. In this tutorial, several kinds of 12-port 10GbE switch will be introduced, aiming to offer a reference for users’ selection of 12-port 10GbE switches.

12-port 10GbE switches

Overview of Popular 12-Port 10GbE Switches in Market

As we can search on many forums and communities, Cisco 10GbE switches are the hottest topic. However, not every user, especially some SMB (small and mid-sized business) network builders will hesitate to choose Cisco switches due to its high price. Considering this point, here are some 10GbE switches that much cheaper.

D-link DXS-1210-12SC

D-link DXS-1210-12SC is a 12-port 10GbE SFP+ switch that features with extensive management, layer 2 features, QoS and bandwidth control. Designed with 12 SFP+ ports and 2 10GBASE-T/SFP+ combo ports, this smart managed switch supports 10GbE copper and fiber connections for a wide range of network needs.

FS S5800-8TF12S

Similar to D-Link DXS-1210-12SC switch, FS S5800-8TF12S is also a 12-port 10GbE SFP+ switch that offers and 8 ports 1GbE SFP/RJ45 combo and 12 ports 10GbE uplink in a compact 1RU form factor. Offering high performance for traditional or fully virtualized data center and SMb networks, this 10GbE switch also can work with hyper-converged infrastructure. The unique port count of this switch makes the perfect fit for hyper-converged infrastructure, which providing future-proofing assurance for the growth of virtualization, cloud-based services and applications.

FS 12-port 10GbE SFP+ Switches

Netgear XS712T

Netgear 10GbE switches are popular in SMB networks. The XS712T is a 12-port 10GbE switch that has 12 10G copper ports and 2 SFP+ combo ports for 10GbE fiber links, which is different from FS 12-port 10GbE switch. In addition, this 10GbE smart switch also offers advanced and comprehensive set of layer 2 features for small and medium sized network management.

Mellanox SX1012X

Mellanox SX1012X 12-port 10GbE SFP+ switch is a good switch for ToR solution. It offers 12 1/10GbE ports in a half 1U form factor. This unique design allows side-by-side deployment in racks. In addition, what the users should pay attention to is the 12 1/10GbE ports come with QSFP+ connector, which means if users buy this switch, the corresponding DACs and optical modules have to be bought together.

How to Choose a Suitable 10GbE Switch for Your Network?

Here is a simple chart showing the port of the 12-port 10GbE switches mentioned above.

12-port 10GbE switches

From the chart, we can conclude that vendors have different definitions for their 12-port 10GbE switches. Therefore, users may have troubles in selecting a suitable network switches. Take these 10GbE switches as examples, the following part intends to talk about some factors that users many confused in purchasing a 10GbE switches.

The first factor is port type. If searching on Google, many questions will be shown about SFP+ port count of a 10GbE switch. For in 10GbE networks, core switches or access switches with SFP+ port are necessary. Take FS S5800-8TF12S 12-port 10GbE SFP+ switch as an example, to meet part of network builders’ need for hyper-converged infrastructure, the 12 SFP+ ports is designed.

The second one is the performance. Some users are fond of Cisco managed switches because of their advanced functions. However, as many network geeks said in forums or communities, most advanced functions will not be used in networking, and it’s no need to pay for some features that will not come in handy.

The last one is the vendor or company. A good and reliable vendor or company can not only provide quality switches, but considerate services which help users solve unnecessary problems and save cost. Popular brands are known to us all like Cisco, Dell and HP. For small business, some vendors who offer cheap but quality products are also popular like FS.COM. Of course, other good vendors and companies are needed to be explored.

Summary

In a word, Ethernet switches are the key part in 10GbE networks. This post recommends some popular 12-port 10GbE switches for users, and some factors about switch selection are also mentioned. Hope it will be helpful for you.