Can the Huawei 5735s be used as a core switch

The Huawei CloudEngine S5735-S series can function as a core switch in small to medium-sized networks, but it is primarily designed for access and aggregation roles.

Overview of Capabilities

The Huawei 5735s series switches are high-performance gigabit Ethernet switches with 10GE uplinks, built on Huawei's Versatile Routing Platform (VRP). They support enhanced Layer 3 features including OSPF, IS-IS, BGP, and VRRP, as well as mature IPv6 protocols, making them capable of routing and handling multiple VLANs and inter-VLAN traffic efficiently. The switches also provide wire-speed forwarding across all ports in both Layer 2 and Layer 3 modes.

Typical Deployment Scenarios

Huawei documentation indicates that the 5735s is commonly deployed as an access or aggregation switch in campus networks or as an access switch in data centers. While it supports aggregation-level features, it is not explicitly marketed as a high-end core switch for large-scale enterprise or data center core layers. Its performance and port density are suitable for small to medium-sized core deployments, particularly where the network does not require extremely high throughput or massive port aggregation.

Considerations for Core Use

Layer 3 Routing: Full support for dynamic routing protocols allows the 5735s to handle core routing tasks in smaller networks. Redundancy and High Availability: Features like VRRP and dual power modules provide redundancy, which is important for core deployment. Scalability: For very large networks with high traffic demands, Huawei recommends higher-end models like the S6700 series for core switching due to greater throughput and port density.

Security and Qo

S: The 5735s supports MAC address authentication, 802. 1X, ACLs, and DoS protection, which are essential for core network security and traffic management.

Conclusion

The Huawei 5735s can be used as a core switch in small to medium-sized enterprise or campus networks, especially where Layer 3 routing and redundancy are required. However, for large-scale or high-traffic core networks, a higher-capacity switch such as the Huawei S6700 series would be more appropriate. Its primary design focus remains access and aggregation, so careful evaluation of network size and traffic requirements is recommended before deploying it as a core switch.