SX550X-16FT-K9-NA Cisco 16 Ports Managed Switch

Product Overview: Cisco 550X SX550X-16FT-K9-NA Switch

The Cisco 550X Series SX550X-16FT-K9-NA is a high-performance 16-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet managed switch designed for growing enterprise networks. Built for scalability, security, and reliability, this Layer 3 stackable switch delivers exceptional throughput, advanced routing, and comprehensive management features for modern business environments.

Main Specifications

• Brand: Cisco
• Model: SX550X-16FT-K9-NA
• Switch Type: Layer 3 Managed Switch
• Form Factor: Desktop and Rack-Mountable
• Stacking Support: Up to 8 units
• Ethernet Technology: 10 Gigabit Ethernet

Port Configuration and Connectivity

• 8 × 10GBASE-T RJ-45 ports
• 8 × 10 Gigabit SFP+ fiber ports
• 1 × Gigabit LAN management interface
• 1 × RJ-45 console port
• 1 × USB Type-A port

Performance and Switching Capacity

Engineered for demanding network workloads, this Cisco managed switch offers ultra-fast data handling and low latency.

High-Speed Performance Metrics

• Forwarding Rate: 238.08 Mpps (64-byte packets)
• Switching Bandwidth: 320 Gbps
• Jumbo Frame Support: Up to 9000 bytes
• Packet Buffer: 3 MB

Advanced Network Capacity

Routing and VLAN Capabilities

• Supports up to 4094 VLANs
• IPv4 Static Routes: 7168
• IPv6 Static Routes: 1792
• IP Interfaces: 256
• IPv6 Interfaces: 256

Spanning Tree and Traffic Management

• MSTP Instances: 16
• QoS Hardware Queues: 8
• MAC Address Table: 32,000 entries

Routing Protocols and Network Intelligence

The SX550X-16FT-K9-NA supports a wide range of dynamic and static routing protocols, ensuring seamless traffic optimization and redundancy.

Supported Routing and Multicast Protocols

• RIP v2
• IGMP v1/v2/v3
• MLD v1/v2
• VRRP v2/v3
• Policy-Based Routing (PBR)
• CIDR, STP, RSTP, MSTP

Enterprise-Grade Features

Traffic Control and Optimization

• Quality of Service (QoS) with WRR scheduling
• Flow control and broadcast storm suppression
• Unicast and multicast storm control
• DiffServ and Type of Service (ToS) support

Security and Network Protection

• Access Control Lists (ACLs)
• DHCP Snooping and DHCP Server/Relay
• Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI)
• IP Source Guard and IP/MAC/Port Binding
• DoS attack prevention

Additional Smart Network Features

• 802.1X port-based authentication
• Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)
• LLDP and LLDP-MED
• Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE)
• Dual firmware images for high availability

Standards and Compliance

This Cisco 10G switch complies with a wide range of IEEE networking standards, ensuring interoperability and future-proof deployment.

• IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.3ab, 802.3ae
• IEEE 802.1D, 802.1Q, 802.1P
• IEEE 802.1W, 802.1S, 802.1X
• IEEE 802.3ad (LACP), 802.3az
• IEEE 802.1AB (LLDP)

Hardware and System Resources

Internal Components

• Processor: ARM-based CPU @ 1.3 GHz
• System Memory: 512 MB RAM
• Flash Storage: 256 MB

Status and Monitoring Indicators

• System status
• Redundant Power Supply (RPS)
• Fan and temperature
• Port link and speed
• Stacking status

Power Supply and Energy Efficiency

Power Specifications

• Internal power supply
• Input Voltage: AC 120/230V (50/60 Hz)
• Operational Power Consumption: 57.7W
• Redundant Power System (RPS) connector

Unpacking the Cisco SX550X-16FT-K9-NA: Model-Specific Architecture

The Cisco SX550X-16FT-K9-NA 16-Port 10G Stackable Managed Switch is a fully-featured, Layer 3 Lite switch designed for flexibility and performance. Its core architecture is built around a non-blocking switching fabric, ensuring all ports can operate at wire speed simultaneously without contention. The "FT" in the model designation signifies a crucial feature: a combination of copper and fiber interfaces. This particular model is equipped with a blend of 10GBASE-T and SFP+ ports, providing unmatched deployment versatility. The switch's hardware is optimized for energy efficiency, featuring advanced power-saving capabilities like Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) and per-port power management.

Port Configuration and Physical Design

At the heart of the SX550X-16FT-K9-NA is its intelligently designed port array, crafted to cater to diverse connectivity requirements within a compact 1RU form factor.

10GBASE-T RJ-45 Ports

This switch features eight 10GBASE-T ports, which support 10/5/2.5/1 Gbps and 100Mbps over standard Category 6a/7 copper cabling. This capability is invaluable for connecting to high-performance servers, network-attached storage (NAS), and other switches using ubiquitous and cost-effective copper cables, simplifying upgrades from existing 1GbE infrastructures.

SFP+ Fiber Ports

Complementing the copper ports are eight SFP+ ports. These ports support 1G and 10G speeds using the appropriate SFP or SFP+ modules. The SFP+ slots enable long-distance fiber connectivity for backbone links, uplinks to core switches, or connections across buildings, providing the reach and signal integrity that copper cannot match.

Additional Connectivity and Hardware

The switch also includes a dedicated 1G SFP uplink slot for legacy or management connectivity and a serial console port for out-of-band management. Its robust, fan-cooled design ensures reliable operation in standard office or data center environments. The inclusion of dual, redundant power supply slots enhances availability, allowing for an external RPS (Redundant Power System) to be connected for critical deployments.

Core Performance and Switching Capabilities

Beyond raw port speed, the Cisco 550X Series is architected for intelligent traffic handling and high-throughput switching, making it far more than a simple aggregation point.

Switching Capacity and Forwarding Rates

With a substantial aggregate switching capacity of up to 320 Gbps, the SX550X-16FT-K9-NA can effortlessly manage the simultaneous traffic load from all sixteen 10G ports. It boasts a high packet forwarding rate, ensuring low latency and minimal jitter for real-time applications like voice over IP (VoIP) and video conferencing. This performance tier eliminates bottlenecks at the network edge or in server access layers.

Advanced Layer 3 Lite Features

The "Layer 3 Lite" designation means the switch provides essential static routing and policy-based routing functionalities. It supports static routes and RIPv1/v2, allowing for efficient inter-VLAN routing directly at the access/aggregation layer. This capability reduces the need to haul all traffic to a core router, decreasing latency and optimizing core resource utilization. Access Control Lists (ACLs) can be applied to control traffic flow between subnets with granular precision.

Comprehensive Quality of Service (QoS)

To maintain application performance, the switch employs sophisticated QoS mechanisms. It supports classification and marking based on IEEE 802.1p (CoS) and DSCP, along with strict priority and Weighted Round Robin (WRR) queuing schedules. This ensures that mission-critical and delay-sensitive traffic, such as unified communications or virtualization data streams, are prioritized appropriately, guaranteeing a consistent user experience even during periods of congestion.

Operational Simplicity and Scalability with Stacking

One of the most powerful features of the Cisco 550X Series is its stacking technology, which transforms individual switches into a single, logical, managed entity.

FlexStack and FlexStack-Plus Technology

The SX550X-16FT-K9-NA utilizes Cisco's FlexStack-Plus technology, allowing up to four units of the 550X series to be stacked together using dedicated 40 Gbps stack ports on the rear of the switch. This creates a unified management domain with a single IP address, dramatically simplifying configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting.

Benefits of a Stacked Architecture

Stacking provides linear scalability: a stack of four 16-port switches presents a unified 64-port 10G switch to the network. It also enhances resilience through stack-wide redundancy; if the master switch fails, a backup member automatically assumes control with minimal disruption. Stacking cables create a high-speed backplane, enabling inter-switch link aggregation and efficient load balancing across the stack.

Unified Management Interface

Whether deployed as a standalone unit or part of a stack, the switch can be managed through multiple intuitive interfaces. The web-based graphical user interface (GUI) offers a dashboard view of performance and easy configuration wizards. For network professionals, a full-featured command-line interface (CLI) with a consistent Cisco IOS-like syntax is available, supporting automation and scripting. SNMPv3, RMON, and syslog provide robust options for integration into existing network management systems like Cisco Prime.

Robust Security Posture for the Modern Network

In an era of increasing threats, the Cisco SX550X-16FT-K9-NA incorporates a multi-layered security framework to protect the network infrastructure and the data traversing it.

Network Access Control and Authentication

The switch supports IEEE 802.1X for port-based network access control (NAC), allowing integration with RADIUS servers for user and device authentication. It also offers MAC authentication bypass (MAB) for devices that don't support 802.1X, and supports concurrent multi-host authentication for devices like wireless access points.

Enhanced Threat Mitigation

Features like DHCP snooping prevent rogue DHCP server attacks, while Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI) guards against ARP spoofing and poisoning. IP Source Guard blocks traffic from unauthorized IP addresses at the port level. These features collectively create a trusted access layer that is resilient to common LAN-based attacks.

Versatile Deployment Scenarios and Use Cases

The hybrid port configuration of the SX550X-16FT-K9-NA makes it uniquely suited for a wide array of deployment scenarios, serving as a aggregation switch in various environments.

Enterprise Branch Office Aggregation

In a regional or branch office, the switch can aggregate traffic from multiple access switches (providing 1G to users and wireless access points) and provide high-speed 10G uplinks back to the corporate data center via its SFP+ fiber ports. Its Layer 3 Lite capabilities enable local routing between departmental VLANs.

Mid-Sized Data Center Server Access

The switch is an ideal top-of-rack (ToR) or end-of-row (EoR) solution for server connectivity in small to mid-sized data centers or server rooms. The 10GBASE-T ports can directly connect to servers with 10G NICs, while the SFP+ ports provide high-bandwidth, low-latency uplinks to the core. Features like jumbo frame support optimize storage traffic.

High-Density Wireless and Video Backhaul

For campuses or large facilities with a high concentration of wireless access points (supporting Wi-Fi 6 or 6E) and IP security cameras, the switch provides the necessary backhaul capacity. It ensures smooth video streaming and seamless roaming by eliminating bandwidth bottlenecks at the aggregation point.

Flexible Connectivity for Converged Networks

The ability to run 1G, 2.5G, 5G, and 10G over copper allows for a phased network upgrade strategy. Organizations can start by connecting existing 1G devices and gradually introduce higher-speed endpoints, all on the same switch, protecting their investment.

Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability

Business continuity depends on network uptime. The Cisco SX550X-16FT-K9-NA is designed with features that maximize availability and simplify maintenance.

Hardware Redundancy Options

The dual power supply slots allow for connection to an optional Cisco RPS (Redundant Power System), providing power source redundancy. In a stacked configuration, the stack itself provides switch-level redundancy. Features like IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation (LACP) enable the creation of resilient, high-bandwidth trunk links that survive individual port or cable failures.

Resilient Network Protocols

The switch supports Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), Rapid STP (RSTP), and Multiple STP (MSTP) to prevent loops and provide sub-second reconvergence in case of a link failure. For the most demanding environments, it also supports Cisco's FlexLinks, an alternative to STP that provides sub-50ms switchover for mission-critical applications.

Software Resilience and Diagnostics

Software features like configuration rollback help recover from erroneous changes quickly. Integrated cable diagnostics can identify faults in copper cabling, such as open pairs or shorts, accelerating troubleshooting. The switch also offers environmental monitoring for temperature, aiding in proactive maintenance.