PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Juniper Networks QFX5240
Juniper Networks QFX5240
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 51.2 Tbps unidirectional (51,200 Gbps, per Juniper HCT for QFX5240-64QD)
  • Forwarding Rate: Not published on Juniper's spec pages; 64-byte line rate is roughly 76 Bpps by calculation, not a vendor figure
  • Ports (breakdown): QFX5240-64QD: 64 x 800GbE QSFP-DD (QSFP56-DD) + 2 x SFP+ 10G + 1 x RJ-45 console + 1 x RJ-45 management + 1 x USB-A + 10 MHz/PPS/ToD timing ports. QFX5240-64OD: 64 x 800GbE OSFP + 2 x SFP+ 10G (plus management/console)
  • PoE Budget: N/A (data center switch, no PoE)
  • Layer: L2/L3 (IPv4/IPv6 routing, EVPN-VXLAN, IP fabric)
  • Stacking Support: No traditional stacking published; scales as leaf/spine/end-of-row devices in an IP fabric
  • Silicon: Broadcom Tomahawk 5
  • Operating System: Junos OS Evolved
  • Packet Buffer: 165 MB
  • IPv4 Unicast / Host Routes: 2,000K / 880K
  • IPv6 Unicast / Host Routes: 2,000K / 875K
  • MAC Addresses: 136K
  • QoS Queues per Port: 8 unicast, 2 multicast
  • Form Factor: 2U fixed chassis, 17.26 in W x 25.51 in D x 3.46 in H
  • Weight: 48.5 lb (22 kg) as shipped
  • Power Supplies: 2 hot-swappable AC PSUs (QFX5240-PWR-AC-AO), 1+1 redundant
  • Power Consumption: 576 W AC average; 2,400 W AC maximum (QFX5240-64QD, per Juniper HCT)
  • Cooling: 4 hot-swappable fan modules, front-to-back airflow, 403 CFM
  • Operating Temperature: 0 to 40 C (32 to 104 F), up to 6,000 ft
  • CPU / Memory / Storage: Intel 4-core 2.2 GHz Ice Lake, 32 GB DRAM, 960 GB SSD
  • Price Note: No official Juniper list price found. Only one USD listing: Zones, QFX5240-64QD-AO at $249,136.99. No USD price found for QFX5240-64OD; UK and Indian reseller prices are in GBP and INR and were not converted
  • Sources: https://apps.juniper.net/hct/product/QFX5240-64QD/hwspecs ; https://www.juniper.net/documentation/us/en/hardware/qfx5240/topics/topic-map/qfx5240-system-overview.html ; https://www.zones.com/site/product/index.html?id=114994799 ; https://convergedigest.com/juniper-intros-qfx-switches-based-on-broadcoms-tomahawk-5/

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: 51.2 Tbps switching capacity in a 2U chassis; 64 x 800GbE port density for AI/ML and high-bandwidth data center fabrics; Broadcom Tomahawk 5 silicon; large routing tables (2M IPv4/IPv6 unicast routes) and 165 MB packet buffer; redundant hot-swappable PSUs and fans with front-to-back airflow; Junos OS Evolved gives a modern, Junos-consistent management plane
  • ✘ Cons: Very high acquisition cost (about $249K for the 64QD configuration in the only USD listing found); power draw up to 2,400 W AC maximum, which needs substantial data center power and cooling; 800GbE optics and cabling add significant cost on top of the chassis; overkill for small or enterprise campus deployments and offers no PoE; Junos OS Evolved may need retraining for teams used to classic Junos; the official spec page does not publish a forwarding rate, so buyers must rely on the datasheet or Juniper sales for that figure
  • Est. Price: $249,137

Compare Against

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L
Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L
★ 4.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 56 Gbps (24P-4G) to 128 Gbps (24-port 4x10G) and 104 Gbps (48P-4G) to 176 Gbps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
  • Forwarding Rate: 83.33 Mpps (24P-4G) to 190.4 Mpps (24P-4X); 154.76 Mpps (48P-4G) to 261.9 Mpps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
  • Ports (breakdown): 24 or 48 x 10/100/1000 downlink ports (PoE+ on P models, non-PoE on T models; some 48-port PXG variants add mGig ports) plus 4 fixed uplinks: 4 x 1G SFP (-4G) or 4 x 10G SFP+ (-4X)
  • PoE Budget: 24P models: about 370 W default, up to about 740 W with redundant PSU; 48P models: about 740 W default, up to about 1440 W with two PSUs (sources conflict, e.g. 600 W and 1 kW PSU options quoted)
  • Layer: L2/L3: Network Essentials provides L2 switching with basic L3 features; Network Advantage adds full dynamic L3 routing
  • Stacking support: Yes, StackWise-80 with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth, up to 8 switches (requires stacking module/kit)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-80 stacking of up to 8 units with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth; 4x10G SFP+ uplink option for higher-bandwidth aggregation; Full PoE+ (802.3at) on P models with budgets up to roughly 1440 W with redundant power; Two licensing tiers (Network Essentials and Network Advantage) let buyers pay only for needed L3 features; Lower price point than Catalyst 9300 for standard campus access deployments
  • ✘ Cons: Uplinks are fixed with no modular expansion slots, which limits future upgrade paths; Full dynamic L3 routing requires the more expensive Network Advantage license; Stacking needs a separate stacking module and is capped at 8 units; Switching capacity and PoE budgets differ widely between SKUs, making spec comparison and sizing confusing; Lower forwarding performance and feature depth than Catalyst 9300 for aggregation or core roles
  • Est. Price: $1,783 - $4,604

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