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

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200
Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200
★ 4.2 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24-port models); 176 Gbps (48-port models)
  • Forwarding Rate: 95.2 Mpps (24-port models); 130.9 Mpps (48-port models)
  • Ports (breakdown): 24x or 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T (PoE+ on PoE SKUs) + 4x SFP/SFP+ uplinks (1GbE/10GbE); 6200M models add 4x SFP+ uplinks
  • PoE Budget: 370W Class 4 (24G and 48G 370W SKUs); 740W Class 4 (48-port 6200F PoE SKU); up to 1440W Class 6 (60W per port) on 6200M PoE SKUs. Varies by SKU
  • Layer: L2/L3 (Layer 3 static routing; dynamic routing depends on software license)
  • Stacking support: Yes, VSF virtual stacking up to 8 members (single logical device); VSX redundancy also supported

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Fixed-port, Layer 2/3 managed access switch in a compact 1U form factor; Wide range of PoE and non-PoE SKUs (370W, 740W, and 1440W class 6 PoE options) for IP phones, cameras, and APs; VSF stacking of up to 8 members simplifies management as one logical device; Full Aruba CX OS features with REST API, network analytics, and automation support via Aruba Central; Solid mid-range pricing compared with enterprise-class core switches; 10GbE SFP+ uplinks support aggregation and campus backbone links
  • ✘ Cons: Model and SKU naming (6200F vs 6200M, 24G vs 48G, PoE vs non-PoE) is confusing and specs differ significantly between variants; Public spec sources conflict on some figures (for example, 6200F throughput and uplink types), so exact datasheet values should be verified per SKU; Dynamic routing and advanced L3 features require additional licensing; Power budget is limited on 370W and 740W SKUs, so high-draw PoE devices may not all be supported at full load; Pricing is in USD only for 6200F SKUs. European 6200M pricing was found only in EUR and GBP, and no official HPE list price was confirmed
  • Est. Price: $4,261 - $8,663

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