Switching Capacity: 25.6 Tbps (per Cisco datasheet c78-743854 and most resellers; some listings show 12.8 Tbps, likely the -M variant or an older revision)
Forwarding Rate: 4.17 Bpps per Cisco datasheet copy (other listings show 5.77 Bpps or 14.4 Bpps; verify against current Cisco PDF)
Ports (breakdown): 32x 400G QSFP-DD (also run as 100G/200G, supports 4x100G breakout); 2x 1/10G SFP+; 1x management; 1x console
PoE Budget: N/A (no PoE)
Layer: L2/L3
Stacking support: No (multi-chassis redundancy via vPC)
Curation Review
✔ Pros:32x 400G QSFP-DD ports in a 1RU chassis gives very high port density; Flexible 100G/200G/400G operation with 4x100G breakout; Full L2/L3 feature set with VXLAN EVPN and optional Cisco ACI support on NX-OS; Large packet buffer (about 120 MB) suits leaf/spine data center and AI/ML fabrics; Strong value per port compared with modular chassis at similar bandwidth
✘ Cons:No PoE and no campus access role, so it is limited to data center and fabric deployments; Requires QSFP-DD optics or DAC/AOC cables, which add significant cost; No stacking, so redundancy depends on vPC or fabric design; Published switching capacity and forwarding rates conflict across Cisco revisions and resellers; Street prices vary widely (about $25k to $78k) and are often third-party or refurbished
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
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