Brocade FastIron WS Series

The Brocade FastIron® Workgroup Switch (WS) Series is a complete line of one rack unit (1RU) enterprise-class Layer 2/ Layer 3 switches. The FastIron WS Series extends the Brocade broad edge-to-core networking portfolio with a value line of intelligent edge switches designed for small and medium businesses (SMB), branch offices, and distributed enterprises with changing business needs, without compromising performance and reliability. The FastIron WS switches are available in 24- and 48-port 10/100 or 10/100/1000 Mbps models, with or without IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE), for enterprise edge networking, security, and unified communication (UC) needs.

Featuring standards-based PoE, the FastIron WS delivers the scalability, quality of service assurance, resilience, and VoIP-readiness needed to implement a high-value converged solution at the network edge. Combining Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, PoE, and intelligent fault detection with a feature rich, secure, highly reliability solution, the FastIron WS Series offers maximum productivity and investment protection. This cost-effective, high-performance compact solution enables the deployment of new applications such as IP telephony, wireless access, WebTV, video surveillance, building management systems, triple play—voice, video and data, and remote video kiosks.

The FastIron WS Series can also be deployed in metro area networks connecting branch offices with 1GbE uplinks. In this environment, important features include Brocade Metro Ring Protocol for building resilient ring-based topologies, VLAN stacking, and multicast capabilities such as IGMP v1/v2/v3 and MLD v1/v2 snooping for controlling multicast traffic in high- bandwidth content distribution applications.

The FastIron WS Series supports hardware-based embedded sFlow for real-time traffic visibility and analysis, network protection, and manageability to the end-users' PCs. sFlow enabled at the edge takes full advantage of the intelligent edge switch capabilities providing dynamic control by correlating data collected from sFlow and applying ACL, Rate limiting, and QoS at the edge, not at the core. This analysis mitigates security threats at the edge. sFlow dynamic real-time traffic analysis is available to the network administrator using Brocade Network Advisor (BNA) or any network management tool that supports sFlow (RFC 3176).

For environments with INM, Brocade IronShield 360° closed loop security solution and advanced traffic policy features are available to ensure the smooth operation and security of the entire network.

The Brocade IronWare software suite underpins all Brocade switches and routers, enabling a consistent, manageable framework that reduces the time and resources required to utilize the Brocade solutions. When complemented with other FastIron products such as SuperX™ Series and the stackable FCX Series, the WS Series allows network administrators to deploy feature rich and scalable end-to-end enterprise edge services while minimizing the total cost of ownership (TCO) and maximizing return on investment (ROI) for a complete convergence-ready solution.

Configuration Alternatives

The FastIron WS Series continues to extend the Brocade leadership in delivering intelligent solutions for convergence and security at the network edge. The FastIron WS Series is optimized for flexibility, reliability, and manageability. This series of switches is available in four base models and PoE models. In addition, all FastIron WS base models are available with optional Edge Layer 3 routing features.

The FastIron WS 624 model:

• 20x10/100 Mbps ports plus four RJ45/SFP (1-GE) combo ports

The FastIron WS 624-POE model:

• 20x10/100 Mbps PoE ports plus four RJ45/SFP (1-GE) combo ports

The FastIron WS 648 model:

• 44x10/100 Mbps ports plus four RJ45/SFP (1-GE) combo ports

The FastIron WS 648-POE model:

• 44x10/100 Mbps PoE ports plus four RJ45/SFP (1-GE) combo ports

The FastIron WS 624G model:

• 20x10/100 /1000 Mbps ports plus four RJ45/SFP (1-GE) combo ports

The FastIron WS 624G-POE model:

• 20x10/100 /1000 Mbps PoE ports plus four RJ45/SFP (1-GE) combo ports

The FastIron WS 648G model:

• 44x10/100 /1000 Mbps ports plus four RJ45/SFP (1-GE) combo ports

The FastIron WS 648G-POE model:

• 44x10/100 /1000 Mbps PoE ports plus four RJ45/SFP (1-GE) combo ports

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Data Sheet
Data Sheet – Brocade FastIron WS Series (PDF)