Enterasys® SecureStack™ A2 Switch

Secure Fast Ethernet Stackable L2 Switch 

High availability design assures

reliable network operations

Granular QoS capabilities support

converged multimedia networks

Power over Ethernet (PoE)

supports a variety of

network devices

Investment protection via Limited

Lifetime Warranty

140.8Gbps capacity and

104.8Mpps

Product Overview

Enterasys’ leadership position in the switching market is further enhanced by the Enterasys®

SecureStack™ A2 stackable enterprise switch. The SecureStack A2 is a high-performance Fast 

Ethernet edge switch that provides scalable, wire-rate performance in support of the bandwidthintensive and delay-sensitive requirements of today’s demanding applications. With support for 

8,000 MAC addresses, the A2 is an excellent choice for environments that require complete 

multilayer switching capabilities and support for high density (10/100Base-T, 100Base-FX) 

Ethernet ports. The A2 is well suited for 100Mb networks that may also require Gigabit Ethernet 

uplink connections. In addition to its complete multilayer switching capabilities, the A2 also 

provides multilayer packet classification and priority queuing for differentiated services. Along 

with a switch capacity of 17.6Gbps, the A2 provides up to 48 10/100Base-T or 24 100Base-FX 

Ethernet ports as well as 2 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports, which can be used as uplink or stacking 

connections. As many as 8 A2s can be interconnected in a single stack to create a virtual switch 

that provides 140.8Gbps of capacity and up to 384 10/100Base-T or 192 100Base-FX Ethernet 

ports as well as 32 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports for uplink or stacking connections.

Robust quality of service (QoS) features enable strong support for integrated multimedia networks, 

including Voice over IP, video, as well as all types of data-intensive applications. The A2 provides 8 

hardware-based priority queues for each Ethernet port to support a suite of differentiated services 

with as many as 8 distinct priority levels. In conjunction with its non-blocking L2 switching 

architecture, the A2’s intelligent queuing mechanisms ensure that mission-critical applications 

receive prioritized access to network resources.

The A2 provides a secure network by utilizing its authentication and security features, which can be 

applied at the port level or at the user level. The A2 supports a single user/device per port, which 

can be authenticated via IEEE 802.1X or MAC address.

The SecureStack product line provides high port density in a 1u footprint and is environmentally 

friendly by design. By maximizing port density within a given amount of rack space, the A2 

minimizes its cooling requirements. The A2’s overall electrical requirement is further reduced by a 

low current draw and an extreme tolerance for high environmental temperatures. A highly scalable 

architecture and a Limited Lifetime Warranty ensures that an A2 network investment will sustain a 

secure, feature rich and cost-effective network well into the future.

Benefits

Business Alignment

• Granular QoS capabilities support

converged multimedia networks

• Reliable network operation for mission

critical applications

Operational Efficiency

• Scalable architecture supports

continued growth of network capacity

• Consolidated management capabilities

reduce network operational expenses

• Security capabilities without the

high overhead

Security

• Network access secured by 802.1x

and MAC address authentication

methods

• Network security maintained

concurrently with user mobility

• Architecture designed with integral

network security

Support and Service

• Industry leading customer satisfaction

and first call resolution rates

• Personalized services

• Limited Lifetime Warranty

There is nothing more important 

than our customers.

Reliability and Availability

The A2 design incorporates redundancy and failure protection mechanisms complete with 

automatic failover and recovery capabilities to provide a reliable network. An integral power 

supply is the primary source of power for the A2 and complete power redundancy is provided 

by an optional external power supply. In addition to the standard version of the A2, there is also 

a redundant Power over Ethernet (PoE) version of the A2 which supports network devices that 

require external power such as wireless access points, VoIP phones and network cameras. A 

virtual switch can be created by interconnecting as many as 8 A2s in a single stack, which can be 

managed via a single IP address with redundant management connections. The A2’s closed-loop 

stacking (CLS) capability utilizes bidirectional switch interconnects to maintain connectivity within 

the virtual switch despite any physical switch-level failure. Up to 4 Ethernet ports can be grouped 

together to create a multi-link aggregation group (LAG). A LAG’s Ethernet ports can be collocated 

on a single A2 or they can be distributed across multiple A2s within a stack to prevent a switchlevel failure from disrupting data communications.

Advanced Quality of Service

Robust quality of service (QoS) features enable strong support for integrated multimedia networks, 

including Voice over IP, video, as well as all types of data-intensive applications. The A2 provides 8 

hardware-based priority queues for each Ethernet port in order to support a suite of differentiated 

services with as many as 8 distinct priority levels. The strict and weighted round robin queuing 

algorithms ensure that mission-critical applications receive prioritized access to network resources.

Security

The A2 provides a secure network by utilizing its authentication and security features, which can 

be applied at the port level or at the user level. The A2 supports a single user/device per port, 

which can be authenticated via IEEE 802.1X or MAC address.

Investment Protection

The A2 is a cost-effective, feature-rich, stackable switch that provides a broad set of features today 

and will continue to deliver benefits well into the future. Customers can grow and/or enhance 

their networks while protecting their investment by adding A2s into existing A2 networks and/or 

stacks. When multiple A2s are stacked together, each switch in the stack assumes the feature set 

that is common to all switches in the stack to ensure operational compatibility. All SecureStack 

products include a Limited Lifetime Warranty that continues for 5 years after the date of product 

discontinuation. For more information regarding warranty terms and conditions please go to 

http://www.enterasys.com/support/warranty.aspx.

Performance & Scalability

The A2 provides scalable, wire-rate performance in support of the bandwidth-intensive and 

delay-sensitive requirements of today’s demanding applications. Along with a switch capacity of 

17.6Gbps, the A2 provides up to 48 10/100Base-T or 24 100Base-FX Ethernet ports as well as 

2 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports, which can be used as uplink or stacking connections. As many as 

8 A2s can be interconnected in a single stack to create a virtual switch that provides 140.8Gbps 

of capacity and up to 384 10/100Base-T or 192 100Base-FX Ethernet ports as well as 32 

10/100/1000 Ethernet ports for uplink or stacking connections.

Standards and Protocols

MAC Address Table Size

8,000

VLANs

4,096 VLAN IDs

1,024 VLAN entries per stack

Embedded Services

Ingress Rate Limiting

IP TOS Rewrite

Layer 2/3/4 classification

Multilayer Packet Processing

Switching Services

IEEE 802.1D – MAC Bridges

IEEE 802.1s – Multiple Spanning Trees

IEEE 802.1t – 802.1D Maintenance

IEEE 802.1w – Rapid Spanning Tree Reconvergence

IEEE 802.3ab – GE over Twisted Pair

IEEE 802.3ad – Link Aggregation

IEEE 802.3af – PoE

IEEE 802.3i – 10Base-T

IEEE 802.3u – 100Base-T, 100Base-FX

IEEE 802.3z – GE over fiber

Full/half duplex auto-sense support on all ports

IGMP Snooping v1/v2/v3

Jumbo Frame support (9,216 bytes)

Loop Protection

One-to-One and Many-to-One Port Mirroring

Port Description

Protected Ports

Per-Port Broadcast Suppression

Spanning Tree Backup Root

STP Pass Thru

VLAN Support

Generic Attribute Registration Protocol (GARP)

Generic VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP)

IEEE 802.1p – Traffic Management/ Mapping to 8 queues

IEEE 802.1q – VLAN tagging

IEEE 802.1v – Protocol-based VLANs

IEEE 802.3ac – VLAN tagging extensions

Port-based VLAN (private port / private VLAN)

Tagged-based VLAN

VLAN Marking of Mirror Traffic

Quality of Service

8 priority queues per port

802.3x Flow Control

IP DSCP – Differentiated Services Code Point

IP precedence

IP protocol

Queuing Control – Strict and Weighted Round Robin

Source/Destination IP address

Source/Destination MAC address

Security

IEEE 802.1x Port Authentication

MAC-Based Port Authentication

Password Protection (encryption)

RADIUS Client

Secured Shell (SSHv2)

Secured Socket Layer (SSL)

RFC and MIB Support

Enterasys Entity MIB

Enterasys VLAN Authorization MIB

IEEE 802.1X MIB – Port Access

IEEE 802.3ad MIB – LAG MIB

RFC 826 – ARP and ARP Redirect

RFC 951, RFC 1542 – DHCP/BOOTP relay

RFC 1213 – RFC 1213-MIB/MIB II

RFC 1493 – BRIDGE-MIB

RFC 1643 – Ethernet-like MIB

RFC 2131, RFC 3046 – DHCP client//relay

RFC 2233 – IF-MIB

RFC 2271 – SNMP Framework MIB

RFC 2618 – RADIUS Authentication Client MIB

RFC 2620 – RADIUS Accounting Client MIB

RFC 2668 – Managed Object Definitions for 802.3 MAUs

RFC 2674 – P-BRIDGE-MIB

RFC 2674 – QBRIDGE-MIB VLAN Bridge MIB

RFC 2737 – Entity MIB (physical branch only)

RFC 2819 – RMON-MIB

RFC 2863 – IF-MIB

RFC 2933 – IGMP MIB

RFC 3289 – DiffServ MIB

RFC 3413 – SNMP Applications MIB

RFC 3414 – SNMP User-based Security Module (USM) MIB

RFC 3415 – View-based Access Control Model for SNMP

RFC 3580 – IEEE 802.1X Remote Authentication Dial In User Service 

(RADIUS) Usage Guidelines

RFC 3584 – SNMP Community MIB

RFC 3621 – Power over Ethernet MIB

Management

Alias Port Naming

Command Line Interface

Configuration Upload/Download

Editable Configuration File

FTP/TFTP client

Multi configuration File Support

NetSight Automated Security Manager

NetSight Console

NetSight Inventory Manager

NetSight Policy Manager

Node/Alias Table

RFC 854 – Telnet

RFC 1157 – SNMP

RFC 1901 – Community-based SNMPv2

RFC 2271 – SNMP Framework MIB

RFC 3413 – SNMPv3 Applications

RFC 3414 – User-based Security Model for SNMPv3

RFC 3415 – View-based Access Control Model for SNMP

RMON (Stats, History, Alarms, Events)

Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP)

SSH

Syslog

Telnet

Text-based Configuration Upload/Download

Web-based Management

Webview via SSL Interface

Switch Model Specifications (cont)

C2RPS-CHAS2 SecureStack Power Shelf

Power Supply Slots

2

Dimensions (H x W x D)*

48.2 cm (19.0”) x 5.5 cm (2.2”) x 18.0 cm (7.0”)

Weight

0.95 kg (2.09 lbs)

Note: dimensions include integrated rack mount ears

C2RPS-CHAS8 SecureStack Power Shelf

Power Supply Slots

8

Dimensions (H x W x D)*

44.0 cm (117.3”) x 22.26 cm (8.77”) x 26.4 cm (10.4”)

Weight

5.27 kg (11.6 lbs)

C2RPS-PSM Power Supply

Dimensions (H x W x D)

19.6 cm (7.7”) x 5.2 cm (2.04”) x 25.7 cm (10.1”)

Net Weight (Unit Only)

1.75 kg (3.85 lbs)

Gross Weight (Packaged Unit)

3.20 kg (7.04 lbs)

MTBF

300,000 hours

Operating Temperature

5° C to 40° C (41° F to 104° F)

Storage Temperature

-30° C to 73° C (-22° F to 164° F)

Operating Relative Humidity

10% to 90%

AC Input Frequency Range

50-60 Hz

AC Input Voltage Range

100 – 240 VAC

Maximum Output Power

156 W continuous

C2RPS-POE Power Supply

Dimensions (H x W x D)*

4.45 cm (1.75”) x 44.5 cm (17.5”) x 16.5 cm (6.5”)

Net Weight (Unit Only)

3.47 kg (7.63 lbs)

Gross Weight (Packaged Unit)

4.95 kg (10.89 lbs)

MTBF

589,644 hours at 25° C (77°F)

Operating Temperature

5° C to 40° C (41° F to 104° F)

Storage Temperature

-30° C to 73° C (-22° F to 164° F)

Operating Relative Humidity

10% to 90%

AC Input Frequency Range

50-60 Hz

AC Input Voltage Range

100 – 240 VAC

Maximum Output Power

500 W continuous