Enterasys A-Series A4 - Manual (Page 2)

Advanced Quality of Service
Robust QoS features enable strong support for integrated multimedia networks, including VoIP and
video, as well as all types of data-intensive applications. The A4 provides 8 hardware-based priority
queues for each Ethernet port in order to support a suite of differentiated services with as many as
6 user addressable priority levels. The strict and weighted round robin queuing algorithms ensure
that mission-critical applications receive prioritized access to network resources.
Security
The A4 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 A4 currently supports a single user/device per
port, which can be authenticated via IEEE 802.1X or MAC address. As part of a future release,
the A4 will support multiple users/devices per switch (PC+Phone), with the ability to then assign a
pre-defined role.
Investment Protection
The A4 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. As part of a future release, the A4 will
support static routing and RIP v1/v2 to provide additional flexibility for customers. All A-Series
products include a lifetime warranty that includes warranty and support services for which many
competitors charge additional fees – adding up to 10% of initial deployment costs on an annual
basis. Included benefits, such as advanced hardware return, firmware feature upgrades (which most
vendors cover at most for 90 days) and telephone support (which most don’t include or severely
limit) combine to significantly decrease operational costs for customers over the life of their network.
For more information regarding warranty terms and conditions please go to
http://www.enterasys.com/
support/warranty.aspx .
Performance & Scalability
The A4 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 17.6
Gbps, the A4 provides up to 48 10/100 Ethernet ports as well as 2 modular Gigabit Ethernet and
2 10/100/10000 uplink ports. Leveraging the A4’s wire-rate stacking capability, as many as 8
A4s can be interconnected in a single stack to create a virtual switch that provides 140.8 Gbps of
capacity and up to 384 10/100 Ethernet ports as well as 16 Gigabit Ethernet uplink ports.
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