AlcatelLucent OmniSwitch6860

The AlcatelLucent OmniSwitch6860 series is a family of highperformance, carriergrade Ethernet switches designed for metro aggregation, datacenter edge, and enterprise campus deployments. Built on a modular chassis, the 6860 provides flexible port density, extensive Layer2/3 capabilities, and robust reliability features that meet the needs of modern, bandwidthintensive networks.

Key Benefits

• Scalable Architecture: Supports up to 4810GbE SFP+ uplinks or 2440GbE QSFP+ ports in a single chassis.
• High Availability: Redundant power supplies, hotswappable fan modules, and dual supervisor engines ensure uninterrupted operation.
• Rich Feature Set: Advanced Layer2/3 protocols, MPLS, VXLAN, and extensive QoS capabilities simplify complex network designs.
• Energy Efficient: Intelligent powermanagement reduces operational costs without sacrificing performance.
• Secure Operations: Integrated security functions, including MACsec, IPsec, and extensive ACLs, protect traffic at the edge.

Hardware Overview

Component	Description
Chassis	2RU, 19inch rackmountable, fronttoback airflow.
Line Cards	241GbE RJ45 + 410GbE SFP+ 4810GbE SFP+ 2440GbE QSFP+
Supervisor Engine	Dual redundant supervisors with activestandby failover.
Power Supplies	Hotswappable, dual 650W AC or 800W DC options.
Fans	Redundant, hotswappable fan modules (up to 1800CFM).

Software Features

Layer2 Switching

Supports IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging, QinQ (802.1ad), MSTP, RSTP, and rapid spanningtree convergence. MAC address table can hold up to 256K entries, with dynamic aging and static entry options.

Layer3 Routing

Full IPv4/IPv6 routing with OSPF, BGP, ISIS, static routes, and policybased routing. The platform also supports VRFLite for multitenant segmentation.

MPLS & Transport

The 6860 offers MPLS L2VPN and L3VPN capabilities, LDP, RSVPTE, and Segment Routing. These features make it suitable for metrocore aggregation and serviceprovider edge deployments.

DataCenter Overlay (VXLAN)

VXLAN and EVPN provide scalable Layer2 extension across datacenter fabrics. Integrated hardware offload delivers linerate encapsulation.

Quality of Service (QoS)

Eight traffic classes with perclass shaping, policing, and priority queuing. Supports DSCP, VLAN priority, and CoS mapping for precise traffic engineering.

Security

Features include:

• MACsec encryption on 10GbE and 40GbE ports.
• IPsec tunnel termination for sitetosite VPNs.
• 802.1X portbased authentication.
• ACLs (IPv4/IPv6), zoning, and security policies.

Management & Automation

Managed via a webbased GUI, CLI (SSH/Telnet), or SNMPv2/v3. Supports NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, and Ansible modules for SDN integration. Syslog, sFlow, and RMON provide comprehensive monitoring.

Use Cases

1. Metro Aggregation: The highdensity 10GbE and 40GbE uplinks consolidate traffic from multiple access switches while providing MPLS and carriergrade QoS.
2. Enterprise Campus Edge: With PoE+ support on certain line cards (up to 30W per port), the OmniSwitch6860 can power IP phones, APs, and cameras while delivering Layer2/3 services.
3. DataCenter Edge: VXLAN/EVPN capability enables seamless extension of virtualized workloads across multiple racks or sites.
4. Secure Branch Office: Integrated firewalltype ACLs, MACsec, and IPsec allow the switch to act as a secure gateway without additional appliances.

Performance Highlights

• Forwarding Capacity: Up to 2.4Tbps (nonblocking architecture).
• Switching Fabric: 3264Gbps internal lanes.
• Latency: Sub5s microsecond range for typical forwarding.
• Packet Buffer: 14MB shared across all ports, supporting burst traffic.

Reliability & Support

The OmniSwitch6860 is covered by a 5year warranty with optional onsite support contracts. Firmware upgrades are nondisruptive when using redundant supervisors. The platform complies with Carrier Ethernet (MEF) standards, ensuring interoperability with other OEM equipment.

Comparison with Previous Generation

Feature	OmniSwitch6860	OmniSwitch5680
Maximum 10GbE Ports	48	24
Maximum 40GbE Ports	24	0
Forwarding Capacity	2.4Tbps	1.2Tbps
VXLAN Offload	Yes (hardware)	No
MACsec Support	Yes	Limited
Power Consumption (typical)	850W	620W

Getting Started

1. Mount the chassis in a standard 19inch rack and connect redundant power supplies.
2. Insert the desired line cards (e.g., 4810GbE SFP+).
3. Connect the supervisor module and power on the unit.
4. Access the switch via the default IP(192.168.1.1) using a web browser or SSH.
5. Run the initial configuration wizard to set management VLAN, passwords, and licensing.
6. Apply port configurations, VLANs, and routing protocols as required.
7. Enable desired security features (MACsec, ACLs) and verify with traffic tests.

Resources

• Official Datasheet (PDF)
• AlcatelLucent Community Forums
• Technical Support Portal
• Firmware & Software Downloads

Conclusion

The AlcatelLucent OmniSwitch6860 delivers a compelling blend of high port density, carriergrade reliability, and advanced Layer2/3 features. Whether you are building a metro aggregation core, an enterprise campus edge, or a datacenter fabric, the 6860 provides the scalability and performance required for todays bandwidthhungry applications while maintaining operational simplicity through robust management and automation tools.