Allied Telesis AT-X950-52XSQ – 48-Port 10G SFP+ 4x 40/100G QSFP28 Layer 3 Switch

Product Overview

The Allied Telesis x950 48-port 10G SFP+ 100G QSFP28 Layer 3 switch (AT-X950-52XSQ) is purpose-built for all-optical data center fabrics, spine-leaf architectures, and high-density server access tiers where fiber connectivity is the deployment standard. Unlike the x950-52XTQm which provides copper NBASE-T ports, the 52XSQ delivers 48 SFP+ ports for 1G/10G fiber or direct-attach copper (DAC) connections, eliminating the distance and interference limitations of structured copper cabling. Four integrated 40G/100G QSFP28 ports provide breakout capability to 16 x 10G downstream connections or direct 100G northbound links to spine switches and storage fabrics. With VCStack support for up to 8 units, the AT-X950-52XSQ scales from a standalone top-of-rack switch to a multi-chassis logical device managing hundreds of server ports as a single network node.

Product Description

The AT-X950-52XSQ is a 1U rack-mountable Advanced Layer 3+ stackable switch delivering 48 x 1G/10G SFP+ ports and 4 x 40G/100G QSFP28 ports on a 1.92 Terabit non-blocking switch fabric with 1,309 Mpps of wire-speed forwarding throughput. All 48 SFP+ ports accept standard 1G and 10G SFP/SFP+ optical transceivers as well as 10G DAC cables, providing flexible patching to servers, storage arrays, ToR switches, and out-of-band management networks. The four QSFP28 uplink ports operate natively at 40G or 100G, and each port supports breakout mode using QSFP28-to-4xSFP+ breakout cables, yielding up to 16 additional 10G ports for high-density connectivity scenarios. The 1.92 Tbps non-blocking fabric and 1,309 Mpps forwarding rate ensure that all ports operate simultaneously at full line rate without any internal oversubscription, making this switch appropriate for latency-sensitive storage, HPC, and financial trading network environments. VCStack Virtual Chassis Stacking aggregates up to 8 x950 units into a single logical switch with a unified management plane, cross-unit link aggregation, and sub-second hitless failover. VCStack over Long Distance (VCStack-LD) extends stacking across campus fiber runs, enabling distributed spine-layer deployments across multiple data center rooms or buildings without sacrificing single-pane management. All fans and PSUs are hot-swappable, and the 52XSQ supports dual 600W load-sharing PSUs (AC or DC) for redundant power in critical environments. AlliedWare Plus delivers the full enterprise routing suite including OSPF, BGP4, RIPng, PIM multicast, VRF-Lite (up to 64 domains standard, 600 with VLF license), IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack, and 802.1Q VLAN tagging. Active Fiber Monitoring (AFM) continuously monitors fiber connections for unauthorized splicing or eavesdropping attempts, a critical security feature for high-security and government data center environments. MACSec (with XEM2-12XS v2 module), FIPS 140-2 cryptographic certification, and JITC validation make the x950-52XSQ eligible for deployment on US DoD networks under the DoDIN APL. EPSRing and standards-based G.8032 ERPS provide sub-50ms ring failover for interconnected distribution topologies, and OpenFlow v1.3 (with license) enables SDN controller integration for programmable forwarding pipelines.

Key Features

• 48x 1G/10G SFP+ Ports (All-Optical) — Accepts SFP, SFP+, and DAC cables; eliminates copper distance limitations; ideal for structured fiber cabling plants.
• 4x 40G/100G QSFP28 Uplinks with Breakout — Each QSFP28 port supports 4x10G breakout mode, yielding up to 16 additional 10G ports for high-density top-of-rack configurations.
• 1.92 Tbps Non-Blocking Fabric — 1,309 Mpps forwarding with zero internal oversubscription; all ports simultaneously at wire speed.
• VCStack (Up to 8 Units) + VCStack-LD — Stack across local or long-distance fiber; single management IP, unified config, cross-unit LACP for resilient multi-path designs.
• Dual Hot-Swap PSUs (AC or DC) — 600W load-sharing PSUs, hot-swappable fans; designed for continuous operation in Tier 2/3 data centers.
• AlliedWare Plus OS — Full routing and switching feature set: OSPF, BGP4, PIM, VRF-Lite, MACSec, FIPS 140-2, OpenFlow v1.3.
• Active Fiber Monitoring (AFM) — Detects unauthorized fiber splicing or optical tapping in real time; essential for high-security government and finance deployments.
• FIPS 140-2 Certified + JITC Validated — Eligible for US government and DoD network deployments; listed on DoDIN Approved Products List.
• AMF Plus Network Automation — Automated zero-touch provisioning, configuration backup, firmware rollback, and intent-based networking via Vista Manager EX.
• Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) — Automatically reduces port power consumption during idle periods; reduces operating costs and carbon footprint in large deployments.

Typical Applications

• Data center top-of-rack (ToR) switch for server and storage access in all-fiber fabrics
• Spine-leaf architecture leaf switch with 100G northbound spine uplinks
• High-performance computing (HPC) cluster interconnect requiring line-rate 10G per port
• Campus or enterprise core aggregation with VCStack-LD distributed chassis over fiber
• US government and DoD network infrastructure (FIPS 140-2, JITC, DoDIN APL)
• Financial services and trading networks with low-latency, non-blocking forwarding requirements

Technical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the key difference between the AT-X950-52XSQ and the AT-X950-52XTQM?

The AT-X950-52XSQ has 48 x SFP+ ports for optical fiber or DAC connections, while the AT-X950-52XTQM has 48 x NBASE-T copper RJ-45 ports supporting 100M through 10G. The 52XSQ is optimized for all-fiber data center environments; the 52XTQM is optimized for multi-gig copper access, particularly for Wi-Fi 6 APs and multi-gig workstations over existing Cat5e/Cat6 cabling.

Q: Does the x950-52XSQ support QSFP28 breakout to 10G ports?

Yes. Each of the four QSFP28 uplink ports supports breakout mode using a QSFP28-to-4xSFP+ breakout cable, enabling up to 16 additional 10G connections. This is particularly useful for ToR deployments requiring high server port counts without additional switching hardware.

Q: How many x950-52XSQ units can be stacked, and what is the stacking topology?

Up to 8 x950 units (any model mix) can be combined in a VCStack. Stacking can be local (direct stacking cables) or long-distance using VCStack-LD over fiber connections. The stack presents as a single logical device with one management IP, a single configuration file, and cross-unit LACP for multi-path resiliency.

Q: Is the AT-X950-52XSQ approved for US government and DoD networks?

Yes. The x950 series carries FIPS 140-2 certification and JITC validation, and is listed on the DoD Information Network (DoDIN) Approved Products List (APL). This makes it a compliant choice for deployment on US government and Department of Defense networks. TAA compliance should be verified for this specific non-bundle model at time of procurement.

Q: What routing protocols are supported on the x950-52XSQ?

The base AlliedWare Plus license includes OSPF (64 routes), BGP4 (64 routes), and static routing. The AT-FL-x950-01 Premium license expands OSPF to 16,000 routes, BGP4 to 5,000 routes, and adds OSPFv3, BGP4+, PIM multicast, VRF-Lite (64 domains), and VXLAN. The VRF-Lite Full license further expands to 600 VRF domains.

Q: What is Active Fiber Monitoring and why is it relevant to data centers?

Active Fiber Monitoring (AFM) is an Allied Telesis technology that continuously monitors optical fiber links for physical intrusion, including unauthorized splicing or optical tap insertion that could indicate data exfiltration attempts. It provides real-time alerts for security events at the physical layer, which is a requirement in classified and high-security environments.

Q: Does this switch support DC power supplies for data center deployments?

Yes. The x950-52XSQ supports both AC (AT-PWR600) and DC (AT-PWR600-80) 600W power supply modules. Mixed AC/DC operation is supported for maximum power redundancy. All PSUs are hot-swappable without requiring a maintenance window.

Q: Where can I purchase the AT-X950-52XSQ?

The AT-X950-52XSQ is available from Creation Networks at creationnetworks.net. Our engineers can assist with transceiver selection, stacking design, and government procurement paperwork.