HPE C8S46B 16Gb/28c SAN Switch for BLC Systems

HPE C8S46B Brocade 16 Gb/28C SAN Switch for BladeSystem c‑Class

Overview

The HPE C8S46B is an embedded Fibre Channel switch module designed for the HPE BladeSystem c‑Class enclosure, aimed at storage and SAN infrastructure engineers who require high‑density fabric connectivity inside blade‑server chassis. The module supports up to 16 Gbps per port, enabling high‑throughput SAN connectivity within the blade enclosure. It actively addresses the need to reduce external cabling and switching layers by embedding SAN switching directly inside the blade system. It fits into the designated switch bay of the c‑Class enclosure, leveraging shared power, cooling and backplane, making it well‑suited for blade server farms, virtualised compute clusters and high‑performance storage environments. The device integrates with existing SAN fabric management and zoning toolsets, and provides trunking and autosensing features to align with evolving port‑speed and capacity needs.

Key Features

• Up to 28 Fibre Channel ports with support for internal and external connectivity

• Supports Fibre Channel port speeds of 16 Gbps with backward compatibility for 8 Gb and 4 Gb devices

• Embedded blade‑module design for HPE BladeSystem c‑Class enclosures (zero‑footprint external switch)

• Non‑blocking architecture with up to 896 Gbps full‑duplex aggregate bandwidth

• Trunking support (up to 8‑port trunk groups) for high‑bandwidth ISL links

Technical Specifications