Detailed Specifications
HPE C8R45A StoreFabric SN6500B 16 Gb Fibre Channel Switch
Overview
The HPE C8R45A is a Rack-mount Fibre Channel switch designed for storage-infrastructure engineers working in high-density SAN environments. It delivers 16 Gbps port speeds and supports a maximum of 96 ports in a 2-RU chassis, with license-based port activation enabling growth from 48 to 96 enabled ports. This model is suitable for SAN edge or aggregation racks within data centres, where consolidation of storage fabrics, low-latency switching and scalability are required. It integrates with SAN fabric management tools and supports backward compatibility with earlier 4 Gb and 8 Gb Fibre Channel protocols, allowing phased migration of storage infrastructure.
Key Features
Up to 96 Fibre Channel ports each capable of 16 Gbps
License-based "pay-as-you-grow" model (48→72→96 ports enabled)
2-RU form-factor for rack-mount deployment in storage-network racks
Low latency port-to-port switching (approx. 700 ns at 16 Gb)
Full SAN fabric feature set including ISL trunking, hardware zoning and diagnostics
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|
| Brand | HPE |
| Part Number | C8R45A |
| Product Type | StoreFabric SN6500B 16 Gb Fibre Channel Switch |
| Fibre Channel Speed | 16 Gbps per port |
| Maximum Port Count | Up to 96 ports |
| Initial Enabled Ports | 48 ports active (expandable via license) |
| Form Factor (H × W × D) | 1.70 in × 17.23 in × 17.45 in |
| Rack Units | 2 RU |
| Latency (Port-to-Port) | Approx. 700 ns at 16 Gbps |
| Backward Speed Support | 4 Gbps, 8 Gbps |
| Power Input | AC 100-240 V |
| Redundancy | Dual hot-swappable power supplies and cooling fans |
| Typical Use Case | SAN edge/aggregation switch for virtualised storage fabrics |
