TP-Link Omada TL-SX3016F network switch 16 × 10G SFP+, L2+, 320 Gbit/s

The TL-SX3016F connects other switches, servers and NAS units rather than individual desks. All sixteen ports are SFP+ slots for optical modules, so access switches on different floors can be brought together in one cabinet over fibre, which is immune to electrical interference. The unit has no regular RJ45 network ports, so modules are chosen to match the cable type and distance.

A switching capacity of 320 Gbit/s matches sixteen 10G ports in full duplex, which means the switch does not become a bottleneck even when every port is loaded at once. The forwarding rate is 238.08 million packets per second and the MAC address table holds 32,000 entries. Links can be aggregated to give a server or another switch an even wider, redundant connection.

Static routing moves traffic between VLANs directly on the switch, so the router does not have to handle every packet. Up to 4000 VLANs are supported, including private, protocol-based and voice VLANs. Access is controlled by 802.1X, web-based and MAC-based authentication and TACACS+, while IP-MAC-Port binding, DHCP snooping, ARP inspection and access control lists add further protection against attacks.

The switch has two power modules that back each other up: if one fails, the unit keeps running. That matters because a backbone switch going down would cut off the whole network. Maximum power consumption is only 32.74 W according to TP-Link, input is 100–240 V AC and the operating range is 0 to 45 °C. A rack mount kit and an AC power cable are included in the box.

The Omada cloud lets you manage the switch in a browser or the app alongside Omada access points, gateways and other switches. Standalone, there is a web interface, command line, SNMP v1/v2c/v3 and RMON, with connections secured by HTTPS, SSH and SSL/TLS. The console port has both RJ-45 and micro-USB connectors, ERPS quickly restores links in a ring topology, and OAM and DDM help monitor links and modules.

Mid-sized and larger businesses building a 10-gigabit backbone between floor switches; server rooms where servers and NAS units connect over SFP+; schools and campuses whose buildings are linked by fibre; and Omada networks that need a fast aggregation switch with redundant power.