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All productsHuawei CE6870-48S6CQ-EI vs. CE6870-48S6CQ-EI-A: What’s the Difference?
At first glance, Huawei CE6870-48S6CQ-EI and CE6870-48S6CQ-EI-A appear nearly identical—right down to their model name. The only visible distinction? A simple “-A” suffix. But does this small letter actually signify any technical differences?
Though both models are now discontinued, they were once popular choices for enterprise networks, and you might still encounter them in legacy setups. In this article, we’ll break down the key distinctions between these two models, in terms of ports, performance, hardware design, and features.
Appearance
CE6870-48S6CQ-EI supports 2 fans, and 2 power supplies placed at both ends, while CE6870-48S6CQ-EI-A supports 4 fans and 2 side-by-side power supplies. Their port markings also differ in color – blue and yellow for CE6870-48S6CQ-EI versus gray for CE6870-48S6CQ-EI-A.
Power, Fan, CPU and other specfications comparison list:
| Model | CE6870-48S6CQ-EI-A | CE6870-48S6CQ-EI |
| PN | 02354VSH (without power and FAN)
CE6870-48S6CQ-EI-A-B CE6870-48S6CQ-EI-A-F |
CE6870-48S6CQ-EI, CE6870-48S6CQ-EI Switch (Without Fan and Power Module)CE6870-EI-F-B0A, CE6870-48S6CQ-EI Switch (2*AC Power Module, 2*FAN Box, Port-side Exhaust)CE6870-EI-B-B0A, CE6870-48S6CQ-EI Switch (2*AC Power Module, 2*FAN Box, Port-side Intake) |
| Port | 48-Port 10GE SFP+ 6-Port 100GE QSFP28 |
48-Port 10GE SFP+ 6-Port 100GE QSFP28 |
| Power supported | PAC600S12-PF, 600W AC, Power panel side intake PAC600S12-PB 600W AC, Power panel side exhaust PDC1K2S12-PB, 1200W DC, Power panel side intake PDC1K2S12-CE, 1200W DC, Power panel side exhaust |
PDC-350WA-F, 350W DC, Power panel side intake PDC-350WA-B, 350W DC, Power panel side exhaust PAC-600WA-F, 600W AC, Power panel side intake PAC-600WA-B, 600W AC, Power panel side exhaust |
| Fan supported | FAN-40HA-F, FAN panel side intake FAN-40HA-B, FAN panel side exhaust |
FAN-40HA-F, FAN panel side intake FAN-40HA-B, FAN panel side exhaust |
| Note: Power modules and fan modules using forced air cooling on a switch must have the same airflow direction. If a switch adopts power modules with back-to-front airflow, the switch must use fan modules with back-to-front airflow as well. | ||
| CPU | Main frequency: 1.5 (GHz) Number of cores: 4 |
|
| Storage | DRAM: 4 GB NOR flash: 64 MB NAND flash: 4 GB |
DRAM: 4 GB NOR flash: 16 MB NAND flash: 1 GB |
| System buffer | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| Maximum number of VRFs | 4096 | 16384 |
| Maximum number of ECMP paths | 128 | 64 |
| Maximum number of virtual tunnel endpoints (VTEPs) |
2K | 16K |
In summary, CE6870-48S6CQ-EI-A performs slightly better than CE6870-48S6CQ-EI in system buffer, ECMP, storage, and cooling, though the differences are minor. If you have any questions about switch selection or features, feel free to contact us at supports@thunder-link.com.
