Managed Switch HPE Aruba Networking CX 5420 960 Gbit/s L3 PoE

The HPE Aruba Networking CX 5420 is a managed Layer 3 modular switch chassis designed for enterprise small and medium campus and branch networks. It delivers up to 960 Gbit/s switching capacity, supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) and 10G connectivity, and runs the AOS‑CX operating system with built‑in analytics and automation. The 4U chassis accepts up to six half‑width line cards and includes redundancy for management modules and power supplies to provide resilient, high‑performance switching with hardware MACsec support and Gen7 ASIC performance.

Advantages

This chassis provides high throughput and low latency (up to 960 Gbit/s and 714 Mpps) in a compact 4U form factor with flexible port expansion via six half‑width modules. It supports advanced Layer 3 routing protocols including BGP and OSPF, virtual switching with VSX and VSX Live Upgrade for high availability, and robust Quality of Service (QoS). AOS‑CX delivers a consistent operational model across the CX portfolio and integrates with HPE Aruba Central, Switch Multi‑Edit, web GUI and CLI for simplified management. The switch also offers Always‑On PoE up to HPE Smart Rate 10GbE with high PoE power (IEEE 802.3bt) and hardware MACsec for security.

Suitable for (tasks / use cases)

• Campus access and distribution for medium and large enterprise sites
• Branch office aggregation and core switching
• High‑density PoE deployments for IP phones, wireless APs and IoT devices
• Environments requiring redundant chassis and high availability

Key specifications

• Switch type: Managed Layer 3 chassis
• Switching capacity: 960 Gbit/s
• Performance: up to 714 Mpps
• Form factor: 4U rack chassis with six half‑width line card slots
• PoE: AC/PoE support, IEEE 802.3bt
• 10G support: Yes (HPE Smart Rate 10GbE)
• High availability: VSX, VSX Live Upgrade, redundant MM and PSU
• Security: hardware MACsec support

How to use

Install the CX 5420 chassis in a standard 19‑inch equipment rack (4U). Populate the chassis with the required half‑width line cards for the desired port types and counts, connect redundant management modules and power supplies as needed, and cable uplinks and PoE connections to endpoints. Use the AOS‑CX CLI, web GUI, HPE Aruba Central or Switch Multi‑Edit to configure Layer 3 routing (BGP/OSPF), VSX, QoS policies and Dynamic Segmentation. Monitor system health and performance with the Network Analytics Engine (NAE) and apply firmware or VSX Live Upgrade procedures during maintenance windows to minimise disruption.

Recommendations

For reliable operation, plan capacity to allow headroom for peak traffic (use the 960 Gbit/s switching capacity and 714 Mpps figures as planning references), distribute PoE budget according to IEEE 802.3bt device requirements, and deploy redundant management modules and power supplies in environments that require high availability. Use HPE Aruba Central or AOS‑CX automation features to standardise configurations and monitor health with NAE.