PLANET DCS-7342-24X6C network switch Managed L3 1U Metallic

PLANET is proud to announce the launch of the DCS-7342-24X6C. While retaining the industry-leading high-density configuration of 24-port 10GbE SFP+ and 6-port 100GbE QSFP28 interfaces, DCS-7342-24X6C is built upon a radically updated hardware architecture designed to overcome the physical limitations of the first-generation platform.

The brand-new architectural design provides significantly system capacity and the necessary flexibility for future-scale network expansions. Beyond sheer performance, DCS-7342-24X6C introduces enhanced software functionality and platform readiness, ensuring that critical Layer 3 services—such as VXLAN/EVPN virtualization, BGP/IS-IS routing, and MLAG redundancy—operate with even greater efficiency and stability.

With the launch of the brand-new DCS-7342-24X6C, organizations can leverage these advanced hardware and software breakthroughs to build a more resilient, scalable, and ultra-high-speed Layer 3 switching infrastructure tailored for modern data centers and enterprise backbones.


Future-Ready Data Center Interconnects: Advanced L3 Routing & Virtualization

The DCS-7342-24X6C is a high-performance Layer 3 data center switch engineered for the most demanding high-speed, scalable environments. With a high-density configuration of 24 x 10GbE SFP+ and 6 x 100GbE QSFP28 port, it serves as the ultimate foundation for spine-leaf, aggregation, and core data center deployments.

- Massive Routing Capacity: Optimized to support up to 216K IPv4 and 108K IPv6 routing entries, facilitating expansive topologies and intensive control-plane workloads.
- Advanced Dynamic Routing: Full-stack support for IPv4/IPv6 protocols, including OSPFv2/v3, BGP4/BGP4+, and IS-IS, ensuring seamless inter-subnet communication.
- Next-Gen Data Center Overlays: Enhanced VXLAN and EVPN capabilities enable highly flexible, multi-tenant virtualized overlay networks.
- Carrier-Grade Resilience: Features BFD for rapid fault detection, alongside ERPS (ITU-T G.8032) for sub-15ms ring recovery and VRRP redundancy.
- Intelligent Traffic Management: Maximizes bandwidth efficiency via ECMP (Equal-Cost Multi-Path), PBR (Policy-Based Routing), and robust PIM-SM/SSM multicast support.
- Robust Security Infrastructure: Enterprise-grade protection with TACACS+, 802.1X, and hardware-based Anti-ARP Scan to safeguard critical data.

The DCS-7342-24X6C delivers high-scale routing with exceptional stability, providing a future-proof infrastructure for enterprise and cloud data center architectures.


Carrier-Grade Resilience for High-Scalability Network Environments

PLANET delivers a high-density, carrier-grade switching solution engineered to dominate the rigorous traffic demands of modern scalable networks. By integrating advanced Layer 3 software with next-generation hardware, this platform ensures seamless expansion and unwavering stability.

- Scalable Layer 3 Routing Infrastructure: Supports a comprehensive suite of routing protocols, including BGP, OSPF, and IS-IS, allowing for flexible and efficient path selection across complex, large-scale architectures.
- Next-Generation Virtualization: Hardware-accelerated VXLAN and EVPN capabilities enable the creation of scalable virtualized overlay networks, significantly improving workload mobility for cloud and multi-tenant environments.
- Advanced Traffic Engineering & QoS: Granular QoS Class-Maps and Policy-Maps ensure peak performance for mission-critical applications, while ECMP (Equal-Cost Multi-Path) optimizes bandwidth utilization and load balancing.
- Carrier-Grade High Availability: Features BFD (Bidirectional Forwarding Detection) for sub-second fault detection, paired with ERPS (ITU-T G.8032) and MRPP to guarantee maximum uptime and rapid self-healing.
- Robust Security & Access Control: A multi-layered security framework—including TACACS+, RADIUS, 802.1X, and hardware-based Anti-ARP Scan—safeguards management access and data integrity.


Resilient Network Infrastructure via Seamless MLAG Integration

To ensure non-stop network services and maximize bandwidth utilization, the DCS-7342-24X6C supports advanced MLAG (Multi-Chassis Link Aggregation). This technology delivers carrier-grade reliability and architectural flexibility for mission-critical infrastructures.

- Active-Active Redundancy: MLAG allows two switches to function as a single logical entity, enabling active-active link aggregation for seamless traffic failover.
- Simplified Domain Management: Administrators can easily configure and identify the MLAG cluster through the Domain ID setting, ensuring synchronized and stable control-plane operations.
- Loop-Free Architecture: By leveraging MLAG with LACP, the network eliminates the need for Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) on access links, resulting in higher bandwidth efficiency and near-instant convergence.
- High Availability for Spine-Leaf Fabrics: MLAG enhances resilience at the leaf layer, providing redundant paths to ensure that a single chassis failure never interrupts data flow.
- Seamless Scalability: The combination of MLAG and hardware-based load balancing allows for linear bandwidth scaling as your data center infrastructure grows.


Advanced Data Center Overlays: VXLAN & EVPN Integration

To master the complexity of modern cloud infrastructures, the DCS-7342-24X6C integrates hardware-accelerated VXLAN and EVPN to build scalable, high-performance virtualized overlay networks.

Efficient Virtualization: VXLAN encapsulates L2 frames into L3 UDP packets, supporting up to 16 million isolated logical networks across a physical IP fabric.

- BGP-Driven Control Plane: Leveraging EVPN with BGP, the system intelligently distributes reachability info to minimize broadcast flooding and optimize traffic.
- Seamless Workload Mobility: Maintains L2 connectivity during VM or container migration across physical hosts, ensuring uninterrupted service delivery.
- Optimized Routing: Supports Integrated Routing and Bridging (IRB) and advanced multicast (PIM-SM/SSM) for efficient inter-segment traffic flow.
- Secure Multi-Tenancy: Features VFI (Virtual Forwarding Instance) to provide isolated, secure environments for multiple tenants over a shared infrastructure.
- Wire-Speed Hardware: The architecture handles all encapsulation at wire-speed, delivering ultra-low latency for high-throughput applications.


Unified Fabric Management: High-Bandwidth Stacking for Seamless Scalability

To simplify the complexity of expanding infrastructures, the DCS-7342-24X6C supports advanced stacking, integrating multiple physical eight switches into a single high-performance logical chassis.

- Centralized Efficiency: Manage the entire stack through a single IP address, reducing administrative overhead and synchronizing configurations across the fabric.
- 100G Stacking Backplane: Leverage high-speed 100G QSFP28 ports as stacking links to create a non-blocking internal fabric, ensuring massive throughput for inter-switch traffic.
- Distributed Resilience: Combined with Cross-Chassis LACP, the system provides seamless redundancy; traffic is instantaneously rerouted if a unit fails to maintain uninterrupted service.
- On-Demand Elasticity: A "pay-as-you-grow" architecture allows for seamless scaling of port density without reconfiguring the entire network topology.
- Secure Control Plane: Unified management access is hardened by TACACS+, RADIUS, and SSH, protecting the centralized stack against unauthorized access.
- Consistent QoS Performance: Hardware-based QoS profiles are applied across the entire stack, guaranteeing consistent priority for mission-critical applications.


Intelligent Management & Advanced Security Framework

The DCS-7342-24X6C combines sophisticated automation protocols with robust security architecture to simplify operations and protect critical data paths.

- Next-Gen Automation with NETCONF: Supports the NETCONF protocol to enable programmable network management and seamless integration with modern orchestration tools.
- Real-Time Traffic Analysis: Features sFlow technology for high-performance, hardware-based monitoring of network traffic, providing deep visibility into bandwidth usage and potential anomalies.
- Carrier-Grade AAA Security: Implements TACACS+, RADIUS, and SSH v2.0 to ensure encrypted management access and centralized authentication.
- Proactive Control-Plane Protection: Equipped with Anti-ARP Scan and hardware-based DDoS attack prevention to safeguard the switch CPU from malicious traffic.
- Precision Timing & Monitoring: Supports NTP for synchronized timekeeping and comprehensive RMON for proactive remote monitoring and diagnostics.
- Eco-Friendly Hardware Efficiency: Features intelligent fan temperature control that automatically adjusts speeds to reduce power consumption and noise.


Sustainable Infrastructure: Intelligent Power Management & Green Efficiency

As environmental responsibility becomes a core requirement for modern IT, the DCS-7342-24X6C integrates advanced power-saving technologies without compromising high-performance data center demands.

- Intelligent Fan Speed Control: Features a smart cooling architecture with redundant, hot-swappable fans. These fans dynamically adjust rotational speeds based on real-time temperature sensors, significantly reducing power consumption and acoustic noise during lower traffic periods.
- High-Efficiency Redundant Power Supplies: Equipped with 80 Plus Platinum (or high-efficiency) hot-swappable AC power modules. The redundant design not only ensures maximum uptime but also optimizes load sharing to achieve peak energy efficiency.
- Hardware-Level Power Scaling: The advanced chipset architecture is designed to scale power consumption based on port link status. Unused ports are automatically placed in a low-power state, lowering the overall energy footprint of the rack.
- Optimized Thermal Design: The chassis airflow is engineered for professional front-to-back cooling, contributing to better overall Data Center PUE by aligning with hot/cold aisle containment strategies.
- Sustainable OPEX Reduction: By combining intelligent energy management with high-density performance, the DCS-7342-24X6C helps organizations reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and meet corporate carbon reduction goals.


1-to-4 Port Expansion: 100G to 4 x 25G Breakout Solution

Maximize your hardware investment by transforming a single 100G QSFP28 port into four independent 25G SFP28 connections. This professional-grade breakout cable provides the most efficient way to link high-capacity core switches to multiple high-performance servers or storage nodes.

Core Advantages

- 1-to-4 Port Multiplying: Unlock 4 x 25Gbps lanes from a single 100G interface, significantly increasing available port count for downstream devices.
- Direct 100G Utilization: Fully utilize the massive 100Gbps bandwidth of your DCS-7342-24X6C without wasting unused capacity.
- Seamless Hardware Integration: Specifically engineered for 1-Port 100G/QSFP28 modules, ensuring perfect synchronization across all four 25G lanes.
- Carrier-Grade Efficiency: Eliminates the need for multiple expensive 25G transceivers and complex patch panels, reducing both failure points and costs.
- Low-Latency Fabric: Direct-attach architecture ensures near-zero signal delay, ideal for high-frequency trading and cloud computing.
- Spine-Leaf Optimization: Connect one 100G Spine port directly to four 25G Leaf switches or servers, creating a highly scalable and cost-effective network fabric.



Learn more: https://www.planet.com.tw/en/product/dcs-7342-24x6c