Ruckus (Formerly Brocade) ICX Switches: Models, Stacking

The ICX line of campus and data center switches was built by Brocade and is now documented and sold by Ruckus, so this page writes Ruckus (formerly Brocade) ICX once and Ruckus ICX after that. It sets the four families Townsend lists most, the ICX 7150, 7250, 7650 and 7850, side by side from the Ruckus data sheets, and adds the end-of-sale dates Ruckus has published. The ICX7150-48P-4X10GR is a good place to start reading a part number, and the ICX switch range holds every family.

The four families in the maker's figures

Sources: the Ruckus ICX 7150 data sheet and ICX 7150-48P page, the ICX 7250 installation guide and ICX family data sheet, the ICX 7650-48P page and ICX family data sheet, and the ICX 7850 data sheet.

Two entries need a second look. Stacking uses the same high-speed ports as uplinks, so each port given to a stack is one fewer uplink. And the uplinks on the 7150 and 7250 are licensed: they run at 1 Gbps until a license unlocks 10 Gbps, which is the 4X1G, 2X10G, 4X10GR and 8X10G ending of the part number. The ICX 7150 vs ICX 7250 page explains the endings.

ICX 7150: the entry switch

Ruckus lists the ICX 7150 with 24 or 48 gigabit ports and four SFP+ uplinks. Models with PoE+ supply power to phones, access points and cameras over the port. The ICX 7150-48P data sheet page gives 180 Gb/s of switching capacity and stacking of 12 switches per stack with 480 Gb/s of aggregate stack bandwidth. It is the family for small offices, wiring closets and campus access.

ICX 7250: eight 10G ports

The ICX 7250 has the 7150's gigabit access ports and eight SFP+ ports that act as uplinks or as stacking ports. Its installation guide describes the 7250-48P as 48 fixed PoE/PoE+ ports with eight SFP+ 1-GbE or 10-GbE ports, and a stack of up to 12 units. Choose it when four 10G uplinks are not enough.

ICX 7650: PoE or fiber with modules

The ICX 7650-48P has 48 copper ports, 40 of them PoE+ and eight PoE+, UPoE or PoH, and up to 1,500 W of PoE budget. The 7650-48F has 24 SFP and 24 SFP+ ports. Both take a front module in one slot and the 48F has four rear QSFP ports for stacking or uplinks. The ICX7650-48F-E2 is the fiber version.

ICX 7850: 25G access, 100G uplinks

The ICX 7850-48F has 48 SFP28 ports at 1, 10 or 25 GbE and eight QSFP28 ports at 40 or 100 GbE, which break out to 32 ports of 10 or 25 GbE. Its data sheet lists 4.0 Tbps of switching capacity and 2.0 billion packets per second, and says the ICX7850-PREM-LIC license is needed for advanced Layer 3. The ICX7850-48F-E2 is listed alongside it. This is the family for a core or aggregation role in a large campus or data center.

Dates from Ruckus

The notices are on Ruckus support: the ICX 7150 24 to 48 notice, the ICX 7150 C12P, C10ZP and 48ZP notice, the ICX 7250 notice and the ICX 7650 notice. End of sale does not stop a switch working. It closes the maker's order book. Our ICX 7150 end-of-sale page sets out the 7150 dates.

Common questions

How many switches can an ICX stack? Up to 12 for each of the four families above, according to the Ruckus data sheets and product pages.

Why do two ICX 7150 listings differ only in the ending of the part number? The ending records which uplinks were licensed at 10G when the switch was sold; the hardware is the same. Read the endings in the 7150 vs 7250 page.

Is the line Brocade or Ruckus? Ruckus documents and sells the ICX line today. Brocade built it first, which is why older listings and part numbers carry the Brocade name; the ICX family is the same.

Where to look next

The ICX 7150 page, the ICX 7250 page, the ICX 7650 page and the ICX 7850 page hold the listings, with the ICX7250-48P-8X10G as an example of a part number with all eight uplinks at 10G. Every unit we ship is tested in-house first and carries our warranty. If the part number you need is not listed, request a quote.