Expand Your Network Capacity | EX4600-EM-8F Expansion Module

The EX4600-EM-8F is an expansion module for the Juniper EX4600 switch. It slides into one of the two module bays on the front of the switch and adds eight SFP+ ports. This page follows Juniper's EX4600 hardware guide and sets out what the module adds, the one cabling rule that can damage it, and where it stands in Juniper's end-of-life notice. The listing is EX4600-EM-8F, and the switch it goes into is on the Juniper EX4600 page.

At a glance

What it adds

The EX4600 has 24 fixed SFP and SFP+ ports and 4 fixed QSFP+ uplinks. Juniper counts the QSFP+ ports as 16 interfaces, which is four ports at four 10GbE channels each. Each module bay then adds to that total. An EX4600-EM-8F adds eight SFP+ ports, so a switch with two of them has 24 + 16 + 8 + 8 = 56 interfaces. The sister module, QFX-EM-4Q, adds four 40GbE QSFP+ ports instead and takes the same switch to 72 interfaces. Any combination of the two modules is supported.

The EX4600 is configured for the QFX-EM-4Q by default. Juniper's hardware guide says the EX4600-EM-8F provides eight 10-Gigabit Ethernet SFP+ ports or eight 1-Gigabit SFP ports.

The copper SFP rule

Juniper's caution in the hardware guide is specific: copper SFP transceivers (1000BASE-T) are restricted to the top four ports or the bottom four ports of the module. Fiber SFP transceivers (1000BASE-X) can sit in any of the eight. Stacking copper SFP transceivers in adjacent positions causes internal damage to the module. If you plan to use copper SFPs, keep them to one row.

Hot-insert, with one caveat

Expansion modules can be hot-inserted or hot-removed. When an EX4600-EM-8F goes in place of the default QFX-EM-4Q, the new configuration causes the interfaces to go down temporarily. The same happens in the other direction, when a running EX4600-EM-8F is swapped for a QFX-EM-4Q, and Juniper notes that this can cause a short disruption in traffic. Plan a swap for a maintenance window.

Once inserted, the chassis detects the extra ports, treats them as 10GbE ports and lights the module's status LED. Green means the module is online and working, and unlit means it is offline.

End of life

Juniper announced end of life for the EX4600 on June 29, 2026, in notice TSB109286. The last order date is December 29, 2026 and end of support is December 29, 2031. The notice covers both expansion modules, the EX4600-EM-8F and the QFX-EM-4Q, along with the switch in every airflow and power version. The full list of dates is in Juniper EX4600 end of life.

After the last order date, new modules can no longer be ordered from Juniper. Every module Townsend ships is tested first. For other EX4600 parts, see the Juniper EX Series page or send a quote request.