HPE Ethernet Switches Reviews, Competitors and Pricing

Testoni Wong

Owner at ITL

Aug 16, 2020

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Reliable and easy to scale

Pros and Cons

"These switches are very stable, to date I have not experienced any issues."

"Technical support needs improvement, as the response time could be better."

What is our primary use case?

I am a service provider for my customers.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is stability.

What needs improvement?

The UI on the web console needs improvement.

The routing settings could be made easier to deploy.

Technical support needs improvement, as the response time could be better.

I would like to see this solution support SDN. It should have more SDN compatibility.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using these switches for over ten years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

These switches are very stable, to date I have not experienced any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable product and we have 40 engineers using it.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is very slow to respond.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is a little bit complex.

Depending on the complexity, it can take up to three hours to deploy each switch.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, this is a good product except for the support.

I would recommend this product aside from the troubleshooting because the service is awful.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator

it_user338199

Software-defined Networking Developer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Dec 5, 2015

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The SDN features are centrally manageable and provide system-wide traffic control. However, the hardware table doesn't include byte count, so I installed flow rules in the software table.

Valuable Features:

The Software-Defined Networking (SDN) features I find most valuable are:

Directly programmable and configurable
Centrally manageable
Control traffic system-wide

Room for Improvement:

I think that the HP Openflow switches should be improved in terms of the open-flow byte-count statistics.

I used SDN because my master thesis is about the visualization of traffic in the network per application with SDN, so I have worked with HP switches almost along all this year. In my thesis the byte count was very important for the conclusions, but I noticed that this feature had some problems and errors.

My little experience tells me that everything starts because the hardware table (table 100) doesn't have the byte count. So I had to install the flow rules in the software table (table 200) which has a limit-rate, that may be the reason for the relative errors that I found.

I used a host as an iPerf server and another one as an iPerf client and then I compared the open-flow byte count against the byte count provided by the iPerf console.

Use of Solution:

I have used this solution for six months.

Stability Issues:

The switch manual say that the device supports up to four mirrorings. But when I configured two port mirrorings, the SDN controller interface was blocked and the mirrorings didn't work.

Scalability Issues:

The Openflow hardware table doesn't provide a byte-count statistic, and the software table provides a byte-count statistic but with errors.

I found that the possible reason for this is that the software-limit rate of the switch, which is 10,000 pps maximum, with an advice in the switch manual that if we increase the limit-rate above 1,000 pps, it is possible that this increases CPU and impacts system performance.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Buyer's Guide

HPE Ethernet Switches

January 2025

Free Report: HPE Ethernet Switches Reviews and More

Learn what your peers think about HPE Ethernet Switches. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.

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831,020 professionals have used our research since 2012.

it_user137457

Networking Operations Supervisor with 501-1,000 employees

Jul 1, 2014

HP Networking has the bells and whistles you need to scale while avoiding the complexity that other vendors have.

At DreamWorks Animation, we produce billions of pixels and thousands of assets for each of the ten movies in our production pipeline. Our studio is on a 24/7 production cycle and if performance suffers, it could have serious consequences for our business.

Our previous network was pushed past its limits, making it unpredictable. We were using Spanning Tree for network redundancy and were having issues that we couldn’t fix. This forced us to reboot the core of our network at least once a quarter. Some of our more complex scenes take multiple days to render. If we had an outage 71 hours into a 72-hour render, we didn’t just lose the time the network wasn’t available, we had to start from scratch.

After reviewing our options, we found that an HP Networking solution fulfilled our stability requirements while simplifying and speeding up our network. We are using HP 12518 Network Switches and HP 5800 and 5820 Switch Series from core to edge. The equipment was installed over several months one building floor at a time, and our IT staff successfully deployed the solution to our data center over one weekend. We also utilize HP Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) technology which offers us the capability to create and manage a virtual chassis across multiple active switches. And we turned Spanning Tree off and now use Link Aggregation Control Protocol for redundancy.

What surprised us the most, after installing the equipment, was that we didn’t receive any calls from our creative teams. They didn’t seem to notice that anything had happened. Everything worked at every layer which is the best scenario we could have hoped for. Since we put in our HP network, we’ve shaved off a millisecond of latency between our Glendale and Redwood City offices. That’s a very meaningful boost in speed for us when we’re submitting half a million jobs every night for rendering.

It’s been a couple of years since the install and we still haven’t had a significant outage. The HP gear has been the most stable we’ve ever seen in terms of software and patches.

Disclosure: PeerSpot has made contact with the reviewer to validate that the person is a real user. The information in the posting is based upon a vendor-supplied case study, but the reviewer has confirmed the content's accuracy.

it_user359700

Owner at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Jan 7, 2016

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It's the proper GUI interface that makes them much easier to use. The fans tend to get more and more noisy as they go along.

Valuable Features:

They're reliable -- very reliable, in fact -- and a have a good management interface. They're simple to use and quite easy to understand, and I like that they're not CLI. It's the proper GUI interface that makes them much easier to use rather than just having the CLI which makes some of them very difficult. Cisco, for example, is only CLI, but HP gives you a GUI.

They're also very configurable and they're very good.

Improvements to My Organization:

The main benefit is reliability. The switches don't go down and they tend to last for a long time. They just don't go down.

They also only rarely need rebooting. I can probably count on one hand the number of times we've had to reboot an HP switch.

Room for Improvement:

They are very noisy, though, and the fans tend to get more and more noisy as they go along. The noise is actually a pain because sometimes where we've got multiple floors, we might put a switch on each floor rather than just put them in the comms room, and there the noise is an absolute pain. They are just very noisy.

Stability Issues:

That's why we like them, because they're stable. They're very reliable and they just last. The PO switches are also very good.

Scalability Issues:

You can scale by adding fiber connections to the switches which makes it simpler to join switches together, but we haven't found the need for it because the switch is so configurable.

Other Advice:

They're not Cisco, and big companies want to see a name like Cisco. True, HP isn't Cisco, but that's a bit unfair. Having that said, we've got one very big company now with about 200 users who are getting rid of their Cisco switches and putting in HP's.

They're doing so because of HP's reliability and because they got fed up with paying Cisco prices to get their switches and to configure them when any network administrator can configure an HP switch. With Cisco, you need specialist knowledge and you don't really have to have specialist knowledge just for a switch.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user362208

System Consultant/Partner at IP Netpartner aps

Dec 31, 2015

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The key feature is that we can choose ProVisions for simplicity or Comware-based switches for high-end features.

Valuable Features

From the low-end ProVisions up to the high-end Comware-based switches, their most valuable feature is that they actually work. Not all switches can do that, especially at a reasonable price. HP's switches offer price performance you can't find anywhere else.

Improvements to My Organization

These switches provide us with simplicity when we need. The ProVisions have fewer features and fewer functionality, but they're simpler. If we need, we can go with the Comware-based switches which have high-end features. So with these switches we can have both sides.

Deployment Issues

We had no issues with deployment.

Stability Issues

They have been stable.

Scalability Issues

We've been able to scale with these switches.

Customer Service and Technical Support

Technical support is mostly good, but it's just like every other vendor. When you're at level 1 and you yourself are very knowledgable already, you just want to pass level 1. Level 2 is, normally, quite good, and level 1 is just a filter to take away all the stupid questions. If you're at level 3, you're probably in trouble because you have something that requires you to talk directly to the lab. So with the tiered structure for technical support, there are some inefficiencies. It would be an improvement to make technical support more efficient.

Other Advice

Get some proper training.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user360837

Infrastructure Architect at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Dec 31, 2015

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Supportability is very important to us, so the fact that we can standardize on reasonably priced switches has made us more efficient.

Valuable Features

We're quite basic users of the product, so we like how simple it is to setup. We're standardized across the board on HP products, and we like that fact that they do have products that fit our needs. Plus, they're easy to install when we get them. They're easy to use once they're in and they're robust with a lifetime warranty.

Improvements to My Organization

We're able to standardize on just a small number of HP products, switches included. Supportability is very important to us, so the fact that we can standardize on reasonably priced switches has made us more efficient.

Room for Improvement

We're quite basic users, but what I'd really like to see improvement on is the management. We've made an investment in the product and I'd like to better leverage it through improved management to work better for our company.

Deployment Issues

It's deployed just fine for us.

Stability Issues

It's very stable and we have very few issues with it. The fact that they come with lifetime warranties makes it even better for us.

Scalability Issues

The scalability is very good and we're using it in all 85 of our locations.

Customer Service and Technical Support

I've not used technical support, and that's a good thing.

What is most valuable?

I liked the scalability of the 5400 and 4200. It's ability to have different modules installed for different media types allowed for easy configuration.

How has it helped my organization?

Ease of configuration.

What needs improvement?

I found that the OS on these switches was a little difficult to manage at times. Configuration menus were not always user friendly even for someone with previous Nortel and Cisco experience. One Saving grace was the Procurve manager software. That made things a little easier to manage but I am still a command line person and would have preferred a more user intuitive command line.

For how long have I used the solution?

I used the switches, HP Procurve 5400ZL and 4200VL as well as the 3500yl, for a little over a year.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

I did not deploy these switches. They were in place when I started working with them.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No. That is one thing I liked about them.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Never had to call HP - NA

Technical Support:

Never had to call HP - NA

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I had previously used Nortel and CIsco in a previous position. I switched due to a job change.

How was the initial setup?

The initial set up of the switches was relatively easy. It has a list of questions that you answered similar to Cisco. The problem with this type of setup is it does not cover everything that should be set up on a switch when doing initial configuration.

What about the implementation team?

All implementation and configuration was accomplished with in-house network engineers and administrators.

What was our ROI?

Unknown.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Unknown.

What other advice do I have?

Make sure you are familiar with other vendors first. That will help give you the base knowledge on how to navigate and configure this equipment. When all else fails, use the Procurve manager software to manage the equipment.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

it_user148020

Executive Director Ops and Infra at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Aug 21, 2014

HP Networking switches deliver high quality networking services with the modular ability to add capacity.

To support the success of every student, we leverage Oracle business intelligence tools for predictive modeling to identify when counseling intervention is needed. We need the capacity to run demanding applications, the uptime to operate around the clock, and the agility to react quickly to changing demands. HP and Columbus State University has a long standing relationship that started in 1995. HP account team, VAR partners nurtured that collaboration with CSU in to a successful partnership to lay a solid infrastructure foundation to position the university to transform to a global university.

To meet these goals, we virtualized our data center running VMware software on HP Converged Infrastructure. HP was a natural choice. We had relied on HP servers, networking, and storage for more than a decade. We also use HP Z Workstations in our computer labs, HP notebooks for faculty and staff, and HP printers around campus. We keep abreast of other vendor technologies, but we’ve always had a good relationship with HP. HP integrates well with the VMware platform—and when we upgraded and consolidated our servers, HP was a fantastic guide. We used HP Technology Consulting Services to design a new high performance, energy efficient data center. We consolidated from approximately 200 physical servers down to an eight-blade HP BladeSystem infrastructure that requires less electricity and cooling, and that even reduced footprint enough to allow us to rent out freed floor space. HP consultants came in and worked with us on the design of our revamped data center, all the way from security to redundancy, including air conditioning systems, fiber coming in and out, and generator systems with backups.

At the heart of our data center is the HP BladeSystem c7000 Enclosure that provides all the power, cooling, and I/O infrastructure needed to support modular server, interconnect, and storage components. I’ve always been impressed by the modularity of HP equipment. You can tailor it to specific needs to be more flexible and to save money. You can add capacity when you need it. Our enclosure houses eight production blade servers. We use HP ProLiant BL685c Server Blades to house most of its test and production virtual machines. A blade is a self-contained server that contains only the core processing elements, making it hot-swappable. For additional storage, blades can connect to another storage blade or to a network attached SAN. We run our test and non-production systems on HP ProLiant DL385 Servers.

The HP StoreVirtual P4500 Storage System gives us a virtualized pool of storage resources to deliver enterprise SAN functionality. You have storage but also brains behind it. You have multiple interconnected servers. The data that gets written out to that storage is spread across all the different servers and disk drives. That gives us two main advantages. One is redundancy, so that if a drive or even an entire storage node goes down, we don’t lose data, and the end user never knows it happened. Two, if you’re writing to or reading from multiple disks, you can store and retrieve data much faster. You spread out the hardware load and the risk across multiple nodes of storage, all acting as one.

We used HP LeftHand SAN/ iQ software to provision and manage storage, and thanks to tight integration between HP and VMware, envision being able to monitor and manage the environment from a central VMware vSphere platform.

HP Networking switches deliver high quality networking services with the modular
ability to add capacity. The HP Networking Lifetime Warranty delivers next-business-day replacement, with phone and email support. One of the reasons HP has a leg up on the competition is its lifetime warranty and maintenance. With some vendors, you have to buy maintenance agreements every year, and that gets expensive. HP Network Management software enables network firmware updates, notifications, and alerts, with single-pane-of- glass control. Recently, we started talking to HP about HP Software-defined Networking (SDN), providing an end-to-end solution to automate the network from data center to campus. We’ll be able to virtualize network components for redundancy, performance and high availability—have multiple physically separate network components act as one unit, so that if switch A goes down switch B takes over for it.

Server provisioning in the virtualized environment takes 30 minutes, compared to 30 days to provision a new physical server. That enables us to quickly adapt our network and systems to accommodate increasing traffic, new services, and demanding applications. Faculty today increasingly run “upside down” classrooms, providing lecture content in multimedia formats to be viewed beforehand, with class time spent working collaboratively in small workgroups. They also expect the latest educational applications to be available quickly in computer labs. In the past, it took a substantial amount of time for our staff to reimage computer lab devices; now the task is quickly accomplished, and we are even able to give end users some self-service access to machines and their functionality. The next step will be to leverage VMware for a more cloudlike, IT-as-a-Service environment in which staff can provision their own resources without calling on our IT department. Our HP CI foundation absolutely will support this evolution.

Another thing the infrastructure now supports is the predictive analytics we employ to trigger counseling intervention for students in need. We use Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition(OBIEE); Oracle Data Integrator (ODI); and Oracle Endeca Information Discovery to analyze unstructured data, such as that generated by social media, to detect when a student might be encountering academic, social, or financial difficulties. We have a goal and responsibility to reach out, intercede, and support students as soon as they are having difficulties. Those things would not have been possible in the old environment; it couldn’t have handled the bandwidth or processing. But successful universities of the future will have to do all this.