Aruba CX Switches, Demystified (2025 Buyer’s Guide)

Choosing an Aruba CX switch shouldn’t feel like decoding a star chart. Think of the portfolio like a city grid: side streets (access), big avenues (aggregation), and expressways (core/data center). One operating system (AOS-CX) runs the whole town, so features and management feel consistent end-to-end.

If you already know what you need, you can also jump straight into our Aruba Switches catalog or browse all Networking Hardware.

The 60-second map

• CX 6000 / 6100 → simple, affordable access for branches & SMBs.

• CX 6200 → L3 access with real stacking (VSF) and bigger PoE budgets.

• CX 6300 → premium access/aggregation; multi-gig (Smart Rate), higher PoE, VSF—and, as of AOS-CX 10.16, VSX HA pairs.

• CX 6400 → modular chassis for campus core/aggregation. 

• CX 8100 / 8325 / 8360 v2 → fixed-form core/aggregation and data-center leafs with EVPN-VXLAN.

• CX 9300 → 100/400G spine-class scale.

• CX 10000 (with Pensando) → switch + distributed firewall/NAT/telemetry at the server edge.

• CX 4100i → ruggedized access for warehouses, factories, and outdoors.

What to buy (and why)

CX 6000 — “quiet, competent side street”

If you need reliable L2 access with 1G uplinks and up to 740W PoE+, this is the most cost-friendly door in. Great for printers, cameras, and APs in small spaces (there’s a fanless model). Management can be GUI, CLI, cloud (Central), or on-prem Central—no software subscription required just to turn it on. (No VSF stacking here; step up if you need it.) 

Buy it when: low-complexity access is the brief and price/quiet matter more than fancy features.

CX 6100 — “entry that doesn’t feel entry”

Same simple vibe, but with 1/10G uplinks and the option for up to 740W PoE across models. It’s still an L2-focused workhorse, managed the same ways as CX 6000, and ideal for branch floors with lots of APs.

Buy it when: you want a little more headroom than CX 6000 without jumping to stacking/advanced L3.

CX 6200 — “the do-it-all access stack”

This is where Aruba’s Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) shows up: stack up to 8 members for one logical switch, mix fixed “F” and modular “M” models, and push PoE to 1,440W on the larger SKUs. It’s proper L3 access (OSPF, static, ACL/QoS), with the same AOS-CX analytics and easy onboarding.

Buy it when: you want resilient, scalable access with real stacking and bigger PoE budgets.

CX 6300 — “access with teeth (and mGig)”

A buyer favorite. You get HPE Smart Rate multi-gig (1/2.5/5/10G) options, 90W PoE on select models, fat TCAMs, VSF up to 10, and high-speed uplinks up to 100G on certain SKUs. New in 2025: VSX HA pairs for 6300F/M (AOS-CX 10.16), so you can run dual control planes with in-service upgrades. Perfect for high-density Wi-Fi and distribution layers.

Buy it when: you need multi-gig for Wi-Fi 6E/7, or want small-core/distribution resiliency without jumping to modular.

CX 6400 — “the modular main avenue”

A chassis you can grow into: redundant supervisors, fabric, power, fans, and line-card choices. Commonly used for campus cores with VSX HA and clean upgrade stories.

Buy it when: you want classic modular core/aggregation with long-term slot flexibility.

CX 8100 / 8325 / 8360 v2 — “fixed core & DC workhorses”

These are the fixed-form heavy lifters for campus cores and data center leafs: high-density 10/25/40/100G, EVPN-VXLAN fabrics, and VSX for nonstop upgrades. Pick based on port mix and scale; 8360 v2 is the newest evolution with campus and DC roles. 

Buy it when: you’re building modern campus cores or DC leafs without going full spine yet.

CX 9300 — “the 400G expressway”

Purpose-built for large EVPN-VXLAN fabrics and spine/leaf designs, with 100/400G density and big-pod scaling. If you’re planning thousands of servers or a 400G refresh, start here. 

Buy it when: you need spine-class performance and a runway to 400G.

CX 10000 (with Pensando) — “the switch that bites back”

It blends the CX switch with a Pensando DPU, pushing stateful firewalling, NAT, encryption, and telemetry right to the top-of-rack—inline, at wire-rate, on every access port. Ideal when east-west security and performance are the blockers.

Buy it when: you want to shrink security hairpins and move services to the server edge.

CX 4100i — “built for the rough stuff”

Ruggedized switches for temperature swings, dust, vibration—think warehouses and outdoor enclosures—while still managed the same as the rest via Central.

Buy it when: the environment would make an office switch cry.

VSF vs. VSX (plain-English)

• VSF (Virtual Switching Framework) = stack multiple boxes into one logical switch (single control plane). Great for access. 6200 supports up to 8, 6300 up to 10.

• VSX (Virtual Switching Extension) = pair two switches with independent control planes (active-active). Great for cores and nonstop upgrades. Historically on 6400/8xxx/9300/10000—and now on 6300F/M with AOS-CX 10.16.

If you’re building EVPN-VXLAN fabrics, Aruba documents the design across these families (leaf/Spine with VSX).

Management & licensing (quick sanity check)

• Aruba Central (cloud or on-prem) gives you onboarding, templates/UI groups, upgrades, monitoring, and troubleshooting in one place—plus zero-touch workflows.

• Feature packs: AOS-CX ships with a solid set of native enterprise features; optional Advanced/Premium feature packs unlock extra visibility/security and can be pooled across devices in cloud-managed mode. (Handy for labs/evals, too.) 

Ports & optics: two pro tips

1. Match optics to models using Aruba’s current AOS-CX Transceiver Guide (it’s updated frequently and lists split/breakout options).

2. Planning for 400G? Check the 9300 datasheet for current scale, then validate optics and breakouts in the guide before you order.

A simple decision recipe

1. What are you connecting? (APs/cameras → look at PoE watts/port counts.)

2. How will you grow? (Need stacks? Pick 6200/6300; need dual-plane HA? VSX on 6300/6400/8xxx/9300/10000.)

3. What’s your fabric plan? (EVPN-VXLAN → 6320+/8xxx/9300/10000 depending on role.)

4. Where will you manage? (Central cloud vs on-prem—both supported across CX families.)

Final word

You don’t need to memorize SKUs. Start with the role (edge, aggregation, core, DC), then check one level up for resiliency and growth. The nice bit about Aruba CX is the consistent OS and tooling—once you know one, the rest feel familiar. If you want, tell me your port counts, PoE needs, and where VSX/EVPN sit in your roadmap, and I’ll turn this into a one-page shortlist with exact models and optics.

Ready to quote? Contact us for SKUs, optics, and lead-times.