R8N86A - Aruba 6000 48G 4SFP Switch

Aruba R8N86A — CX 6000 48G access with 4×1G SFP uplinks (non-PoE)

What it is

An Aruba CX 6000 Series entry-level access switch for branches, SMB, and campus edge.
R8N86A is the 48-port, non-PoE model: 48 × 1GbE RJ-45 downlinks for standard wired clients, plus 4 × 1G SFP uplinks for fiber or DAC/copper SFP runs. It runs AOS-CX, so day-to-day management feels like the rest of the CX family — just in a simpler, value-focused chassis.

Why buyers pick R8N86A (plain English)

• Lots of 1G ports, no PoE tax
  Perfect when endpoints don’t need power (PCs, printers, POS, thin clients).

• Built-in 1G SFP uplinks
  Four SFP uplinks make it easy to feed an aggregation switch without burning copper ports.

• Modern CX operations at entry price
  Same AOS-CX CLI/automation model and Aruba Central support path as higher CX switches.

• Low-touch reliability
  Designed for simple, stable access closets.

60-second spec box (R8N86A)

Access / downlink ports

• 48 × 10/100/1000Base-T RJ-45 (data only)

Uplinks

• 4 × 1G SFP

Switching / performance

• Switching capacity: ~104 Gbps class

• Forwarding: ~77.3 Mpps class (line-rate)

OS & management

• AOS-CX

• Managed via CLI / Web UI / Aruba Central / SNMP / streaming telemetry

• REST APIs for automation workflows

Layer / features

• Enterprise L2 + static routing (L3-lite)

• ACLs, QoS, sFlow, IPv6

Stacking

• No VSF stacking on CX 6000 (single-box access)

Form factor

• 1U rack-mount, fixed PSU/fans

• Non-PoE power profile

Where it fits (and when to choose something else)

Perfect for:

• Branch or campus closets with lots of 1G wired clients

• Sites needing simple 1G fiber uplinks and no PoE

Choose something else if:

• You need powered ports → pick a CX 6000 PoE model

• You need 10G uplinks or stacking → step up to CX 6100 / CX 6200

TL;DR

R8N86A is the CX 6000 “48-port gigabit edge with 1G SFP uplinks” switch:
48×1G copper, 4×1G SFP, AOS-CX ops, and a simple reliable non-PoE access footprint.