HPE E7Y68BR SN8000B 16Gb 32-Port SFP Fibre Channel Blade (Remanufactured)

Overview

The HPE E7Y68BR is a remanufactured 32-port, 16Gb SFP Fibre Channel blade designed for deployment in HPE SN8000B director-class fabric switches. With 32 SFP ports per blade and 16Gb FC throughput, it expands SAN fabric capacity in storage-intensive environments — data centers running high-density SAN fabrics where adding new blades is more cost-effective than replacing chassis. The remanufactured designation means HPE has restored the unit to factory operational standards, making it a viable path for organizations that need genuine HPE FC infrastructure without the cost of new-build pricing. Sourced through US distribution channels — no grey-market, no parallel imports.

Key Features

• 32 SFP Ports per Blade: Each E7Y68BR slot in the SN8000B director adds 32 active 16Gb FC ports, enabling high-density SAN fabric expansion without chassis replacement — the right approach when you need more ports on an existing director investment.
• 16Gb Fibre Channel Interface: 16Gb FC delivers up to 1,600 MB/s per-port throughput — adequate headroom for most block-storage workloads including high-IOPS all-flash array connections and tape library fabrics.
• SFP Interface Compatibility: Uses standard SFP transceivers, giving flexibility in choosing fiber type (SW, LW) and distance to match your data center cabling plant without locked-in optics.
• Remanufactured to HPE Standards: Factory-restored to operational specification — appropriate for secondary SAN expansion, lab environments, or budget-constrained infrastructure refreshes where new-build cost cannot be justified.
• 10.20 lb Blade Weight: At 10.20 lb, plan your chassis weight budget when populating multiple blade slots; fully loaded SN8000B directors approach significant rack-weight thresholds that matter for raised-floor load ratings.

Integration and Compatibility

The E7Y68BR is engineered for the HPE SN8000B director chassis. Before ordering, confirm your chassis firmware revision supports 16Gb blades and that sufficient power and cooling are available for the additional blade load. Mixed-speed SAN fabrics (8Gb + 16Gb) are operationally supported but require consistent ISL and E-port speed negotiation planning. Pair with 16Gb SFP SR or LR transceivers matching your inter-switch link distances — short-wavelength (SW) for intra-rack, long-wavelength (LW) for cross-row or inter-building runs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the E7Y68BR a new or remanufactured unit?

A: The E7Y68BR carries HPE's remanufactured (Reman) designation, meaning it has been restored to factory operational standards by HPE. It is not a new-build unit.

Q: What chassis does the E7Y68BR install into?

A: The E7Y68BR is a blade for the HPE SN8000B director-class Fibre Channel switch. Verify chassis slot availability and firmware compatibility before ordering.

Q: How many ports does the E7Y68BR provide?

A: Each blade provides 32 SFP ports at 16Gb Fibre Channel speeds.

Q: What SFP transceivers are compatible with the E7Y68BR?

A: The blade uses standard SFP form-factor transceivers. Consult HPE's SN8000B transceiver compatibility matrix for validated optics — mixing unvalidated SFPs in FC director fabrics carries interoperability risk.

Q: What is the blade's weight and should I account for it in rack planning?

A: The E7Y68BR weighs 10.20 lb. When populating multiple blade slots in an SN8000B chassis, account for cumulative blade weight against your rack or raised-floor load rating.

James Everett

The E7Y68BR is a purpose-built remanufactured blade — and that distinction matters in SAN procurement. If you're expanding an existing HPE SN8000B director fabric rather than building new, this blade's 32-port 16Gb SFP configuration gives you meaningful port density per chassis slot without committing to new-build pricing. I've seen SAN architects overlook the remanufactured path when it's legitimately the right call for secondary fabrics and lab buildouts.

Technical Highlights:

• 16Gb FC per Port: At 16Gb, each of the 32 SFP ports delivers up to 1,600 MB/s — sufficient for connecting all-flash arrays, tape libraries, and high-throughput storage nodes without a bottleneck at the blade interface layer.
• 32 SFP Ports: A single blade slot in the SN8000B director yields 32 fabric-connected ports — a high port-density expansion option when your director still has open blade slots and chassis lifecycle isn't an issue.
• 10.20 lb Blade Weight: Not trivial when fully populating a chassis. Multi-blade configurations in the SN8000B push total chassis weight up; raised-floor deployments should verify per-tile load ratings before full blade population.

Deployment Considerations:

• Confirm SN8000B chassis firmware supports 16Gb blade interoperability before installing — mixed 8Gb/16Gb blade configurations require careful ISL speed negotiation to avoid fabric segmentation.
• The remanufactured designation is appropriate for secondary or expansion fabrics; for primary production SANs with strict uptime SLAs, evaluate whether a new-build blade better fits your risk tolerance.

Best fit: SAN fabric expansion in HPE SN8000B director environments where existing chassis capacity is available, port density is the priority, and budget efficiency on non-primary fabrics is a real constraint.