HPE R6B01AR SN8700B 64GB 48P SFP28 Reman Blade

HPE R6B01AR SN8700B 48-Port SFP28 Remanufactured Switch Blade

Overview

The HPE R6B01AR is a factory-remanufactured SN8700B switch blade delivering 48 ports of SFP28 connectivity in a modular chassis form factor. Sourced from HPE's remanufactured program, the R6B01AR carries the same HPE engineering as new, at a reduced acquisition cost — a practical option for data center teams expanding fabric capacity without full new-hardware budgets. The SFP28 interface standard supports 25GbE per port, making this blade relevant to spine-leaf architectures and high-density server interconnect environments where 10GbE is no longer sufficient but 100GbE per server port is overkill. Country of origin is Czech Republic (CZ), consistent with HPE's European manufacturing for the SN8700B platform. UNSPSC code 43222612 classifies this as a network switching module for procurement and asset management systems.

Key Features

• 48 SFP28 Ports: 48 ports of SFP28 in a single blade slot means high-density 25GbE connectivity without consuming multiple chassis slots — relevant when scaling out leaf-layer switching in a spine-leaf fabric.
• SFP28 Interface: SFP28 supports 25GbE and is backward-compatible with 10GbE SFP+ transceivers, giving you flexibility to mix server generations on the same blade without recabling.
• 64GB Memory: The 64GB onboard memory allocation supports large forwarding tables and deep buffer configurations — important in environments with thousands of MAC/IP entries and bursty east-west traffic patterns.
• Remanufactured HPE Program: HPE remanufactured units go through inspection, testing, and reconditioning — not surplus or grey-market pulls. This matters for warranty coverage continuity and support contract eligibility compared to third-party refurbished alternatives.
• Modular Blade Architecture: As a blade for the SN8700B chassis, the R6B01AR slots into an existing modular infrastructure, allowing incremental port expansion without forklift upgrades to the chassis itself.

Integration and Compatibility

The R6B01AR is designed for the HPE SN8700B director-class chassis. Verify chassis firmware compatibility with HPE's compatibility matrix before ordering — blade and chassis firmware levels must be aligned for stable operation. SFP28 transceivers are purchased separately; confirm HPE-qualified optics to avoid support exclusions. For procurement systems, UNSPSC 43222612 maps correctly to network switching modules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What chassis is the HPE R6B01AR compatible with?

A: The R6B01AR is a blade for the HPE SN8700B modular chassis platform. Verify specific slot and firmware compatibility with HPE's published compatibility matrix for your chassis revision.

Q: Is the R6B01AR new or remanufactured?

A: The R6B01AR is an HPE remanufactured unit (indicated by the 'Reman' designation), reconditioned and tested through HPE's program — distinct from third-party refurbished or grey-market units.

Q: What interface type does the R6B01AR use?

A: The R6B01AR uses SFP28 interfaces supporting 25GbE, with backward compatibility to 10GbE SFP+ transceivers.

Q: Are transceivers included with the R6B01AR?

A: Transceivers are not confirmed as included in the package contents based on available evidence. Verify what is included at time of purchase and source HPE-qualified SFP28 optics separately if needed.

Q: What is the UNSPSC code for the R6B01AR for procurement purposes?

A: The UNSPSC code is 43222612, classifying this as a network switching module.

Marty Allison

The R6B01AR is the remanufactured variant of HPE's SN8700B 48-port SFP28 blade — a meaningful distinction if you are managing a mixed new/reman chassis environment where support contract alignment matters. The 48 SFP28 ports in a single blade slot is the density argument here: in a fully populated SN8700B chassis, you can build out a significant 25GbE server-edge fabric without exhausting chassis real estate on switching blades alone.

Technical Highlights:

• 48-Port SFP28 Density: 48 ports per blade slot maximizes chassis utilization — critical when slot count is finite and you are scaling 25GbE connections to a dense server row.
• SFP28 Backward Compatibility: SFP28 accepts 10GbE SFP+ optics, so existing 10GbE server NICs can connect without blade replacement during a phased migration to 25GbE.
• Remanufactured HPE Sourcing: HPE's reman program means the unit has been tested and reconditioned to HPE standards — not a surplus pull — which matters for data centers that require trackable hardware provenance and support eligibility.

Deployment Considerations:

• Confirm chassis slot compatibility and firmware revision alignment with HPE's SN8700B compatibility matrix before deployment — blade firmware mismatches can prevent the module from initializing.
• SFP28 transceivers are not confirmed included; budget for HPE-qualified optics separately, and be aware that non-HPE optics may trigger support exclusions depending on your HPE support contract terms.

The R6B01AR is best positioned for data center teams running HPE SN8700B chassis who need to add 25GbE blade capacity at a lower acquisition cost than new — particularly in environments already managing HPE reman hardware under a consistent support framework.