HPE R6B02AR SN8700B 48-Port SFP28 Remanufactured Blade

The HPE R6B02AR is a remanufactured SN8700B director-class blade delivering 48 SFP28 ports and 64 GB of switching capacity — purpose-built for high-density Fibre Channel and Ethernet fabric environments where port density and bandwidth matter more than first-purchase price. The R6B02AR carries HPE's remanufactured designation, meaning it has been restored to factory specification and is a cost-effective path to expanding an existing SN8700B director chassis without sourcing new hardware.

Overview

The SN8700B director platform is a chassis-based fabric switch deployed in enterprise SANs, high-performance compute clusters, and large-scale data center interconnects. The R6B02AR blade slots into that chassis to extend port count and aggregate bandwidth. With an SFP28 interface type supporting both Ethernet and SFP-standard transceivers, the blade integrates into mixed-protocol environments without requiring a separate host bus adapter (HBA) for every attached device. Manufactured in the Czech Republic (CZ), this unit is sourced through the HPE distribution channel.

Key Features

• 48 SFP28 Ports: 48 active front-panel ports per blade translates directly to fewer blades required per chassis — reducing both slot consumption and per-port cost in large-scale SAN or high-speed Ethernet fabric builds.
• SFP28 Interface Standard: SFP28 supports 25GbE and 32G Fibre Channel transceivers in the same port, giving you flexibility to mix protocol types across a single blade as your fabric evolves — no forklift required when migrating speeds.
• Ethernet and SFP Interface Support: The R6B02AR supports both Ethernet and SFP interface types, making it deployable in converged fabrics where IP storage (iSCSI, NVMe-oF) and traditional FC traffic share infrastructure.
• Remanufactured (HPE Reman): HPE remanufactured blades are restored to original factory spec — a pragmatic option when expanding a deployed SN8700B chassis on a constrained capital budget. Functionally equivalent to new for the target chassis; verify your support contract covers reman components before deployment.
• UNSPSC 43222612: Classifies under network switching hardware — relevant for procurement systems that use UNSPSC codes for spend categorization and contract compliance.

Integration and Compatibility

The R6B02AR is designed for the HPE SN8700B director chassis. Before ordering, confirm the target chassis firmware revision supports this blade model — HPE director platforms enforce blade/chassis compatibility at firmware level, and a mismatch will prevent the blade from initializing. SFP28 transceivers are not included; source HPE-qualified optics to avoid compatibility warnings in HPE Fabric OS. For a broader view of HPE networking and data center hardware, the full HPE catalog covers complementary director blades, switches, and storage controllers.

If you are building or expanding a high-density network switch fabric, verify chassis slot availability and power budget before adding blades — the SN8700B has a defined per-slot power envelope. For data center networking deployments pairing this blade with top-of-rack switches, confirm uplink speed matching to avoid oversubscription at the aggregation tier. Pairing with compatible SFP28 transceivers rated for your cable plant (DAC, AOC, or single-mode LC) completes the port-ready configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What chassis is the HPE R6B02AR compatible with?

A: The R6B02AR is a blade for the HPE SN8700B director chassis. Confirm chassis firmware compatibility before installation — HPE director platforms enforce blade-to-chassis compatibility at the firmware level.

Q: What does the HPE Reman designation mean for the R6B02AR?

A: HPE Reman (remanufactured) indicates the unit has been returned, refurbished, and restored to HPE factory specifications. It is functionally equivalent to a new blade for the target chassis. Verify your support agreement covers remanufactured components prior to procurement.

Q: What interface types does the R6B02AR support?

A: The R6B02AR supports Ethernet and SFP interfaces. The SFP28 port form factor accommodates 25GbE and 32G Fibre Channel transceivers, enabling deployment in converged or pure-FC fabric environments.

Q: Are SFP28 transceivers included with the R6B02AR?

A: Transceivers are not included. Source HPE-qualified SFP28 optics — DAC cables, AOC, or fiber transceivers — matched to your cable plant and distance requirements. Using non-qualified optics may generate compatibility warnings in HPE Fabric OS.

Q: Where is the HPE R6B02AR manufactured?

A: The R6B02AR has a country of origin of CZ (Czech Republic), per the HPE distribution record.

Marty Allison

The R6B02AR is the right move when you need to expand an existing SN8700B director chassis without sourcing new hardware at full price — the remanufactured designation means HPE has restored it to factory spec, and the 48 SFP28 ports give you the same front-panel density as a new blade at a meaningfully lower acquisition cost.

Technical Highlights:

• 48 SFP28 Ports: Per-blade density that keeps chassis slot consumption low in large SAN buildouts — fewer blades to manage, fewer firmware revision checkpoints to track.
• SFP28 Interface Flexibility: A single port type that handles both 25GbE and 32G FC transceivers means you are not locked into a protocol at blade-selection time — useful when a fabric migration is still in progress.
• Remanufactured Status: HPE Reman units go through factory restoration, but the support contract angle is the one to nail down before the PO — not all HPE support tiers cover reman components identically to new.

Deployment Considerations:

• Validate chassis firmware compatibility before installing — the SN8700B director enforces blade compatibility at firmware level and an unsupported blade revision will not initialize, regardless of physical fit.
• Budget for HPE-qualified SFP28 optics separately; the blade ships without transceivers, and non-qualified optics will flag in Fabric OS, which can affect supportability on a production SAN.

The R6B02AR fits best in enterprise environments running an existing SN8700B director that needs port expansion — specifically where the capital budget favors a remanufactured blade over a new purchase and the chassis already has available slots to fill.