HPE R6B03AR SN8700B 48-Port SFP28 Remanufactured Blade

Overview

The HPE R6B03AR is a remanufactured SN8700B director-class blade designed for high-density SFP28 connectivity in enterprise switching fabrics. Sourced from HPE's remanufactured program, it delivers the same interface density as a new unit at a reduced acquisition cost — a practical option for teams expanding an existing SN8700B chassis without the lead times or price of new inventory. The R6B03AR carries an Ethernet and SFP interface designation (UNSPSC 43222612), confirming its role as a network switching blade in enterprise or data center environments. Country of origin is Czech Republic (CZ).

Key Features

• 48-Port SFP28 Density: 48 SFP28 ports per blade means a single R6B03AR substantially increases per-chassis port count — relevant when scaling spine-leaf fabrics or adding east-west bandwidth without adding a new chassis footprint.
• Remanufactured HPE Hardware: HPE's remanufactured designation means the unit has been inspected, tested, and restored to functional specification — a cost-effective path to genuine HPE hardware versus third-party refurbished alternatives of uncertain provenance.
• SFP28 Interface: SFP28 supports 25GbE per port, making this blade suited to server-to-fabric interconnects where 10GbE is a bottleneck but 100GbE per-port is cost-prohibitive at scale.
• Ethernet Fabric Integration: The dual interface classification (Ethernet, SFP) confirms compatibility with standard SFP28 transceiver ecosystems, so existing 25G optics and DAC cables in the environment can be reused.

Integration & Compatibility

The R6B03AR is designed for the HPE SN8700B director-class chassis. Verify chassis firmware revision and slot compatibility with HPE's compatibility matrix before ordering — blade hardware generations within the SN8700B line can have slot-specific constraints. For enterprise networking deployments, consult HPE's HPE switching and fabric catalog for supported transceiver types and interoperability notes with your existing network switches and SFP transceivers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What chassis is the HPE R6B03AR compatible with?

A: The R6B03AR is a blade for the HPE SN8700B director-class chassis. Confirm slot compatibility and firmware requirements against HPE's official compatibility matrix for your specific chassis revision before deployment.

Q: What does remanufactured mean for the R6B03AR?

A: HPE's remanufactured designation indicates the unit has been inspected and restored to functional specification under HPE's program — distinct from third-party refurbished. Verify warranty terms directly with your HPE channel at time of purchase.

Q: What interface type does the R6B03AR use?

A: The R6B03AR uses Ethernet and SFP interfaces. It is an SFP28 blade, supporting 25GbE per port with standard SFP28-compatible transceivers and DAC cables.

Q: Where is the HPE R6B03AR manufactured?

A: Country of origin is Czech Republic (CZ), per the product's structured distribution data.

James Everett

The R6B03AR enters conversations primarily as a cost-reduction play in SN8700B environments — teams already running the chassis who need additional 48-port SFP28 blade capacity without the lead time or price of new. That's a legitimate use case, and the HPE remanufactured designation does carry more accountability than generic third-party refurb, but the evidence base for this SKU from distribution is thin: interface type (Ethernet, SFP) and country of origin (CZ) are confirmed; everything else should be verified against HPE's own product record before committing to a purchase.

Technical Highlights:

• SFP28 Port Count: 48 ports per blade is the density argument — expanding an SN8700B fabric without adding a chassis is the primary ROI driver here.
• Remanufactured Program: HPE-remanufactured means factory-tested to spec, not field-refurbished by a third party — relevant if you're maintaining a support contract that requires genuine HPE hardware.
• Interface Classification: Dual Ethernet/SFP classification (UNSPSC 43222612) confirms this as a network blade, not a storage or compute module — keeps procurement straightforward when cross-referencing against your asset register.

Deployment Considerations:

• Blade slot compatibility within the SN8700B chassis is revision-dependent — confirm the chassis firmware level and physical slot type before the blade arrives on-site.
• Remanufactured warranty coverage on the R6B03AR should be confirmed at point of purchase; do not assume it matches new-unit terms.

Best fit: an existing SN8700B fabric deployment that needs incremental port capacity added on a constrained capital budget, where the chassis is already under a valid HPE support agreement that covers remanufactured blades.