HPE R7M12A SN8700B 48-Port 64Gb SFP56 Switch Blade

Overview

The HPE R7M12A is a 48-port, 64Gb SFP56 switching blade for the HPE SN8700B director-class Fibre Channel switch. It delivers up to 39.6 Tbps aggregate switch bandwidth and supports in-flight AES-GCM-256 encryption — making it the right module when you need high-density FC connectivity with line-rate security in a director-class SAN fabric. The R7M12A is a blade-level component, not a standalone switch; it slots into the SN8700B chassis to expand port density or bring up a new slot, and additional ports can be activated via software licensing rather than hardware swaps.

Compatibility

The R7M12A is designed exclusively for the HPE SN8700B director switch platform, which ships in two chassis configurations: a 14U 8-slot chassis and an 8U 4-slot chassis (9U with the optional airflow diversion rack-mount kit). All 48 ports use SFP56 form-factor transceivers at 64Gb; confirm your installed SFP56 optics are rated for 64Gb operation before provisioning. Protocol support covers Fibre Channel and Ethernet interface modes. Optional SANnav management software integrates with this blade, and the HPE Power Pack+ bundle (Fabric Vision, ISL Trunking, Extended Fabric, Integrated Routing, and FICON CUP) is included in the software licensing stack for environments that require fabric-level analytics and routing.

Installation Notes

Blade weight is 15.50 lb — account for this when planning chassis load distribution across rack shelves. The overall platform dimensions are 55.88 x 53.34 x 19.81 in (L x W x H), so verify rack depth clearance before ordering, particularly in retrofit deployments. The 4-slot chassis requires the airflow diversion rack-mount kit to reach 9U height; plan rack-unit allocation accordingly. Port activation for additional capacity is software-driven, so coordinate licensing procurement alongside hardware installation to avoid provisioning delays at go-live.