We use Ruckus ICX switches in a managed environment for VLANs. We have a VMware environment, and use the hosts to the SAN through the ICX switches 10GB ports. The 1GB ports connect through to our F5 load balancers and from there to our Cisco firewalls. We created VLANs for the host to SAN connections to direct traffic specifically between them. We set up management ports to manage via the GUI. Although the CLI is what I use primarily, it's nice to see the GUI for stats when I am watching other parts or that network. Otherwise, I use unused ports for hooking unmanaged equipment into my network.

Pros and Cons

VLANs are easily set up, via the GUI or Command line interface.
The 10 GB ports work flawlessly.
The commands are easy enough to learn.

Licensing for the 10GB ports is a bit pricey, but that was 5 years ago, so things may have changed
The CLI commands are slightly different than typical Cisco commands
Their rack mounting was not the prettiest in the world

Likelihood to Recommend

Creating VLANs for Vmware (or any virtualized environment) is exactly what these are meant for. You need this type of equipment in those environments to function. We are a production 24/7 environment, and the reliability and service (speed, low error rate) make these switches ideal for this environment. If you don't need a managed switch environment, like an internal network with minimal security where no separation of LAN is needed, you don't need these. BUT looking back on previous work environments I was in, with older technology where we didn't have these types of switches, since using them I see places we could have improved network performance and had security that was not available without managed switches where we could segregate work processes

Return on Investment

These switches are very good in the virtual environment. We have a highly reliable network in part because of these switches
The high uptime allows the business to offer reliable always-on connectivity to our clients
Speeds are fantastic, especially in a big data environment where speed is crucial to our remote client base

Other Software Used

Cisco ASA, HP ProLiant DL, HPE Nimble Storage

January 08, 2019

Ruckus ICX Switches - Good switches at a great price point for E-Rate

Verified User

Professional in Information Technology

Logistics and Supply Chain Company, 1001-5000 employees

Score 8 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Incentivized

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

These are in use in two small Catholic schools that I personally service. These units are the only vendor used at one school, and a secondary switching solution. The E-rate discounts for the Ruckus ICX switches were incredibly good (80%), which was a huge drive for the technology upgrades. It addresses issues of port density, speed, and connectivity.

Pros and Cons

Port Density/cost per port
Some models auto-stack, which makes connectivity much easier
The E-rate discounts for education are AMAZING

Changing VLANs can be painful
trunk and port channel setups are quite difficult
Better web interface
POE - Needs to be set to auto by default

Likelihood to Recommend

Ruckus ICX switches are fantastic for schools, and other locations where new equipment is required but cost is a factor. They are also good for core switching replacements when Cisco is too outlandishly expensive.

Return on Investment

It took me longer to configure these switches than Cisco, which increases the overall TCO.
LOW, LOW-cost switching. We were able to really stretch our budget. 80% off list is pretty darn good, and we ate it up.
Once it was in place, we've had very few changes, only rare issues with exploits due to it not being actively targeted.

Alternatives Considered

The switching holds up well against HP, Extreme, Juniper, et. al at the edge. Cost is also a huge factor, and played a part in the purchase. Not just for the switches themselves, but also optics can be purchased at a discount. Service delivery has been fantastic, and in 3 years I've not had to replace any of the brocade switches I've purchased.

Other Software Used

Juniper Ethernet Switches, AirWatch, Alert Logic Network Threat Detection, Extreme Ethernet Switches

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