The HP 5120 SI Switch Series comprises intelligent, fully managed Gigabit Ethernet switches that provide high performance, high port density, and simplified installation to improve the value of your network infrastructure investment. The 5120 SI series is enhanced for the access layer in enterprise networks that require Gigabit Ethernet to the desktop or at the distribution layer in metropolitan area networks (MANs). Wire-speed forwarding delivers more effective throughput and the bandwidth necessary for mission-critical data and high-speed communications. As part of their comprehensive security control, 5120 SI switches employ 802.1X authentication to identify users who attempt to access the network. These switches are highly reliable, providing redundancy while eliminating loops in the network. They also offer a range of management protocols to simplify network administration.

- Broadcast control: allows limitation of broadcast traffic rate to cut down on unwanted network broadcast traffic. Powerful QoS feature: supports the following congestion actions: strict priority (SP) queuing, SDWRR, and SP+SDWRR. Advanced classifier-based QoS: classifies traffic using multiple match criteria based on Layer 2, 3, and 4 information; applies QoS policies such as setting priority level and rate limit to selected traffic on a per-port basis.
- Friendly port names: allow assignment of descriptive names to ports. Remote configuration and management: is available through a secure Web browser or a command-line interface (CLI). Manager and operator privilege levels: enable read-only (operator) and read/write (manager) access on CLI and Web browser management interfaces. Command authorization: leverages RADIUS to link a custom list of CLI commands to an individual network administrator's login; also provides an audit trail. Secure Web GUI: provides a secure, easy-to-use graphical interface for configuring the module via HTTPS.
- Auto-MDIX: automatically adjusts for straight-through or crossover cables on all 10/100/1000 ports. Flow control: using standard IEEE 802.3x, it provides back pressure to reduce congestion in heavy traffic situations. Jumbo packet support: supports up to 10k byte frame size to improve performance of large data transfers. High-density port connectivity: provides up to 48 fixed 10/100/1000BASE-T ports in an entry-level static Layer 3 switch. Ethernet OAM: provides a Layer 2 link performance and fault detection monitoring tool, which reduces failover and network convergence times.
- Nonblocking architecture: up to 104 Gbps nonblocking switching fabric provides wire-speed switching with up to 77.4 million pps throughput. Hardware-based wire-speed access control lists (ACLs): feature-rich ACL implementation (TCAM-based) helps ensure high levels of security and ease of administration without impacting network performance.
- Separate data and control paths: increases security and performance. Spanning Tree/MSTP, RSTP: provides redundant links while preventing network loops. IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP): supports up to 26 trunks, each with 8 links per trunk; supports static or dynamic groups. Smart link: allows 50 ms failover between links. Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF): creates virtual resilient switching fabrics, where two or more switches perform as a single Layer 2 switch and Layer 3 router; switches do not have to be co-located and can be part of a disaster-recovery system; servers or switches can be attached using standard LACP for automatic load balancing and high availability; simplifies network operation by eliminating the complexity of Spanning Tree Protocol, Equal-Cost Multipath (ECMP), or VRRP.
- 8K MAC address table: provides access to many Layer 2 devices. VLAN support and tagging: support IEEE 802.1Q with 4,094 simultaneous VLAN IDs. IP multicast snooping: automatically prevents flooding of IP multicast traffic. Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) and Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) protocol snooping: effectively control and manage the flooding of multicast packets in a Layer 2 network.