https://network-switch.com/pages/about-us
Service providers worldwide are under intense pressure to deliver ultra-high bandwidth, low latency, and carrier-grade reliability. The Huawei NE40E Routers family—anchored by the NE40E-X3A and NE40E-X8A—rises to this challenge.
As a modular router platform, NE40E integrates switching, routing, MPLS, and SDN capabilities into a compact chassis, positioning itself as the cornerstone of next-generation metro and edge networks.
In this article, we explore how these Service-provider-Grade Routers deliver massive forwarding capacity, flexible interface expansion, and unified management for operators and large enterprises alike.
Product Overview
The Huawei NetEngine NE40E series represents the flagship of Huawei’s Wired Routers lineup. Two entry points address different scale needs:
- NE40E-X3ASwitching Capacity: 2.76 Tbps Forwarding Performance: 1,071 Mpps Line-card Slots (LPU): 3 Fabric-card Slots (SFU): N/A (integrated) Control-card Slots (MPU): 2
- Switching Capacity: 2.76 Tbps
- Forwarding Performance: 1,071 Mpps
- Line-card Slots (LPU): 3
- Fabric-card Slots (SFU): N/A (integrated)
- Control-card Slots (MPU): 2
- NE40E-X8ASwitching Capacity: 51.2 Tbps Forwarding Performance: 7,232 Mpps LPU Slots: 8 SFU Slots: 4 MPU Slots: 2
- Switching Capacity: 51.2 Tbps
- Forwarding Performance: 7,232 Mpps
- LPU Slots: 8
- SFU Slots: 4
- MPU Slots: 2
Both models share Huawei’s Versatile Routing Platform (VRP) and support redundant power, hot-swappable modules, and high-availability features.
Hardware Architecture & Performance
At the core of the NE40E design is a three-plane architecture: MPU (management), SFU (switch fabric), and LPU (line processing). This separation ensures true non-blocking performance and graceful scalability:
- MPU Slots (2) handle routing protocols, control plane, and O&M.
- SFU Slots (X8A: 4; X3A: integrated fabric) deliver the back-plane switching capacity.
- LPU Slots (X3A: 3; X8A: 8) accept line cards for 100 GE, 40 GE, 10 GE, GE, STM-x, and Packet-Optical interfaces.
Physical Dimensions & Power
| Model | Chassis Height | Depth (mm) | Power (Max) | Full-Config Weight |
| NE40E-X3A | 6 U (264 mm) | 664 | 600 W | 75 kg |
| NE40E-X8A | 21 U (930 mm) | 650 – 750 | 4,770 W | 186 kg |
Specifications
| Specification | NE40E-X3A | NE40E-X8A |
| Switching Capacity | 2.76 Tbps | 51.2 Tbps |
| Forwarding Performance | 1,071 Mpps | 7,232 Mpps |
| MPU Slots | 2 | 2 |
| SFU Slots | Integrated | 4 |
| LPU Slots | 3 | 8 |
| Fan & Power Redundancy | Yes | Yes |
| Protocol Support | IPv4/IPv6, MPLS, VPN, SDN | IPv4/IPv6, MPLS, VPN, SDN |
| Environmental | 0–45 °C; 5–95% RH | 0–45 °C; 5–95% RH |
Software Features & Security
Powered by Huawei’s carrier-grade VRP, the NE40E-X3A and X8A provide a full suite of service-provider protocols and resilience features:
- Routing & TunnelingBGP4+, OSPF, IS-IS, MPLS L3VPN/VPLS, EVPN, Segment Routing
- BGP4+, OSPF, IS-IS, MPLS L3VPN/VPLS, EVPN, Segment Routing
- Carrier EthernetMEF CE 2.0, E-Line/E-LAN/E-Tree services, OAM (CFM, Y.1731, TWAMP)
- MEF CE 2.0, E-Line/E-LAN/E-Tree services, OAM (CFM, Y.1731, TWAMP)
- Security & VPNIPSec, SSL VPN, GRE, MACsec, ACLs, DoS/DDoS protection
- IPSec, SSL VPN, GRE, MACsec, ACLs, DoS/DDoS protection
- SDN & AutomationOpenFlow, PCEP, NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, iMaster NCE integration
- OpenFlow, PCEP, NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, iMaster NCE integration
- QoS & Traffic EngineeringHierarchical QoS, MPLS-TE, LFA/FRR, RSVP-TE, traffic shaping/policing
- Hierarchical QoS, MPLS-TE, LFA/FRR, RSVP-TE, traffic shaping/policing
- Energy EfficiencyDynamic chip-frequency scaling, intelligent fan-speed control
- Dynamic chip-frequency scaling, intelligent fan-speed control
NE40E-X8A vs. Cisco ASR 9001 vs. Juniper MX480
| Feature | Huawei NE40E-X8A | Cisco ASR 9001 | Juniper MX480 |
| Switching Capacity | 51.2 Tbps | 120 Gbps | 5.76 Tbps |
| Forwarding Perf. | 7,232 Mpps | N/A (120 Gbps fabric) | Line-rate 10/40/100 GE |
| Modular Slots | 2 MPU, 4 SFU, 8 LPU | 1 RSP, 2 MPA bays | 2 Routing Engines, 8 slots |
| Interface Speeds | 100 GE/40 GE/10 GE/GE/STM-x | 10 GE SFP+ & Modular Port Adapters | 10/40/100 GE, SONET/SDH, ATM |
| Form Factor | 21 U chassis | 2 U chassis | 8 U chassis |
| Target Use | Metro/Core, Edge PE | Compact PE, Service Edge | Universal Edge, DCI |
Deployment Scenarios & Use Cases
- Metro AggregationAggregate 10/100/400 GE links from PoP to core. Leverage EVPN over MPLS for multi-tenant segmentation.
- Aggregate 10/100/400 GE links from PoP to core. Leverage EVPN over MPLS for multi-tenant segmentation.
- Edge PE (Provider Edge)Terminate up to thousands of VPNs with hardware MPLS and advanced QoS.
- Terminate up to thousands of VPNs with hardware MPLS and advanced QoS.
- Data-center InterconnectHigh-capacity 100 GE LPU cards for optical DWDM or 400 GE breakout links.
- High-capacity 100 GE LPU cards for optical DWDM or 400 GE breakout links.
- Mobile Backhaul & 5GIntegrated timing (SyncE, IEEE 1588), micro-burst suppression, and micro-slicing via segment routing.
- Integrated timing (SyncE, IEEE 1588), micro-burst suppression, and micro-slicing via segment routing.
Management & Operations
Centralized Orchestration & Monitoring
- Huawei iMaster NCE & eSight: Intent-based lifecycle management, zero-touch provisioning, and AI-driven O&M.
- Open APIs & Telemetry: RESTCONF/NetConf, SNMPv3, gRPC/Streaming Telemetry for real-time analytics.
High Availability & Resilience
- ISSU (In-Service Software Upgrade): Upgrade software without traffic interruption.
- Multi-chassis VRRP & BFD: Sub-50 ms failover for control- and data-plane continuity.
Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP)
- USB Auto-Config: Copy startup.cfg to a USB drive; on boot, NE40E auto-applies config.
- DHCP Option: Option 66/67 points new devices to HTTP/TFTP bootstrap server.
CLI Configuration Snippets
| Task | Sample CLI Snippet |
| Interface Setup | system-view interface Ten-GigabitEthernet0/0/1 ip address 10.1.1.1 255.255.255.0 quit |
| MPLS L3VPN | system-view mpls l3vpn vpn-instance VPN1 vpn-target 100:1 both route-distinguisher 100:1 quit |
| BGP with EVPN | system-view bgp 65000 peer 10.2.2.2 as-number 65001 address-family evpn advertise-all-vni quit |
| OAM (Y.1731) | system-view interface HundredGE0/0/2 eth-oam enable loopback mep-id 10 level 3 quit |
| SNMPv3 Setup | system-view snmp-agent sys-info version v3 snmp-agent group G1 privacy quit |
Technical Support & After-Sales Service
| Support Type | Network-Switch.com | Huawei Official | Other 3rd-Party Resellers |
| Product Warranty | 3 years | 3 years | Varies |
| Technical Support | 24/7 phone, email, chat | Business hours | Limited |
| Firmware Updates | Regular | Regular | Irregular |
| On-Site Support | Upon request | Upon request | Not available |
| Config Assistance | Free | Free | Not provided |
| Remote Troubleshooting | 24/7 | Business hours | Limited |
| Response Time | Instant for critical | Standard | Delayed |
FAQ
-
What chassis heights do NE40E-X3A and X8A use?
X3A is 6 U; X8A is 21 U. Both fit standard 19″ racks. -
Can I mix 100 GE and STM-x line cards?
Yes—LPU slots accept any combination of supported interface cards. -
How is high availability achieved?
Via redundant MPUs, SFUs, ISSU, VRRP, and BFD for sub-50 ms failover. -
Does the NE40E support SDN?
Yes—OpenFlow, PCEP, NETCONF/YANG, and iMaster NCE APIs enable programmability. -
What OAM standards are supported?
IEEE 802.1ag (CFM), ITU Y.1731, TWAMP, and LFP/EFM OAM. -
How do I perform zero-touch provisioning?
Use USB auto-config or DHCP Option 66/67 to point to your bootstrap server.
Conclusion
The Huawei NE40E Routers, especially the NE40E-X3A and X8A, redefine carrier-grade performance with up to 51.2 Tbps switching, deep modularity, and comprehensive service integration. Whether deployed as a metro aggregator, edge PE, or data-center interconnect, they deliver future-ready scale and reliability.
Ready to transform your network backbone?
Download the NE40E series datasheet or contact Network-Switch.com for a custom solution today.
Did this article help you or not? Tell us on Facebook and LinkedIn . We’d love to hear from you!
{"layoutMobile":2,"layoutDesktop":4,"buttonAlign":"Center","buttonText":"Learn More","productTitle":{"hue":210.89,"saturation":1,"brightness":0.9294,"alpha":1},"priceColor":{"hue":0,"saturation":1,"brightness":0},"discountPrice":{"hue":356,"saturation":0.74,"brightness":1},"buttonColor":{"hue":210.89,"saturation":1,"brightness":0.9294,"alpha":1},"textBottomColor":{"hue":0,"saturation":0,"brightness":1},"activeTitleButton":true,"moreProduct":"View all","moreProductUrl":"https://network-switch.com/collections/all-huawei-routers","rowNumber":1,"dynamicProductId":[{"id":"gid://shopify/Product/8910606139607","title":"Huawei NE40E CR5D0EFGFE70 – 24×1000Base-X SFP Flexible Card","currencyCode":"USD","amountMax":"6370.0","amountMin":"6370.0","price":"6370.00","compareAtPrice":null,"imagesUrl":"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0736/7566/9719/files/Huawei_CR5D0EFGFE70_NE40E.png?v=1747381221&width=600","urlStore":"/products/routers-card-huawei-cr5d0efgfe70-wan-aggregation-network-flexible-card","altImage":"Huawei_CR5D0EFGFE70_NE40E"},{"id":"gid://shopify/Product/8910606074071","title":"Huawei NE40E CR5DLPUF517E – 50 Gbps Line-Rate Flexible Processing Card","currencyCode":"USD","amountMax":"8790.0","amountMin":"8790.0","price":"8790.00","compareAtPrice":null,"imagesUrl":"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0736/7566/9719/files/Huawei_CR5DLPUF517E_NE40E.png?v=1747381224&width=600","urlStore":"/products/routers-card-huawei-cr5dlpuf517e-wan-aggregation-network-module","altImage":"Huawei_CR5DLPUF517E_NE40E"},{"id":"gid://shopify/Product/8910606270679","title":"Huawei NE40E-X3A (CR5P03BASA75) – 3 LPU Slots, 1.08 Tbps Core Router","currencyCode":"USD","amountMax":"15022.0","amountMin":"15022.0","price":"15022.00","compareAtPrice":null,"imagesUrl":"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0736/7566/9719/files/Huawei_CR5P03BASA75_NE40E-X3A.png?v=1747381230&width=600","urlStore":"/products/routers-card-huawei-cr5p03basa75-service-provider-edge-network-module","altImage":"Huawei_CR5P03BASA75_NE40E-X3A"},{"id":"gid://shopify/Product/8910606172375","title":"Huawei NE40E-X8A (CR5P08BASA7D) – 8 LPU Slots, 7.08 Tbps Core Router","currencyCode":"USD","amountMax":"18140.0","amountMin":"18140.0","price":"18140.00","compareAtPrice":null,"imagesUrl":"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0736/7566/9719/files/Huawei_CR5P08BASA7D_NE40E-X8A.png?v=1747381234&width=600","urlStore":"/products/routers-card-huawei-cr5p08basa7d-service-provider-edge-network-module","altImage":"Huawei_CR5P08BASA7D_NE40E-X8A"}],"typeSearch":"product","device":"desktop","decimalsPrice":2,"aspectRatio":"3 / 4","isAutoPlay":false,"isNavigation":false,"isPriceDisplay":true,"rowDynamic":"mot","activeDecimals":false,"hidden":false,"locked":false,"positionPrice":false,"currencyCodeCustom":"$","isRemoveBranding":true,"componentId":"undefined","activeDynamicProd":true,"blockName":"Product"}
