Background
In past projects and testing experience, it was commonly believed that Huawei CE series switches would not generate alarms when using third-party optical modules, while only S series switches would trigger alarm notifications. Based on this assumption, many customers also tended to believe that CE series switches were more tolerant of compatible modules.
However, during recent laboratory verification, we discovered that CE series switches also perform certification checks on optical modules and will display alarm notifications when the requirements are not met. This finding overturns the previous belief that “CE series switches do not trigger alarms.
Test Findings
1. When inserting third-party optical modules into CE series switches, the system displayed “Unauthorized” notifications.
2.The absence of alarms in earlier tests was likely because the alarm mechanism on the CE switch had already been disabled via command settings.
3.It is important to note that this alarm is only a system notification and does not affect the normal operation of the optical module.
4. A small number of optical modules on the market can avoid triggering alarms, but they are rare and generally very expensive.
S series switch module alarm prompts:
CE series switch module alarm prompts:
Technical Analysis
Huawei CE and S series switches both incorporate an optical module authentication mechanism.
On S series switches, authentication is strict and alarm notifications are more visible, which is why alarms have been more commonly observed in the past.
CE series switches also include the mechanism by default, but in certain scenarios it may have been manually disabled, leading to the misconception that they do not generate alarms.
This indicates that Huawei’s strategy for data center devices (CE series) and enterprise campus devices (S series) is aligned—both perform compatibility checks and generate notifications for third-party modules.
Alarm Control Commands
S Series Switches
transceiver phony-alarm-disable
undo transceiver phony-alarm-disable
CE Series Switches
transceiver non-certified-alarm disable
commit
undo transceiver non-certified-alarm disable
commit
Recommendations and Conclusion
Both S series and CE series switches may generate alarms when using third-party optical modules.
Alarms can be disabled or restored using the above commands.
Alarms do not affect normal operation of the device, but optical modules that completely prevent alarms are rare and expensive.
If you have any questions pls contact csd@telecomate.com
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