Cabletron Smart Switch 6000 6H123-50 Ethernet Module FE-100FX Fiber Optic

Cabletron Smart Switch 6000 6H123-50 Ethernet Module FE-100FX Fiber Optic

The Cabletron Systems 6H123-50 is a chassis-based Ethernet switching module designed for the Smart Switch 6000 platform. It provides Fast Ethernet switching capacity with an integrated FE-100FX 100Base-FX fiber optic interface alongside multiple high-density copper segment connectors, making it a flexible backbone or workgroup module for mid-to-large enterprise networks.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Cabletron Systems
• Model / MPN: 6H123-50
• Compatible Platform: Cabletron Smart Switch 6000 chassis
• Fiber Optic Interface: FE-100FX (100Base-FX), MT-RJ / SC-style duplex fiber port
• High-Density Connectors: 4 x DB50 (Z200-style) segment connectors on front panel, labeled Z200 1–4
• Management Port: 1 x RJ-45 COM port on front panel
• Status Indicators: CPU LED, RESET button, per-connector link/activity LEDs (CONN 1–4, rows of 10 and 100)
• Main Switching ICs: S3/Sandcraft switching ASICs (multiple, visible on PCB)
• Logic: Lattice CPLD (visible on PCB)
• Form Factor: Full-size chassis module / card
• Network Technology: Fast Ethernet, 100Base-FX
• Management: Managed (Smart Switch 6000 platform)
• What's Included: Module only — Smart Switch 6000 chassis not included

Applications

The Cabletron Smart Switch 6000 was a modular chassis-based Ethernet switching system introduced in the mid-to-late 1990s, aimed at enterprise LAN backbone and campus distribution environments. Cabletron was one of the dominant networking vendors of that era alongside Cisco, Bay Networks, and 3Com, and the Smart Switch 6000 competed directly with modular chassis switches like the Cisco Catalyst 5000 series. The 6H123-50 module provided high-density Ethernet segment connectivity — aggregating multiple shared Ethernet segments from hubs or workgroups — along with a 100Base-FX uplink for fiber backbone connections to a distribution or core switch. This type of module was commonly used in structured cabling environments where fiber runs connected wiring closets to a central switch or router. The Smart Switch 6000 platform was later folded into Enterasys Networks after Cabletron restructured in the early 2000s. These modules are still sought by organizations maintaining legacy Cabletron/Enterasys infrastructure and by network engineers managing older campus or industrial LAN installations that have not yet migrated to newer platforms.