The CSG5000 series is Versa Networks’ highest-capacity Cloud Services Gateway family – the CSG5000, CSG5200, and CSG5250 appliances – built for large regional offices, campuses, and data centers. Running the Versa Operating System (VOS), it delivers carrier-grade SD-WAN, integrated security, and up to 100-Gigabit Ethernet throughput in a single WAN-edge platform.
Key takeaways
- Highest-capacity CSG family: CSG5000, CSG5200, and CSG5250 models.
- Built for large regional offices, campuses, and data centers.
- Up to sixteen 10/25GbE and six 100GbE ports, any as LAN or WAN.
- Hardware-based CoS shaping scales SD-WAN and SASE to 100Gbps.
- Runs VOS with NGFW, UTM, routing, and analytics in one appliance.
On this page: Why it mattersHow it worksCSG5000 series modelsCSG5000 series & the VersaONE platformFAQ
Why is the CSG5000 series important?
Large regional offices, campuses, and data centers put a different load on WAN-edge hardware than a branch does: more users, more east-west traffic, less tolerance for a bottleneck. The CSG5000 series exists to carry that load – carrier-grade reliability and high computational capacity for enterprise-grade routing, SD-WAN, and next-generation security at sites where a branch appliance would run out of headroom.
The series also removes the same integration seams smaller CSG models remove at branches, but at scale: instead of separate routing, firewall, and WAN-optimization boxes, one appliance running VOS handles all of it, managed centrally through Versa Director. Hardware-based class-of-service shaping, introduced for Intel-based adapters in Release 22.1 and later, matters at this tier – it lets a site push cloud-intelligent SD-WAN and SASE services on-premises without software shaping becoming the limiting factor at 100-Gigabit rates.
What is the CSG5000 series?
A CSG5000 series appliance is an x86-based, rack-mountable (19-inch, 2RU) chassis that runs VOS, providing integrated security, routing, SD-WAN, multitenancy, NGFW, UTM, and analytics in a single operating system. Every port – up to sixteen 10/25-Gigabit SFP+/SFP28 ports and four to six 100-Gigabit QSFP28 ports, depending on model – can be configured as LAN or WAN, even though the chassis silkscreen marks them with fixed labels.
For Release 22.1 and later, the series supports hardware-based egress class-of-service (CoS) and shaping on Intel-based adapters at rates up to 100 Gbps. Four traffic classes are configurable per interface, each a single priority queue with committed and maximum bandwidth set as a percentage of line rate or an absolute kbps value; classes are work-conserving, so one can burst into bandwidth left unused by others. Only interface-level shaping is supported in hardware. Management runs out-of-band through a dedicated RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port, an IPMI port, a serial console port, and two USB 3.0 ports.
CSG5000 series models
The series ships as three models sized by port mix and power draw, all sharing the same VOS software and 2RU 19-inch chassis. The CSG5000 and CSG5200 each provide sixteen 10/25-Gigabit SFP+/SFP28 ports and four 100-Gigabit QSFP28 ports; the CSG5250 trades port count for higher 100-Gigabit density, with eight 10/25-Gigabit ports and six 100-Gigabit ports. Power and cooling scale with the model: the CSG5000 uses dual 850 W supplies and three 2+1 redundant fans, while the CSG5200 and CSG5250 use dual 1300 W supplies and four fans, reflecting doubled hardware offload capacity – four internal QAT-based cryptography engines versus two on the CSG5000. All three include a TPM 2.0 module and 1+1 redundant power. See the CSG5000 Hardware Guide for full chassis specifications and interface-numbering tables.
CSG5000 series & the VersaONE platform
A CSG5000 series appliance is the top of the CSG hardware line’s on-premises footprint within VersaONE: it runs the same VOS as every other CSG model and every virtual or cloud instance, so a policy design validated elsewhere deploys unchanged to a CSG5000 site. Versa Director handles its configuration, monitoring, and provisioning, while Versa Analytics collects device, network, and security telemetry from it. MSPs and large enterprises deploy the series for scalable managed services, using its port density and hardware CoS to serve regional aggregation points and data-center WAN edges without splitting that role across multiple boxes. Physical setup follows a defined sequence – see Install a CSG5000 Series Appliance and Connect a CSG5000 Series Appliance for unpacking, rack-mounting, grounding, and power steps – after which the appliance onboards to Director like any other CSG.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the CSG5000, CSG5200, and CSG5250 models?
The CSG5000 and CSG5200 share the same port mix – sixteen 10/25-Gigabit and four 100-Gigabit ports – but the CSG5200 uses higher-wattage power supplies and doubled cryptographic offload engines. The CSG5250 shifts the port mix toward 100-Gigabit density: eight 10/25-Gigabit ports and six 100-Gigabit ports.
How many ports does a CSG5000 series appliance have?
The CSG5000 and CSG5200 each provide sixteen 10/25-Gigabit SFP+/SFP28 ports and four 100-Gigabit QSFP28 ports. The CSG5250 provides eight 10/25-Gigabit ports and six 100-Gigabit ports. Any of these ports can be configured as LAN or WAN regardless of its panel label.
What software does a CSG5000 series appliance run?
Every CSG5000 series model runs the Versa Operating System (VOS), the same software that runs across the entire CSG family and Versa’s virtual and cloud form factors, providing integrated routing, SD-WAN, NGFW, UTM, multitenancy, and analytics in a single operating system rather than a stack of separate products.
Where is the CSG5000 series deployed?
The series targets WAN-edge deployments in large regional offices, campus sites, and data centers that need advanced secure SD-WAN alongside application-aware and cloud-intelligent SASE services delivered on-premises, at a scale beyond what smaller CSG models like the CSG150 or CSG1000 series are sized for.
Does the CSG5000 series support hardware-based QoS?
Yes. For Release 22.1 and later, CSG5000 series appliances support hardware-based egress class-of-service and shaping on Intel-based adapters at up to 100 Gbps, with four configurable, work-conserving traffic classes per interface. Only interface-level shaping is supported; VLAN and adaptive shaping configurations are not.
More on Versa hardware
If you want to learn more, these are sources we trust.
| Versa Networks: products | Versa Networks: secure SD-WAN | Versa Academy |
|---|---|---|
| The vendor’s product pages, including the CSG appliance families and their positioning. | The service the CSG5000 series delivers at scale, as packaged by the vendor. | Training and labs covering Versa hardware deployment and platform operations. |
Related terms
If you’re reading about the CSG5000 series, these are worth looking at next.
| Cloud Services Gateway | Network Interface Card | Cloud Services Switch |
|---|---|---|
| The full appliance family the CSG5000 series belongs to, from CSG150 through CSG5000. | Field-installable modules that add interface options to smaller CSG models beyond built-in ports. | Versa’s SD-LAN switching family, deployed alongside CSG5000 gateways at large sites. |