If you’re in the market for a dependable, affordable, and attractive switch for your IT infrastructure, then the Dell PowerSwitch S-4100 series may be the perfect solution. With its sleek design and power capabilities, it’s no wonder that the Dell PowerSwitch S-4100 series is gaining popularity among businesses of all sizes. In this blog post, we’ll take an in-depth look at the features and benefits of using the Dell PowerSwitch S-4100 series to get a better understanding of why it’s become such a popular choice for network managers. We’ll examine how it can help improve network performance while still keeping costs manageable and get into some of the more technical details as well.
What is a networking switch?
A networking switch is a hardware device that connects computer networks and directs traffic between them. Switches allow different devices on the same network to communicate with each other by creating a separate path for each device. This allows for more efficient use of bandwidth and prevents data collisions.
Dell’s PowerSwitch S-series is a line of affordable, attractive, and reliable switches that are perfect for small- to medium-sized businesses. The S-series offers a variety of features and options, making it easy to find the right switch for your needs.
Do you need a networking switch?
The short answer is yes if you have more than one computer or other devices that you want to connect to each other or the internet. A switch allows you to expand your network by providing additional ports.
For a home user with two or three PCs, a small Ethernet switch may be all that is needed to start building a network. In fact, if you have a router with built-in Ethernet switching capability (such as many of the popular home and small office routers on the market today), you may not need an external switch at all. Just connect all of your PCs directly to the router.
However, if you want to add more than a few PCs or other devices to your network (or if you want the flexibility of being able to easily connect and disconnect devices without having to rearrange cables), then an Ethernet switch is definitely the way to go.
What to look for when buying a networking switch?
When shopping for a networking switch, there are several key factors to consider in order to ensure you’re getting a quality device that will meet your needs. First, identify the type of connection you need – Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, or Gigabit Ethernet. Then, determine the number of ports you require – 8, 16, 24, or 48. Once you’ve decided on these basic specifications, compare features and prices of different models to find the best value. Consider additional features likePoE support, energy efficiency, scalability, and manageability when making your final decision.
Introduction to the Dell PowerSwitch S-4100 series
The S4100-ON 10GbE switches comprise Dell Technologies’ latest disaggregated hardware and software data center networking solutions, providing state-of-the-art 100GbE uplinks and a broad range of functionality to meet the growing demands of today’s data center environment. These innovative, next-generation top-of-rack open networking switches offer optimum flexibility and cost-effectiveness for enterprise, midmarket and tier 2 cloud service providers with demanding to compute and storage traffic environments.
The compact S4100-ON models provide industry-leading density with up to 48 ports of 10GbE or up to 48 ports of 10GBaseT ports, 2 ports of 40GbE, and 4 ports of 100GbE in a 1RU form factor. The S4112-ON is a half-rack width model that supports up to 12 ports of 10GbE or 12 ports of 10GBaseT, and 3 ports of 100GbE.
Using industry-leading hardware and a choice of Dell SmartFabric OS10 or select 3rd party network operating systems and tools, the S4100-ON Series offers flexibility through the provision of configuration profiles and delivers nonblocking performance for workloads sensitive to packet loss. The compact S4100-ON models provide multi-rate speed, enabling denser footprints and simplifying migration to 100Gbps.
Also unique to the S4100-ON series is the ability to meet the demands of converged and virtualized data centers by offering hardware support for the L2 and L3 VXLAN gateway. Priority-based flow control (PFC), data center bridge exchange (DCBX), and enhanced transmission selection (ETS) make the S4100-ON ideally suited for DCB environments. Dell PowerSwitch S4100-ON switches support the open source Open Network Install Environment (ONIE) for zero-touch installation of Dell SmartFabric OS10 networking operating system, as well as of alternative network operating systems.
Key applications
• Organizations looking to enter the software-defined data center era with a choice of networking technologies designed to maximize flexibility
• Multi-functional 1/10/25/40/50/100 GbE switching in High-Performance Computing Clusters or other business-sensitive deployments requiring the highest bandwidth. High-density 1/10 GbE ToR server access in high-performance data center environments
• iSCSI storage deployment, including DCB converged lossless transactions
• Small-scale data center fabric implementation via the S4100-ON switch in leaf and spine along with S-Series 1/10GbE ToR switches
• VXLAN layer 2/layer 3 gateway support
The features of the Dell PowerSwitch S-4100 series
• 1RU high-density 10/40/100 GbE ToR switches with up to 48 10GbE (SFP+) or 10GBaseT ports, and up to 4 ports of 100GbE (QSFP28)
• The S4112 is a 1RU, half-rack width 10/100GbE ToR switch with up to 12 ports of 10GbE (SFP+) or up to 12 ports of 10GBaseT ports, and up to 3 ports of 100GbE (QSFP28)
• Multi-rate 100GbE ports support 10/25/40/50 GbE. 40GbE ports support 10GbE. 10GbE ports support 1GbE. Up to 4 different simultaneous speeds are possible in a given profile
• 1.76Tbps (full-duplex) non-blocking, cut-through switching fabric delivers line-rate performance under full load on S4148F-ON and S4148T-ON
• 960Gbps (full-duplex) non-blocking, cut-through switching fabric delivers line-rate performance under full load on S4128F-ON and S4128T-ON
• 840Gbps (full-duplex) non-blocking, cut-through switching fabric delivers line-rate performance under full load on S4112F-ON and S4112T-ON
• VXLAN gateway functionality support for bridging and routing the non-virtualized and the virtualized overlay networks with line rate performance
• Converged Network support with DCB
• IO panel to PSU airflow or PSU to IO panel airflow
• Redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fans (S4112-ON has redundant, fixed power supplies and fans)
• IEEE 1588v2 supported on 48 port models
Key Features with Dell SmartFabric OS10
• Consistent DevOps framework across compute, storage, and networking elements
• Standard networking features, interfaces, and scripting functions for legacy network operations integration
• Standards-based switching hardware abstraction via Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI)
• Pervasive, unrestricted developer environment via Control Plane Services (CPS)
• OS10 Enterprise Edition software enables Dell Technologies layer 2 and 3 switchings and routing protocols with integrated IP services, quality of service, manageability, and automation features
• OS10 supports Precision Time Protocol (PTP, IEEE 1588v2) to synchronize clocks on network devices.
• Leverage common open-source tools and best practices (data models, commit rollbacks)
• Increase VM Mobility region by stretching L2 VLAN within or across two DCs with unique VLT capabilities
• Scalable L2 and L3 Ethernet Switching with QoS, ACL, and a full complement of standards-based IPv4 and IPv6 features including OSPF, BGP, and PBR
• Enhanced mirroring capabilities including local mirroring, Remote Port Mirroring (RPM), and Encapsulated Remote Port Mirroring (ERPM)
• Converged network support for Data Center Bridging, with priority flow control (802.1Qbb), ETS (802.1Qaz), DCBx and iSCSI TLV Enhanced mirroring capabilities including local mirroring, Remote Port Mirroring (RPM), and Encapsulated Remote Port Mirroring (ERPM)
• Converged network support for Data Center Bridging, with priority flow control (802.1Qbb), ETS (802.1Qaz), DCBx, and iSCSI TLV
Conclusion
The Dell PowerSwitch S-4100 series is an ideal choice for businesses looking to upgrade their network infrastructure. It offers a great balance of affordability, attractive design, and reliability that can’t be beaten. And with support from the knowledgeable team at Dell, you’re sure to get the help you need whenever you need it. From small startups to large enterprises, the Dell PowerSwitch S-4100 series is an excellent way to ensure your business runs smoothly and efficiently.