Dell Launches New Switching Platform & SDN Capabilities

dell-4810-switch

Dell announced new additions to its networking portfolio, with new top-of-rack and blade switches, as well as commercial availability of OpenFlow in its Force10 Operating System (FTOS).

The new Dell S4820T top-of-rack (ToR) switch is purpose-built for deployment in high-performance data center and cloud computing environments, offering the right mix of scalability, performance, operational simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Powered by FTOS it will support both Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality. It features 10G connectivity, copper-based support for Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and four 40G uplinks for high-speed fabric connectivity.

"Private cloud, storage, and big data analytics usage models are driving the need for increased bandwidth," said Dawn Moore, general manager, Intel Networking Division. "The Intel Ethernet CNA X540 with the Dell S4820T 10GBASE-T switch provides customers an easy migration from an existing 1G infrastructure to a high-performing, cost-effective 10G network. We've also jointly validated FCoE interoperability on this combination to help facilitate a smooth migration to a next-generation converged network."

To help customers migrate to 10/40G architectures for server and storage connectivity Dell announced two new network offerings. A new Dell MXL blade switch is built for PowerEdge M1000e blade server chassis, and features 1/10/40FbE Layer 2 and layer 3. A new PowerEdge M I/O Aggregator offers similar connectivity options, and is optimized for plug-and-play simplicity and rapid configuration-free deployments.

OpenFlow in FTOS

Dell also announced the commercial availability of OpenFlow for its FTOS code base. Available now for the Dell Z9000 and S4810 data center switches, OpenFlow is a key technology enabler for next-generation software-defined network (SDN) deployments. The new software is fully compliant with available standards-based OpenFlow controllers, including the Big Switch Controller from Dell partner Big Switch Networks.