Dell PowerConnect 5316M Managed Ethernet Switch

Dell Updated: 2008-09-10 RSS
Dell PowerConnect 5316M Managed Ethernet Switch

The Dell PowerConnect 5316M Gigabit Ethernet switch is designed to deliver Gigabit Ethernet performance with advanced security and enterprise-class management features for connectivity to Dell Modular Server Enclosures.

Secure, Wire-Speed Performance
The PowerConnect 5316M switch is a secure, integrated Gigabit Ethernet switching solution for Dell Modular Server Enclosures that delivers full wire-speed switching performance. Offering 6 external, built-in copper 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet ports and 10 internal GbE connections to the server's embedded network controllers, the PowerConnect 5316M has a total switching capacity of up to 32 Gbps.

Improves Cable Management
The PowerConnect 5316M can reduce the number of network cables in a ten server configuration by 40-90%. Not only does this help improve cable management, but it also helps reduce the number of ports required for connectivity to costly external core network switches. By using standards based 802.3ad Link Aggregation Control Protocol to consolidate the network bandwidth from ten blade servers within the Dell Modular Server Enclosure and then delivering it to the external network, the PowerConnect 5316M provides exceptional value without compromise.

Robust Security
Advanced security features of the PowerConnect 5316M switch help protect the network from accidental or malicious interference. Edge authentication is supported through the industry standard IEEE 802.1x protocol which allows network access through RADIUS-defined usernames and passwords. MAC-based port security is designed to prevent unauthorized MAC addresses from accessing the network. This feature can send a trap to alert select administrators whenever an unknown MAC address attempts to access the network, and can shut down the port if desired. SSLv3 and SSHv2 encryption offer the added security of encrypting switch management traffic. RADIUS and TACACS+ support enables centralized, remote authentication of administrative access to the switch. Management access filtering provides a mechanism to limit network hosts that have management access to the switches.

Easy, Powerful Management
The PowerConnect 5316M switch supports a number of management interfaces, including an easy-to-use embedded Web interface as well as an industry-standard Command Line Interface (CLI), which allows network administrators to utilize existing switch configuration skills. The switch can be managed remotely via a Web browser, Telnet or Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and supports a comprehensive Management Information Base (MIB) as well as four RMON groups. This broad management support eases the tasks of network management and helps ensure integration into a variety of third party network management applications. For environments with several switches deployed, Dell OpenManageNetwork Manager provides intuitive one-to-many configuration management of the switches.

Multi-Layer Quality of Service
Network traffic prioritization is a key requirement for deploying emerging applications like videoconferencing and voice-over-IP. The PowerConnect 5316M switch provides four priority queues per port. Packets can be classified based on the Layer 2 IEEE 802.1p standard as well as the Layer 3 IP Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) standard. These capabilities help increase deployment flexibility and protect networking infrastructure investments.

Advanced Switching Features
The PowerConnect 5316M supports a variety of standards-based, advanced switching features, allowing a network administrator to optimize traffic flow in the network. Up to 247 IEEE 802.1Q VLANs are user-configurable, enabling smaller broadcast domains as well as improved network security. Protocol-based VLANs allow users to map protocols to VLANs. Other advanced features include port mirroring, IP multicast support (IGMP v1 and v2), SNTP, TraceRoute and copper cable transceiver diagnostics. Because this switch is built upon industry standards, you can have greater confidence that the PowerConnect 5316M will plug into your existing network and interoperate with other vendors' equipment.

High Availability
The PowerConnect 5316M offers several industry standard availability features to meet enterprise networking needs. Spanning Tree Protocol (IEEE 802.1D) and Rapid Spanning Tree protocol (IEEE 802.1w) support helps reduce network setup time and improve network availability by automatically activating standby links if the active link fails. The switches also store dual configuration files and firmware images for rollback purposes if the switch firmware loading process has a problem for any reason. The Dell Modular Server Enclosure can support up to four PowerConnect 5316M modules for maximum performance and redundancy.