In conjunction with other technology releases, Dell recently introduced a 10GBase-T top-of-rack switch. The S4820T switch “is purpose-built for deployment in high-performance data center and cloud computing environments,” Dell said when making the introduction on February 7, “leveraging the popularity of twisted-pair copper cabling and providing the right mix of scalability, performance, operational simplicity and cost-effectiveness.”
The switch incorporates the Force10 operating system. Dell acquired Force10 in 2011. The switch is designed to support Layer 2 and Layer 3 functionality, the company noted.
Dell described the S4820T’s characteristics and features as follows.
- 10GBase-T connectivity – for migration from 1G to 10G servers, “especially for customers looking to consolidate server I/O at 10G.”
- LAN/SAN convergence – the switch “is ideal for customers aiming to consolidate LAN and SAN traffic over a common DCB [Data Center Bridging]-enabled 10G switching fabric and is one of the first copper-based 10G switches to support Fibre Channel over Ethernet using twisted-pair cabling.” Dell added the switch is being lab-tested by vendors of network interface cards and converged network adapters.
- High-performance fabric uplinks – The switch “is equipped with four 40G uplinks providing for high-speed fabric connectivity enabling scalable multi-rack deployments demanded by larger customers,” Dell concluded.
Alan Weckel, senior director for Dell’Oro Group, commented, “We expect the Ethernet switch market to experience two significant years of market growth in 2013 and 2014 from the migration of servers toward 10 Gigabit Ethernet. We believe that in 2013, most large enterprises will upgrade to 10 Gigabit Ethernet for server access through a mix of connectivity options ranging from blade servers, SFP+, SFP+ direct attach and 10GBase-T.”