AUSTIN, TEXAS - Dell this quarter will take aim at all comers in the stackable Layer 2 Ethernet switch arena when it releases three new switches for midsize business wiring closets and backbones.
The three new PowerConnect switches could help a small or enterprise IT shop roll out Gigabit Ethernet to the desktop on the backbone at a fraction of the cost of competitive switches, Dell says. The PC and server giant also says IT professionals will benefit from having one point of contact for purchasing and supporting network gear, PCs and servers.
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The PowerConnect 5224 is targeted at small business backbones, or as an aggregation box in larger shops. It has 24 ports of 10/100/1000Base-T connections, and a 48G bit/sec backplane.
The 5224 also can prioritize traffic with four quality-of-service levels, and can interpret Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS tags, the company says.
The PowerConnect 3048 and 3248 are aimed at wiring closet deployments, each with 48 ports of 10/100M bit/sec Ethernet, two mini-Gigabit Interface Converter slots for fiber uplinks and two 1000Base-T ports for copper Gigabit links. The 3048 comes with integrated stacking ports and stacking cables are included, letting up to six 3048s be stacked together as one switch. The box also can support Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS traffic prioritization. The 3248 is not stackable, but adds Layer 4 "awareness" for moving packets that are prioritized based on TCP/User Datagram Protocol port, Dell says.
Dell's PowerConnect 3024, announced in the fall, is used for workgroup switching at Capital Spectrum, a publishing technology company in Austin. Because the firm used Dell PCs and servers almost exclusively, buying network gear from its neighborhood vendor seemed logical, says IS Manager Gilbert Maldonado.
"The specs on the Dell switches were just as good as anything else I've seen, but the price was two times as much in most cases," when he compared the Dell gear with similar products from 3Com and Cisco, Maldonado says.
Buying switches directly from Dell when ordering new server or PCs has made equipment buying easier, Maldonado says. And while the vendors network technical support was not on par with its PC and server help channels, the vendor has increased its network support since getting into the switch market last year.
"Technical support is now probably equal to what I got," with 3Com, which was the incumbent network technology at Capital Spectrum before the Dell gear was installed, Maldonado says.
"It wasn't the first time I called . . . but they've really picked up the pace on that," he says.
Dell is betting that price will be one of the biggest draws with its network gear because its 48-port and 24-port Gigabit switches cost less than half the price of competing products, such as 3Com's Switch 4900 series or Cisco's Catalyst 2948G.
The PowerConnect 3248 will cost $1,500 while the PowerConnect 5224 will cost $2,400, or $100 per Gigabit Ethernet switch port, which is less than the industry average of about $300 per 1000Base-T port, observers say.
The PowerConnect 3048 price has not been set, but it is expected to cost about $1,400. All products will be available this quarter.
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