Dell 5500 Series - User Manual

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The Dell 5500 series switches are designed to oer secure,

ﬁxed-port Gigabit Ethernet switching solutions to deliver

full wire-speed switching performance. With 24 or 48

built-in copper Gigabit Ethernet ports in a 1U form factor,

the 5500 series has a total switching capacity of up to 176

Gbps to support demanding network environments. The

switches also oer simple management and scalability

via a 40Gbps high-availability stacking architecture that

allows you to manage up to eight switches from a single

IP address, and share the dual SFP+ across the stack for

uplinks to the next layer in your network. The switches are

designed for Energy Ecient Ethernet (802.3az), which will

reduce per port power consumption up to 50% if the link

is idle, and further reduction if ports are inactive.

Stacking and 10Gb support

Your next deployment can be greatly simpliﬁed by utilizing

the built-in stacking and 10Gb capabilities of the 5500 series

of switches. Up to 400 ports can be managed from a single

IP address using the highly-available stacking architecture,

and the entire stack can be redundantly linked back to the

rest of the network at 10Gb via the dual SFP+ ports.

Robust security

Advanced security features of 5500 series switches

help protect the network from accidental or malicious

interference. Edge authentication using IEEE 802.1x

provides a meaningful security solution which is centralized

and easier to manage than standard ACLs. The 5500 series

provides password management for increased network

security, encrypted management trac through SSL or

SSH, and secures SNMP access by ﬁltering hosts based on

IP address. MAC-based port security is designed to prevent

unauthorized MAC addresses from accessing the network.

RADIUS and TACACS+ support enables centralized, remote

authentication of administrative access to the switch.

Advanced switching features

The 5500 series switches feature enhanced VLAN support

such as Voice VLANs and Guest VLANs. Other features

include LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) which allows

for troubleshooting and enhanced network management

over multi-vendor environments, as well as LLDP-MED and

DHCP Snooping to further expand network security. The

switches also support USB auto-conﬁguration so you can

rapidly deploy the switches in minutes without setting up

complex TFTP conﬁgurations or sending technical sta to

remote oces.

Easy, powerful enterprise management

The 5500 series switches feature many enterprise

management capabilities to help network administrators

optimize network trac including QoS to support

VoIP-capable infrastructures, multicast support to help

reduce unnecessary network trac, link aggregation

for expanded network bandwidth, and dynamic VLAN

conﬁguration. The 5500 series switches can be managed

via a familiar and intuitive command line interface (CLI),

web GUI, third party SNMP-based management console

applications, Telnet, or serial connections.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) support

The 5500 series PoE switches oer PoE-per-port support

for power-dependent network applications including

WLAN Access Points (WAPs), Voice over IP (VoIP) handsets,

video conferencing and badge reading*. The 5524P

and 5548P switches can provide up to 15.4 watts of

power for network-attached devices on up to 24 ports

simultaneously, with the MPS-600 power module enabling

up to 48 ports.

Lifetime Warranty

Select Networking switches are backed

by an industry-leading, lifetime warranty

which guarantees Basic Hardware Service

(repair or replacement) for life. Details at

Dell.com/LifetimeWarranty**

Dell Networking 5500 Series

Dell Networking 5500 Gigabit Ethernet switches are scalable access switches that give you the power

and ﬂexibility.

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Summary

Dell Networking 5500 Series

Stacking and 10 Gb support

Simplifies deployment with stacking and 10Gb capabilities, managing up to 400 ports from a single IP address.

Robust security

Protects networks with IEEE 802.1x, password management, SSL/SSH, and MAC-based port security.

Advanced switching features

Offers enhanced VLAN support, LLDP, LLDP-MED, DHCP Snooping, and USB auto-configuration for rapid deployment.

Easy, powerful enterprise management

Provides enterprise management capabilities like QoS, multicast, link aggregation, and dynamic VLAN configuration.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) support

Delivers PoE-per-port support for network devices like WLAN Access Points and VoIP handsets.

Lifetime Warranty

Select switches are backed by an industry-leading lifetime warranty for Basic Hardware Service.

Summary

Dell Networking 5500 Series

Stacking and 10 Gb support

Simplifies deployment with stacking and 10Gb capabilities, managing up to 400 ports from a single IP address.

Robust security

Protects networks with IEEE 802.1x, password management, SSL/SSH, and MAC-based port security.

Advanced switching features

Offers enhanced VLAN support, LLDP, LLDP-MED, DHCP Snooping, and USB auto-configuration for rapid deployment.

Easy, powerful enterprise management

Provides enterprise management capabilities like QoS, multicast, link aggregation, and dynamic VLAN configuration.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) support

Delivers PoE-per-port support for network devices like WLAN Access Points and VoIP handsets.

Lifetime Warranty

Select switches are backed by an industry-leading lifetime warranty for Basic Hardware Service.

Overview

Function Description
Important Technical Specifications
Port Types
Performance
Chassis
Power
Usage Features
Stacking and 10Gb Support
Port Configuration
Quality of Service (QoS)
Advanced Switching Features
Robust Security
Maintenance Features
Easy, Powerful Enterprise Management
Availability Features
Lifetime Warranty

The Dell Networking 5500 Series comprises scalable Gigabit Ethernet access switches designed to provide power and flexibility for demanding network environments. These fixed-port switches deliver full wire-speed switching performance and are available in 24-port (5524, 5524P) and 48-port (5548, 5548P) configurations, all within a 1U form factor.

Function Description:

The 5500 series switches are primarily designed for secure, high-performance Gigabit Ethernet switching at the access layer of a network. They support a wide range of network applications, including data, voice (VoIP), and video. The switches are capable of supporting demanding network environments through their high switching capacity and advanced features. The Power over Ethernet (PoE) models (5524P, 5548P) extend their functionality to power network-attached devices such as WLAN Access Points, VoIP handsets, video conferencing units, and badge readers, simplifying deployment by eliminating the need for separate power sources for these devices.

Important Technical Specifications:

Port Types:

5524 & 5524P: 24 10/100/1000BASE-T auto-sensing Gigabit Ethernet switching ports, 2 SFP+ ports for fiber media support, and 2 HDMI Stacking Ports. The 5524P provides up to 15.4 watts of PoE per port on all 24 ports.
5548 & 5548P: 48 10/100/1000BASE-T auto-sensing Gigabit Ethernet switching ports, 2 SFP+ ports for fiber media support, and 2 HDMI Stacking Ports. The 5548P provides up to 15.4 watts of PoE per port on all 48 ports (with an optional external power supply).

Performance:

5524 & 5524P: Switch Fabric Capacity of 128.0 Gb/s, Forwarding Rate of 65.47 Mpps, and support for up to 16,000 MAC Addresses.
5548 & 5548P: Switch Fabric Capacity of 176.0 Gb/s, Forwarding Rate of 100.2 Mpps, and support for up to 16,000 MAC Addresses.

Chassis:

5524, 5548: 440 x 255 x 43.2 mm (W x D x H) / 17.32 x 10.03 x 1.7 in (W x D x H). Approximate weight: 3.33 kg / 7.35 lb.
5524P, 5548P: 440 x 381 x 43.2 mm (W x D x H) / 17.32 x 15 x 1.7 in (W x D x H). Approximate weight: 6.1 kg / 13.45 lb.
All models are 1U rack-mountable and include a rack-mounting kit.

Power:

Internal Power Supply Voltage: AC 110/240 V +/- 10% (50/60Hz).
Power Consumption Max (Watts): 5524 (29.4W), 5524P (380W, all ports as PoE), 5548 (48.8W), 5548P (542.1W, All ports as PoE).

Usage Features:

Stacking and 10Gb Support:

The switches feature a 40Gbps high-availability stacking architecture, allowing up to eight switches (up to 400 ports) to be managed from a single IP address. The dual SFP+ ports can be shared across the stack for 10Gb uplinks to the next layer of the network, simplifying deployment and providing redundancy.

Port Configuration:

Auto-negotiation: For speed, duplex mode, and flow control.
Auto MDI/MDIX: Simplifies cable management.
Port mirroring: For network monitoring and troubleshooting.
Broadcast storm control: Prevents network congestion from excessive broadcast traffic.
Energy Efficient Ethernet (IEEE 802.3az): Reduces per-port power consumption by up to 50% when the link is idle, and further when ports are inactive.
Port profiles: Predefined macros for automatic port configuration.
Static Routes: Up to 64 supported.

Quality of Service (QoS):

8 priority queues per port: Enables prioritization of critical network traffic.
Layer 2 Trusted Mode (IEEE 802.1p tagging) and Layer 3 Trusted Mode (DSCP): For traffic classification and prioritization.
Adjustable Weighted-Round-Robin (WRR) and Strict Queue Scheduling: For flexible queue management.
IPv4 and IPv6 support: Ensures compatibility with modern network protocols.

Advanced Switching Features:

Enhanced VLAN support: Includes Voice VLANs and Guest VLANs for network segmentation and security.
LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocol) and LLDP-MED: For troubleshooting, enhanced network management in multi-vendor environments, and support for media endpoint devices.
DHCP Snooping: Further expands network security by preventing unauthorized DHCP servers.
USB auto-configuration: Allows rapid deployment of switches in minutes without complex TFTP configurations or requiring technical staff for remote setup.
Multicast Support: IGMP v1/v2/v3 snooping, IGMP Querier, and Static IP Multicast to reduce unnecessary network traffic.
Link Aggregation (IEEE 802.3ad) and LACP support: For expanded network bandwidth and redundancy, supporting up to 32 aggregated links per switch with up to 8 member ports per link.
Jumbo frame support (up to 10K): For improved performance with large data packets.
DHCP Server support, DHCP Snooping, DHCP Relay: For comprehensive DHCP management.

Robust Security:

Switch access password protection: Including strong password support.
User-definable settings: For enabling/disabling Web, SSH, Telnet, SSL management access.
Port-based MAC Address alert and lock-down: Prevents unauthorized MAC addresses from accessing the network.
IP Address filtering: For management access via Telnet, HTTP, HTTPS/SSL, SSH, and SNMP.
RADIUS and TACACS+ remote authentication: For centralized, remote authentication of administrative access.
SSLv3 and SSHv2 encryption: For secure switch management traffic.
Management access filtering via Management Access Profiles: Granular control over management access.
IEEE 802.1x-based edge authentication and monitor mode: Provides centralized and easier-to-manage security.
MAC and IP based ACLs, Time controlled ACLs: For flexible traffic filtering.
Dynamic ARP Inspection: Protects against ARP spoofing attacks.
VLANs: IEEE 802.1Q tagging and port-based, up to 4,000 user-configurable VLANs, Protocol-based VLANs, and Dynamic VLANs with GVRP support.

Maintenance Features:

Easy, Powerful Enterprise Management:

Management Interfaces: Familiar and intuitive Command Line Interface (CLI), web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI), third-party SNMP-based management console applications, Telnet, or serial connections.
SNMPv1, SNMP v2c, SNMPv3 supported: For network monitoring and management.
USB Drive Support: For auto-configuration and firmware updates.
RMON groups (4 supported): For history, statistics, alarms, and events.
TFTP transfers: For firmware and configuration file management.
Dual firmware images on-board: For redundancy during firmware updates.
Multiple configuration file upload/download supported: For flexible configuration management.
Statistics: For error monitoring and performance optimization, including port summary tables.
BootP/DHCP IP address management: For simplified IP address assignment.
Syslog remote logging capabilities: For centralized log management.
SNTP: For time synchronization.
iSCSI Auto Configuration: For simplified deployment in iSCSI environments.
Switch Auditing support: For security and compliance.
sFlow: For network traffic monitoring.

Availability Features:

External redundant power support: With RPS-720 (for 5524, 5548) and MPS-600 (for 5524P, 5548P) (sold separately), ensuring continuous operation in case of internal power supply failure.
Spanning Tree (IEEE 802.1D) and Rapid Spanning Tree (IEEE 802.1w) with Fast Link support: Prevents network loops and ensures rapid network convergence.
Spanning Tree optional features: STP root guard, BPDU guard, BPDU filtering for enhanced network stability.
Dual firmware images: Provides a backup firmware in case of corruption during updates.
Configuration file upload and download: For easy backup and restoration of configurations.

Lifetime Warranty:

Select Dell Networking switches are backed by an industry-leading, lifetime warranty, which guarantees Basic Hardware Service (repair or replacement) for life. This warranty covers hardware repair or replacement but does not include troubleshooting, configuration, or other advanced services provided by Dell ProSupport.