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Dell Networking
Dell Networking is the name for the networking portfolio of Dell. In the first half of 2013, Dell started to rebrand their different existing networking product brands to Dell Networking. Dell Networking is the name for the networking equipment that was known as Dell PowerConnect, as well as the Force10 portfolio.
Dell used to be mainly a so-called box-shifter: they produced computers that could (only) be bought directly from Dell, but they didn't offer complete solutions.[citation needed] With the acquisition of Perot Systems, Dell entered the, more profitable, services market and also expanded on the software and system-management-market by acquiring KACE Networks, Quest Software, AppAssure and Credant Technologies. Other notable acquisitions include storage systems like EqualLogic, thin-client producer Wyse and firewall/security producer SonicWall.
In 2011, Dell took over high-end network-equipment producer Force10 Networks, which mainly produced multi-layer switches for data center environments, bringing Dell to the market for enterprise and datacenter class network equipment. Before that point, Dell did not produce their own network equipment: the switches that were sold under the brand PowerConnect were products designed and built for Dell by 3rd parties such as Broadcom and Marvell Technology Group. Dell also offered existing products from other suppliers with PowerConnect branding, such as the B-series for Brocade (Ethernet) switches or J-series for Juniper switches. But by buying Force10 and later network-security provider SonicWall, the company now had its own intellectual property networking systems and stopped selling most J- and B-series switches, but continued to offer the legacy PowerConnect products made by Broadcom and Marvell with some overlap in the Force10 products.
In 2013, Dell begun the process to fully integrate these two product lines and rebrand the entire portfolio into Dell Networking, all running on Dell Networking Operating System (instead of FTOS and Powerconnect firmware). All new networking products were to be marketed under the new name Dell Networking with a standardized naming-convention: Dell Networking ⟨series-letter⟩-⟨4 digit number⟩. Most existing PowerConnect products kept their existing names until they went end of sales (EOS), when they would be replaced by new Dell Networking products or be rebranded to the new naming convention.
The Dell Networking products will come in several families. The new naming system will partially follow the existing Force10 naming system: E-series for chassis-based modular (core) switches, C-series for chassis-based datacenter-access switches, S-series rack switches and Z-series for distributed core-switches.
Below is an overview of the current portfolio of Dell Networking switches, including active models under the PowerConnect name.
(For older products, not longer in active portfolio, please see the Dell PowerConnect page). The current portfolio of Dell PowerConnect rack switches consists of the following series:
The PowerConnects 2800, 3500 and 5500 are based on Marvell Technology Group equipment while the PowerConnect 6200, 7000, 8100 and the blade-switches PCM6220, PCM6348 and PCM8024(-k) are powered by Broadcom.
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Dell Networking
Dell Networking is the name for the networking portfolio of Dell. In the first half of 2013, Dell started to rebrand their different existing networking product brands to Dell Networking. Dell Networking is the name for the networking equipment that was known as Dell PowerConnect, as well as the Force10 portfolio.
Dell used to be mainly a so-called box-shifter: they produced computers that could (only) be bought directly from Dell, but they didn't offer complete solutions.[citation needed] With the acquisition of Perot Systems, Dell entered the, more profitable, services market and also expanded on the software and system-management-market by acquiring KACE Networks, Quest Software, AppAssure and Credant Technologies. Other notable acquisitions include storage systems like EqualLogic, thin-client producer Wyse and firewall/security producer SonicWall.
In 2011, Dell took over high-end network-equipment producer Force10 Networks, which mainly produced multi-layer switches for data center environments, bringing Dell to the market for enterprise and datacenter class network equipment. Before that point, Dell did not produce their own network equipment: the switches that were sold under the brand PowerConnect were products designed and built for Dell by 3rd parties such as Broadcom and Marvell Technology Group. Dell also offered existing products from other suppliers with PowerConnect branding, such as the B-series for Brocade (Ethernet) switches or J-series for Juniper switches. But by buying Force10 and later network-security provider SonicWall, the company now had its own intellectual property networking systems and stopped selling most J- and B-series switches, but continued to offer the legacy PowerConnect products made by Broadcom and Marvell with some overlap in the Force10 products.
In 2013, Dell begun the process to fully integrate these two product lines and rebrand the entire portfolio into Dell Networking, all running on Dell Networking Operating System (instead of FTOS and Powerconnect firmware). All new networking products were to be marketed under the new name Dell Networking with a standardized naming-convention: Dell Networking ⟨series-letter⟩-⟨4 digit number⟩. Most existing PowerConnect products kept their existing names until they went end of sales (EOS), when they would be replaced by new Dell Networking products or be rebranded to the new naming convention.
The Dell Networking products will come in several families. The new naming system will partially follow the existing Force10 naming system: E-series for chassis-based modular (core) switches, C-series for chassis-based datacenter-access switches, S-series rack switches and Z-series for distributed core-switches.
Below is an overview of the current portfolio of Dell Networking switches, including active models under the PowerConnect name.
(For older products, not longer in active portfolio, please see the Dell PowerConnect page). The current portfolio of Dell PowerConnect rack switches consists of the following series:
The PowerConnects 2800, 3500 and 5500 are based on Marvell Technology Group equipment while the PowerConnect 6200, 7000, 8100 and the blade-switches PCM6220, PCM6348 and PCM8024(-k) are powered by Broadcom.