Introduction; Figure 1. Dell Force10 Mxl Switch - Dell Force10 C150 Manual

Deploying the Dell Force10 MXL into a Cisco Nexus Network Environment

Introduction

This document is an easy-to-use guide of recommended basic deployment practices for the Dell
Force10 MXL in the access layer of a Cisco Nexus network environment. The Dell Force 10 MXL—an I/O
module for the Dell PowerEdge M1000e chassis—is a 10 and 40 gigabit Ethernet multilayer switch
targeted at deployment in data center networks. The MXL provides 32 10GbE internal ports to server
blades in an M1000e modular chassis and has multiple 10 and 40GbE external uplink and stacking
options allowing it to serve well in many applications and environments.
Figure 1. Dell Force10 MXL Switch
The Dell Force10 MXL 10/40GbE switch brings a new level of connectivity and value to the blade server
network switch environment. With 32 1/10GbE server facing ports, any transition from previous
architectures will be a huge step forward. The 32 server facing ports provide connectivity on any of the
available fabric slots (A, B, or C) for the M-Series blade servers with 1GbE or 10GbE KR-based network
card capability. The switch offers 1/10/40GbE connectivity on the uplinks to interface with a top of
rack switch, directly to a core switch, or directly to an iSCSI storage solution.
The MXL switch is an industry first, 40GbE capable, modular, and stackable blade switch for the
PowerEdge M1000e chassis.
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