Features And Benefits - Dell PowerConnect 5012 Information Manual

PCs can be interconnected without a performance bottleneck in the
aggregation switch.
Data Center Switch: The PowerConnect 5012 can interconnect
Gigabit Ethernet capable servers at full wire speed. Particularly in
multi-tier architectures consisting of Web/Presentation, Application
and Data tiers, high-speed network connectivity across the tiers can
provide a significant performance impact.
Workstation Connectivity: The PowerConnect 5012 is ideal to
connect a group of Gigabit Ethernet capable workstations to the
network. Many workstation applications can benefit significantly
from Gigabit Ethernet solutions, e.g. by reducing file transfer times.
Multi-Layer Hosting Solution: The PowerConnect 5012 can
effectively provide Gigabit Layer 2 connectivity for a high-
performance hosting solution that utilizes Layer 4-7 devices like the
Dell PowerApp™ family of solutions for load balancing and caching.

Features and Benefits

The features and benefits of the PowerConnect 5012 are shown in Table 3.
Table 3
Features, Functions and Benefits of the PowerConnect 5012
Feature
Total Switching
Capacity of 24 Gbps
Built-in Copper
Gigabit Ethernet Ports
Optional Fiber Gigabit
Ethernet Ports
VLAN
IEEE 802.1p Priority
Link Aggregation
Page 3
Function
Enables full wire-speed
Gigabit switching across all
ports
Provide 10-times higher
bandwidth than Fast
Ethernet ports
Accommodate various
types of fiber interface
modules (e.g. 1000SX,
1000LX; modules sold
separately)
Combines a number of
ports into separated, virtual
sub-networks
Utilizes separate
transmission queues for
low and high priority traffic
Groups up to eight ports
together into a single, high-
bandwidth trunk
Benefit
Take full advantage of the
Gigabit speed of workgroup
switch uplinks and servers
Helps to eliminate performance
bottlenecks at critical traffic
aggregation points and servers;
use Gigabit Ethernet with
standard Cat5 cabling
Flexibility to use fiber media if
large distances have to be
covered by the network
Allows for limitation of broadcast
domains as well as improved
security
Ensures low-latency delivery of
time critical network traffic, e.g.
traffic associated with voice or
video communication
Increases bandwidth for critical
network links (e.g. uplinks to a
network backbone) and creates
link redundancy
September 2001