Dell N4032F Compatible Modules and Cables

With the expansion of Cloud, Big Data and Internet of Things, data centers are upgrading to support higher data rate. 10G and 40G switches are moving to Layer 2 and Layer 3 in telecommunication network gradually. As switches in data center can directly affect network solutions in factors like cost, performance and power consumption, high port density and scalability are becoming increasing important considering for the future uses. Dell N4032F switch, as a member of Dell Networking N4000 series switches, is a 10G switch designed for modernizing and scaling network infrastructure. It is suggested to be used at comprehensive enterprise-class layer 2 and layer 3. This article will introduce the main characters of Dell N4032F switch and its cabling solution.

What Can Dell N4032F Switch Offer?

As mentioned network scaling and port density become important factors that data centers concern about. Dell N4032F with great scalability and flexibility can simplify the design and management of network. Meanwhile it can also provide consistent delivery and high availability.

As a 10G switch, Dell N4032F does not only offer power-efficient and resilient 10 Gigabit Ethernet, but also supports 40G uplinks, which is suitable for advanced layer 3 distribution in many places. Another feature of Dell N4032F is that this switch supports stacking, which is also the greatest advantages of its family—Dell Networking N4000 series switches. With this stacking feature, up to twelve multiple switches can be operated as a single unit easily. Any Ethernet 10G/40G port on the front panel of Dell N4032F switch can be used in creating the stacking links.

Cabling for Dell N4032F Switch

From the above illustration, Dell N4032F switch can be used to connect target devices for 1/10/40G transmission. It can also be used with stacking technology. This part will introduce the cabling solutions for Dell N4032F switch in details.

1G Connection

The SFP+ ports on Dell N4032 switch can support 1G/10G transmission range up to 10 km. For 1G connection up to 550m reach, 1000BASE-SX transceiver is suggested to be used with multimode fiber optic cable. For long distance transmission up to 10 km, 1000BASE-LX transceiver is suggested to be used with single-mode fiber optic. The 1G connection can also be based on copper cable by using 1000BASE-T transceiver. The following table is the 1G solution for Dell N4032 switch.

10G Connection

Either copper and fiber optic cable can be used to support 10G transmission. If using SFP+ to SFP+ DAC (direct attach cable), a link of 7 meters can be built between Dell N4032F and the target devices. For longer transmission distance, various transceivers can be used to support different distances: 10GBASE-LRM (150 m), 10GBASE-SR (300m) and 10GBASE-LR (10km). In addition, the hot swap expansion module bay can be configured into two QSFP+ ports. 8 additional 10G ports could be created by using two breakout QSFP+ to 4SFP+ cables. The following chart is the solution of 10G transmission of Dell N4032F switch.

40G Connection

The 40G transmission of Dell N4032F is based on its hot swap expansion module bay, which should be firstly configured into two 40G QSFP+ ports by a 40G QSFP+ two-port expansion module. By using different transmission media and modules, different transmission distances can be reached. The following table is the details about cable and modules solutions for Dell N4032F switches.

The above mentioned fiber optic transceivers and DAC are 100% Dell compatible. For more transceivers and cabling solutions for Dell switches, please contact sales@fs.com or visit FS.com.