DELL POWERCONNECT 3348 48 PORT SWITCH 10/100/100 EC!

Used in excellent working condition pulled from data centre production clean room

System Description

The Dell™ PowerConnect™ 3324 and 3348 devices are standalone and stackable advanced Layer 2 switches. PowerConnect 3324 and PowerConnect 3348 also function as stand-alone Layer 2 switching systems. PowerConnect 3324/3348 devices are managed either using In-Band Management (via the network station remotely) or via the console.

PowerConnect 3324

When operating as a stack member, each PowerConnect 3324 unit provides 24 10 BaseT/100BaseTX Fast Ethernet ports, one Gigabit Ethernet Combo port (10/100/1000 BaseT or Mini GBIC connector), and one Giga Ethernet stacking port.

PowerConnect 3348

When operating as a stack member, each PowerConnect 3348 unit provides 48 10 BaseT/100BaseTX Fast Ethernet ports, one Gigabit Ethernet Combo port (10/100/1000 BaseT or Mini GBIC connector), and one Giga Ethernet stacking port.

When operating as a stand-alone unit, the PowerConnect 3324/3348 stacking ports can be used as Giga Ethernet ports.

PowerConnect 3324/3348 Stacking Overview

PowerConnect 3324/3348 stacking provides multiple device management through a single point as if all stack members are a single unit. All members are accessed through a single IP address for SNMP management and a console/telnet session through which the entire stack is managed.

PowerConnect 3324/3348 supports stacking up to six units per stack or scale up to 192 FE and six Gigabit Ethernet ports. PowerConnect 3324/3348 can also operate as standalone units.

During the stacking setup, one device is selected by the network administrator as the stack master, while all other devices are selected as stack members and assigned a unique Unit ID.

PowerConnect 3324/3348 stacks provide across-the-stack Layer 2 functionality including:

• Switching
  
  
• Trunking
  
  
• Port Mirroring
  
  
• VLANs
  
  

For example, VLANs can be configured from ports belonging to different stack members, or configure port mirroring from a second stack member to a third stack member. Applications running in a stacking configuration are centralized. For example, the Spanning Tree Protocol for the entire stack runs on the master unit. Device software is downloaded separately for each stack member.

PowerConnect 3324/3348 stacking architecture provides dynamic learning for the stacking topology, while detecting and reconfiguring the ports with minimal operational impact in the event of:

• Unit Failure
  
  
• Inter-unit Link Loss
  
  
• Unit Insertion
  
  
• Removal of a Stacking Unit
  
  

Stack Members and Unit ID

The stacking operation mode is determined during the Boot process.

PowerConnect 3324/3348 units are shipped with a default Unit ID of one. The Unit ID is essential to the stacking configuration. If a stack member reboots without a stacking module, the device operates as a stand-alone until the device is reset. If a PowerConnect 3324/3348 unit is operating as a stand-alone unit, all stacking LEDs are off. The Unit ID is not erased and remains valid if the unit is reconnected to a stack.

NOTE: The stacking module must be inserted into port G2 for the stack to operate. If the stacking module is inserted in port G1, a warning message is displayed on the console.

When the master unit boots or when inserting or removing a stack member, the master unit initiates a stacking discover process. If two members are discovered with the same Unit ID, or a master unit is not found, the entire stack cannot function. The stacking LED remains red.

Configuration Handling

In a PowerConnect 3324/3348 operative stack, the stack master is responsible for the stack configuration. Each stack member does not have a separate configuration file. Each port in the stack has a specific Unit ID/port type and port number, which is part of both the configuration commands and the configuration files. Configuration files are managed only from the PowerConnect 3324/3348 stack master, including:

• Saving to the FLASH.
  
  
• Uploading Configuration files to an external TFTP Server.
  
  
• Downloading Configuration files from an external TFTP Server.
  
  

NOTE: Stack configuration for all configured ports is saved, even if the stack is reset and/or the ports are no longer present.

Configuration files are changed only through explicit user configuration. In addition, Configuration files are not automatically modified when:

• Units are added.
  
  
• Units are removed.
  
  
• Units are reassigned Unit IDs.
  
  
• Units toggle between stacking mode and stand-alone mode.
  
  

Each time the system reboots, the stored configuration is written in the Startup Configuration file.

If a PowerConnect 3324/3348 stack member is removed from the stack, and then replaced with the same Unit ID, the stack member is configured with the original device configuration.

Only ports that are physically present are displayed in the Dell OpenManage™ Switch Administrator and can be configured through the web management system. Non-present ports are configured through the CLI or SNMP interfaces.

Rearranging Stacks

The stacking order can be changed by either removing a stack member or by rearranging the stacking cables. The order in which stack members are arranged is established not by the physical order of the stack members but by the Unit ID assignment. The stack configuration is stored in stack master after the stack order is changed, and the stack is reset.

If the PowerConnect 3324/3348 unit is removed or replaced in a stack, the stack recovers from the disconnection as follows:

• If the stack is disconnected for more than two minutes, the entire stack no longer forwards network traffic. Every stack member reboots and waits until the stack is reconnected. If the unit is not replaced, the master unit constantly polls the stack.
  
  
• If the stack is reconnected in under two minutes, all units remain stacked and regain their connection to other units within five seconds. A new stack member is connected to the master unit but initialized according to the master unit's configuration. If a configuration is not stored, the device is configured with the default configuration.
  
  

Replacing Stack Members

If a stack member is replaced with a new device, the requested device ID is selected. In addition, the previous device configuration is applied to the inserted stack member. If the new inserted device has either more or fewer ports than the previous device, the relevant port configuration is applied to the new stack member. For example:

• If a PowerConnect 3324 replaces a PowerConnect 3324, the new 24 10/100 BaseT ports receive the previous 24 10/100 BaseT port configuration. Ports G1 and G2 receive the previous device's G1 and G2 port configuration.
  
  
• If a PowerConnect 3324 replaces PowerConnect 3348, then ports 1-24 10/100 BaseT receive the previous device's configuration for ports 1-24. Ports G1 and G2 receive the previous device's G1 and G2 port configuration.
  
  

PowerConnect 3324 Replaces PowerConnect 3348

• If a PowerConnect 3348 replaces PowerConnect 3348, the new 48 10/100 BaseT ports receive the previous 48 10/100 BaseT port configuration. Ports G1 and G2 receive the previous device's G1 and G2 port configuration.
  
  
• If a PowerConnect 3348 replaces PowerConnect 3324, then ports 1-24 10/100 BaseT receive the previous device's configuration for ports 1-24.
  
  
• Ports 25-48 receive the factory default port configuration. Ports G1 and G2 receive the previous device's G1 and G2 port configuration.
  
  

PowerConnect 3348 Replace PowerConnect 3324

PowerConnect User Guide Overview

The PowerConnect User Guide is divided into two parts:

• About Installing the PowerConnect 3324/3348 Switch
  
  
• Using the Dell OpenManage Switch Administrator