Dell Technologies: Connectrix Series Switches Review

Dell Technologies’ Connectrix series switches ensure businesses can move vital business information securely with the high performance, availability, and reliability.

The Connectrix series provides a range of enterprise, departmental, edge, and top-of-rack switches for small to large enterprise environments.

The series enables various environments, from Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP to local backup or restore, and enables business continuity or disaster recovery solutions over a distance.

The switches can connect physical or virtual servers via Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN) technology. They help bring high bandwidth, aim for zero downtime, and support FC-NVMe. 

See below to learn all about where Dell Technologies’ Connectrix series switches stand in the networking market:

See more: 5 Top Trends in Enterprise Switches

The switch market

More than $100 billion will be spent on campus switches over the next five years by the telecommunications, networking, and data center markets, according to the recent report of Dell’Oro Group. Moreover, multi-gigabit switches (2.5/5/10 Gbps) are expected to comprise nearly 20% of the sales by 2026.

The data center switch market in particular was worth $13.61 billion in 2020, and it is expected to be worth $18.44 billion by 2026, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% from 2021 to 2026. 

See more: The Enterprise Switch Market

Dell Connectrix Series switch models

• DS-6520B with maximum 16 Gbps, from the 48-ports base and up to 96 ports
• DS-6610B and DS-6610B-L with maximum 32 Gbps, from the 8-ports base and up to 24 ports
• DS-6620B and DS-6620B-V2 with maximum 32 Gbps, from the 24-ports base and up to 64 ports
• DS-6630B and DS-6630B-V2 with maximum 32 Gbps, from the 48-ports base and up to 128 ports
• DS-7720B with maximum 64 Gbps, from the 24-ports base and up to 56 ports
• MDS-9148S with maximum 16 Gbps, from the 12-ports base and up to 48 ports
• MDS-9396S with maximum 16 Gbps, from the 48-ports base and up to 96 ports
• MDS-9132T with maximum 32 Gbps, from the 8-ports base and up to 32 ports
• MDS-9148T with maximum 32 Gbps, from the 24-ports base and up to 48 ports
• MDS-9396T with maximum 32 Gbps, from the 48-ports base and up to 96 ports

Multi-purpose switch models

• MP-7810B with twelve 32 Gb capable Fibre Channel ports and six 1/10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) SFP+ ports. Use cases and protocols include distance extension with FCiP, Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP), and IP extension (IPEX).
• MP-7840B with 24 16 Gb FCP ports, sixteen 1/10 GbE ports, and two 40 GbE ports. Use cases and protocols include distance extension with FCiP, FCP, IPEX, and Mainframe FICON.
• MDS-9220i with up to twelve 32 Gbps Fibre Channel ports and four 1/10, two 25, and one 40 GbE IP storage services ports. Use cases and protocols include distance extension with FCiP and Fibre Channel support.
• MDS-9250i with 40 16 Gb FCP ports, two 10 GbE ports, and eight FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet). Use cases and protocols include distance extension with FCiP, Mainframe FICON, FCoE, and Fibre Channel.

Dell Connectrix series switches features

Dell Connectrix series switches provide a foundation for growth, from smaller environments to deployment in large data centers. The features of Dell Connectrix series switches include:

• High availability through redundant connections and multi-path deployment
• Scales from 8 to 128 ports per system, with 1U and 2U models
• Supports up to 64 Gbps Fibre Channel, and Gigabit Ethernet speeds of up to 40 GbE
• Supports Fibre Channel, FICON, FCiP, FCoE, and NVMe over Fabrics
• Monitors storage networking environment automatically with resilient networking features

Differentiators

Networking capabilities, choice of virtualization options, and usability of every enterprise differentiate Dell Connectrix series switches from others:

• Usable for every enterprise: Dell Connectrix series switches can be suited to different enterprise operations. The series can be used by small businesses for IT data management and by large data centers with high-workload for networking.
• Networking capabilities: When needed for reliable networking performance, the Dell Connectrix series switches could be the right choice. The series provides the data center capabilities to ensure operations run smoothly, efficiently and with high availability with redundant components.
• Virtualization options: Dell Connectrix series switches offer a choice of virtualization options, including VMware NSX, Midokura MidoNet, and Nuage Networks, and use the open-source ONIE that enables zero-touch installation of third-party software.

See more: Cisco: Catalyst 9400 Series Switches Review

Use cases

Dell Connectrix series switches are ideal for departmental or edge SANs that require highly available access to expanding network storage. 

The switches can be deployed by growing enterprises and mid-sized companies with one or more data centers, including in government, retail, financial services, and technology.

User reviews

Dell Connectrix series switches receive mostly positive reviews from several user review sites. Users at G2 rate Dell EMC Connectrix Switches at 4.4 out of 5.0, and users at Gartner Peer Reviews rate them at 4.4 out of 5.0, with an 87% recommendation score.

Dell Connectrix Series switches are rated well in several customer experience categories, according to Gartner Peer Reviews:

• Evaluation and Contracting: 4.5 out of 5.0
• Integration and Deployment: 4.5 out of 5.0
• Service and Support: 4.5 out of 5.0
• Product Capabilities: 4.7 out of 5.0

Pricing

Based on the size and specification Dell Connectrix series switches pricing starts at $1,444.49 for small enterprise environments and can cost up to $17,727.85 for large enterprise appliances.

See more: Best Enterprise Switches