United States
Q
What is the Dell Networking N4000 Switch Series?
A
The Dell Networking N4000 Series is a portfolio of fixed-configuration, high-density Gigabit Ethernet switches designed for enterprise access and distribution layers, offering up to 48 RJ45 ports and 4 SFP+ uplinks in a 1U form factor.
Q
What key hardware features do N4000 switches offer?
A
N4000 switches provide 1/10GbE ports, hot-swappable power supplies and fans, front-to-back airflow, and optional redundant power, delivering up to 176 Gbps switching capacity per device.
Q
How does Virtual Link Aggregation and stacking work on N4000?
A
Dell’s Virtual Link Aggregation (VLT) and stacking feature lets you combine up to four N4000 switches into a single logical chassis, enabling nondisruptive failover, simplified management, and linear performance scaling.
Q
What performance and throughput can I expect from an N4000 switch?
A
Each N4000 model delivers wire-speed switching at up to 130 Mpps forwarding rate and up to 352 Gbps aggregate throughput, ensuring predictable low-latency performance under full load.
Q
Does the N4000 Series support Power over Ethernet (PoE)?
A
No. The Dell Networking N4000 Series does not support PoE; consider the Dell Networking N1500 or N2500 PoE-capable series for power delivery to edge devices.
Q
Which network operating system runs on N4000 switches?
A
N4000 switches run Dell Networking OS10 Enterprise Edition, a Linux-based OS that unifies computer and networking services with rich programmability, container support, and advanced feature sets.
Q
What management and monitoring options are available?
A
You can manage N4000 switches via CLI, Dell EMC Network Manager GUI, SNMP v2/v3, RESTful APIs, or integrated OpenManage modules for automated provisioning and real-time telemetry.
Q
What built-in security features do N4000 switches include?
A
N4000 switches support 802.1X authentication, Dynamic ARP Inspection, DHCP Snooping, ACLs, IP-MAC-Port binding, and RADIUS/TACACS+ integration for robust campus access security.
Q
How does QoS work on the N4000 Series?
A
The N4000 Series offers wire-speed classification, marking, policing, and scheduling across four hardware queues per port, ensuring priority delivery of voice, video, and critical data traffic.
Q
What are the power and cooling specifications?
A
Each N4000 switch consumes between 30–60W typical, supports 100–240 VAC input, and features front-to-back airflow with optional redundant 250W hot-swappable power supplies for 24/7 reliability.
Q
Which optical modules and transceivers are supported?
A
N4000 switches are compatible with Dell’s SFP, SFP+, DAC, and AOC modules including 1GbE SX/LX and 10GbE SR/LR, enabling flexible uplink and stacking options.
Q
Can the N4000 integrate with virtualization platforms?
A
Yes. The N4000 Series supports VMware vSphere vDS, Microsoft Hyper-V NVGRE, and cloud orchestration tools, enabling automated network provisioning and multi-tenant segmentation.
Q
What automation and programmability frameworks are supported?
A
N4000 switches support RESTCONF, OpenConfig, Ansible, Chef, and Puppet, as well as Python scripts and containerized network services, facilitating end-to-end network automation.
Q
What warranty and support options are available?
A
Dell offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty for N4000 hardware, plus optional ProSupport with next-business-day onsite service and ProSupport Plus with automated issue detection and repair.
Q
What are the typical use cases for Dell Networking N4000?
A
N4000 switches are ideal for enterprise access/distribution, wiring closet aggregation, and small data center leaf deployments requiring scalable 10GbE uplinks and advanced feature sets.
Q
How do I update the firmware on an N4000 switch?
A
Firmware updates are available via the Dell Support website and can be installed using CLI commands or the Dell EMC Network Manager GUI for seamless, in-place upgrades.
