Introduction

This section describes the switch user-configurable features. For a list of all features, see the software version release notes.

NOTE: Before proceeding, read the release notes for this product. You can download the release notes from the Dell Support website, support.dell.com/manuals.

The Dell™ PowerConnect™ 8024/8024F series are standalone Layer 2 and 3 switches that extend the Dell PowerConnect LAN switching product range. These switches include the following features:

• 1U form factor, rack-mountable chassis design.
• Support for all data-communication requirements for a multi-layer switch, including layer 2 switching, IPv4 routing, IPv6 routing, IP multicast, quality of service, security, and system management features.
• High availability with hot swappable subordinate switches.

The topics covered in this section include:

• System Features
• Switching Features
• Routing Features
• IPv6
• Quality of Service Features
• Multicast Features
• Command-Line Interface Documentation

System Features

sFlow

sFlow is the standard for monitoring high-speed switched and routed networks. sFlow technology is built into network equipment and gives complete visibility into network activity, enabling effective management and control of network resources.

CDP Interoperability

Allows the PowerConnect switch to interoperate with Cisco™ devices running CDP.

Industry Standard Discovery Protocol (ISDP) is a proprietary Layer 2 network protocol which interoperates with Cisco network equipment and is used to share information between neighboring devices (routers, bridges, access servers, and switches).

Auto Config

Auto Config is a software feature which provides for the configuration of a switch automatically when the device is initialized and no configuration file is found on the switch. Auto Config is accomplished in three phases:

1. Configuration or assignment of an IP address for the device
2. Assignment of a TFTP server
3. Obtaining a configuration file for the device from the TFTP server

Captive Portal

Blocks clients from accessing the network until user verification has been established. Verification can be configured to allow access for both guest and authenticated users. Authenticated users must be validated against a database of authorized Captive Portal users before access is granted.

SNMP Alarms and Trap Logs

The system logs events with severity codes and timestamps. The events are sent as SNMP traps to a trap recipient list.

For information about SNMP Alarms and Traps, see "Defining SNTP Global Parameters."

Web Based Management

You can manage the system from any web browser. The switch contains an embedded web server that serves HTML pages you can use to monitor and configure the system.

Configuration File Download

The switch's configuration file includes both system-wide and port-specific device configuration data. You can display configuration files through command-line interface (CLI) commands.

For information about downloading configuration files, see "Downloading Files."