Category Archives: Force10 Networks

Connecting Dell PowerEdge M I/O Aggregator with Dell Force10 S4810 and Cisco Nexus 5548UP

The Dell PowerEdge M I//O Aggregator is a slick blade switch that plugs into the Dell PowerEdge M1000e chassis and requires barely any configuration/networking knowledge. Think of it as an advanced layer 2 switch that provides expandable uplink connectivity. The … Continue reading

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Understanding and Implementing Flow Control on Dell Force10 Switches

Ethernet flow control allows for a receiving node to temporarily stop the transmission of data from the sending node. As defined by IEEE 802.3x this is accomplished via the PAUSE frame.

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Distributed Core Network Architecture

There is no doubt you have probably heard by now the importance of supporting ‘east-west’ traffic flow in large data center networks. So why is this and what does it mean? And when Gartner claims that 80 percent of data … Continue reading

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Dell Force10 – Layer 2 Multipathing via Virtual Link Trunking (VLT)

In this blog I use one Dell Force10 S50N [FTOS 8.4.2.7] and three Dell Force10 S4810 switches [FTOS 8.3.12.1] to demonstrate Dell Force10’s layer 2 mulipathing technology called Virtual Link Trunking (VLT). With VLT, you can create a LAG for … Continue reading

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Multi-Area OSPF in a Mixed Cisco and Dell Force10 Environment

In this lab I use one Cisco 2621XM [IOS 12.4(2)T], one Cisco 2621 [IOS 12.3(18)], one Cisco 3660 [IOS 12.1(1)T], one Cisco 3640 [IOS 12.1(2)T], one Cisco 3550-24PWR-SMI [IOS 12.2(44)SE6], one Dell Force10 S60 [FTOS 8.3.3.7], and one Dell Force10 … Continue reading

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Blocking Hackers From Accessing Your Switch via Telnet/SSH

It’s amazing how much rattling at the doors and attempted intrusions companies become accustomed to seeing on their networks. Here I show a simple way to block telnet/SSH access to your switch. First, you should never use telnet to manage … Continue reading

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Trunking and DHCP Across Dell Force10 Switches

I did this lab some time back and thought it would be useful to post. In this lab I use a Dell Force10 S25P (FTOS 8.4.2.6) switch and Dell Force10 S50N (FTOS 8.4.2.6) switch to demonstrate trunking and Dynamic Host … Continue reading

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Advanced Private VLAN Configuration on Dell Force10 Switches

In a prior lab, “Dell Force10 Z9000 – Creating Additional Layer 2 Isolation via Private VLANs“, I demonstrated some basics in regards to private VLANs. In this lab, I plan to go a little further and demonstrate how hosts in … Continue reading

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Dell Force10 Z9000 – Creating Additional Layer 2 Isolation via Private VLANs

Private VLANs provide additional segregation capabilities within a VLAN. A private VLAN provides further layer 2 isolation between ports. A common example of private VLAN use is a hotel providing Internet access for patrons while at the same time preventing … Continue reading

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802.1Q Trunking Between Cisco and Dell Force10 Switches

In this lab I use a Dell Force10 S25P switch [FTOS 8.4.2.6] and a Cisco C3750 switch [IOS 12.2(25)SEE3] to demonstrate 802.1Q trunking.

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