S5248F-ON PSU-IO AIRFLOW CTO CONFIGURATION

The Dell EMC PowerSwitch S5248F-ON stands apart in the data center switching landscape by delivering uncompromising 25 Gigabit Ethernet density and sub-microsecond latency in a compact 1U footprint. Engineered for modern spine-leaf architectures and high-performance Top-of-Rack deployments, this switch combines 48 SFP28 ports and 4 QSFP28 uplinks to provide a total switching capacity of 3.2 Tbps. With PSU-IO airflow (port-side exhaust), it aligns with hot-aisle containment strategies, while its CTO configuration allows precise power supply and fan customization to match your infrastructure needs.

Highlights

• 48 x 25GbE SFP28 ports and 4 x 100GbE QSFP28 uplinks for high-density, high-speed connectivity
• 3.2 Tbps full-duplex switching capacity and 2.4 Bpps forwarding rate for demanding workloads
• Sub-microsecond latency for latency-sensitive applications such as financial trading and AI/ML
• Quad-core ARM A72 CPU, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, and 32 GB SSD for robust control plane performance
• Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10 with comprehensive Layer 2/3 feature set, including VXLAN, EVPN, and MLAG
• Redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fans (sold separately) for high availability
• PSU-IO airflow direction (port-side exhaust) for efficient cooling in hot-aisle configurations

In daily use

Deploying the S5248F-ON as a Top-of-Rack switch transforms your data center operations. The 48 SFP28 ports allow direct 25GbE connectivity to servers, while the four 100GbE QSFP28 uplinks provide ample bandwidth to spine switches or core networks. With support for advanced protocols like BGP, OSPF, VXLAN, and EVPN, the switch seamlessly integrates into both traditional and modern overlay networks. The PSU-IO airflow design ensures that hot exhaust air is directed toward the hot aisle, improving cooling efficiency and reducing energy costs. IT administrators will appreciate the intuitive SmartFabric OS10 CLI and the availability of a web-based management interface for streamlined configuration and monitoring.

Full specifications

• Switch type: Managed Layer 2/3/4 Data Center Switch
• Port configuration: 48 x 25 Gigabit Ethernet SFP28, 4 x 100 Gigabit Ethernet QSFP28
• Switching capacity: 3.2 Tbps (full duplex)
• Forwarding rate: 2.4 Bpps
• MAC address table size: 288K entries
• VLAN support: 4096 VLANs (IEEE 802.1Q)
• Jumbo frame support: Up to 9216 bytes
• CPU: Quad-core ARM A72 @ 2.0 GHz
• System memory: 8 GB DDR4 RAM
• Storage: 32 GB SSD
• Operating system: Dell EMC SmartFabric OS10
• Power supply type: Redundant, hot-swappable (PSUs sold separately for CTO)
• Airflow direction: PSU-IO (Port-side exhaust / Hot Aisle)
• Form factor: 1U Rackmount
• Supported protocols: IPv4/IPv6, OSPF, BGP, VRRP, MLAG, VXLAN, EVPN, PIM, STP, RSTP, MSTP
• Management interfaces: 1x RJ-45 Console, 1x USB Type-A, 1x RJ-45 Management (1GbE)
• Latency: < 1 µs for 25GbE
• Redundancy features: Dual hot-swappable power supplies, hot-swappable fan modules
• Target application: Data Center Top-of-Rack (ToR) or Spine/Leaf deployments

Final note

The Dell EMC PowerSwitch S5248F-ON is a high-performance, future-ready switch that addresses the bandwidth demands of modern data centers. Its combination of 25GbE density, low latency, and robust OS10 features makes it an excellent choice for enterprises seeking to optimize their network infrastructure.