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April 21st, 2022 02:00
Dell Networking
We are looking at replacing some of our access switches and possibly some distribution swithces. Cisco is our usual go to brand but we have been given a smaller budget. I had a rep around from a Dell reseller and was wondering if anyone uses Dell switches and can give an honest review.
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coobal
8 Posts
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April 28th, 2022 05:00
We switched from Cisco to Dell years ago due to them supporting the features we needed, and that they seem to last forever. At a close partner we work with, they are still running 5324's that came out over a decade ago. The warranty on the models we use will last the lifetime (and them some) of the switch, the only things that ever failed with them were the cooling fans. During economic downturns, we even replaced fans on them just to extend their life. The models we end up using have a long warranty without the re-occurring costs software support that gets tacked on by Cisco. We have 30 or 40 access switches through my company, and generally they are boring in that they just do their job.
Downsides: be careful with firmware updates - test them carefully! We've run into problems with the N4000 series where they stop recognizing gbic modules, at which i've had to drive back to the office to revert to an earlier os on the switches.
Also, support is a lot slower on Dell vs Cisco - if you call in with a configuration problem to TAC (at least years ago, when we had a lot more Cisco,) they would hold your hand until the issue is resolved. With Dell, you can get some support, but google will also be your best friend. I've had better luck with this community then calling into Dell support.
darko011
4 Posts
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April 28th, 2022 07:00
We moved recently to the Dell's (Z9100,Z9264,S5232,S5248,S5296,N3248T). No issues whatsoever regarding feature parity.
TAC is a bit odd in my opinion. You can get a fast response by calling them straight up and explaining the issue.
Now, there is a difference in what OS are you running.. is it OS9/10 or SONiC.
SONiC is a bit exotic in Europe and TAC can help with some basic stuff.. Anything advanced, you need to wait for the US-based team.
It needs a period of adjustment on your side, but eventually, everything settles.
If I was to make the same decision again, would do it again. No matter the price is lower than Cisco/Juniper.
Cheers