D-Link’s DXS-3600 Series Layer 3 Stackable 10GbE Managed Switch consists of new compact, high-performance switches that feature wire speed 10-Gigabit Ethernet switching, routing, and very low latency. The 1U height and selectable front-to-back or back-to-front air flow make the DXS-3600 Series suitable for enterprise and campus aggregation network environments. The DXS-3600 Series switches have 24 or 8 fixed 10GbE SFP+ ports and can accomodate more ports with the addition of an expansion module. The expansion modules not only provide extra 10G SFP+ ports, but also increase the flexibility of 120G stacking, 40G uplinks, or low-cost 10GBASE-T connections for different applications.

The DXS-3600 Series switches provide your network with high-performance 10-Gigabit Ethernet switching capacities up to 960Gbps and forwarding rates up to 714Mpps. The switches feature hot-swappable power supplies and fan trays, which enable the switches to have redundant, high-availability architecture. The modular power design allows customers to use AC or DC power sources according to where the switch is deployed. When inserting two power modules, the two power modules share the load and help to extend the lifetime of the other. The DXS-3600 Series also features a modular fan design; three fans can back up each other, providing 2+1 redundancy for the system. If a fan fails or the temperature rises, the smart fans will increase their speed automatically.

The DXS-3600 Series can be deployed using one of two different software images. The Standard Image (SI) features a wide range of Layer 2, VLAN, multicasting, Quality of Service (QoS), security, data center, and static routing functions. The Enhanced Image (EI) features comprehensive IPv4/v6 routing including RIP, VRRP, OSPF, BGP, and L3 multicasting features IGMP, MLD, PIM-DM, SM, SDM, SSM, and DVMRP. The Enhanced Image (EI) also supports L2/L3 MPLS VPN that enables the DXS-3600 Series switches to also be deployed as the core router of an enterprise environment or as an aggregation switch in an MPLS environment.

Data Center Bridging (DCB) is an essential set of enhancements to Ethernet for networking in data center environments. The DXS-3600 Series switches support several core components of Data Center Bridging (DCB) such as IEEE 802.1Qbb, IEEE 802.1Qaz, and IEEE 802.1Qau. IEEE 802.1Qbb (Priority-based Flow Control) provides flow control to ensure there is no data loss during network congestion. IEEE 802.1Qaz (Enhanced Transmission Selection) manages the allocation of bandwidth amongst different traffic classes. IEEE 802.1Qau (Congestion Notification) provides congestion management for data flows within network domains to avoid congestion. The DXS-3600 Series switches also support cut-through switching, which reduces latency when transmitting data in a network.

The DXS-3600 Series switches allow users to manage airflow by using different power and fan module sets. Selectable front-to-back or back-to-front airflow optimizes air circulation to provide more effective cooling throughout rack systems in data centers where the switches are used when compared to side-to-side airflow. The switches also feature built-in smart fans; internal heat sensors monitor and detect temperature changes, and react accordingly by utilizing different fan speeds for different temperatures. At lower temperatures, the fans will run slower, reducing the switch’s power consumption and noise.