Dell EMC Networking N1108P-ON
As a standard L2 switch, the N1108P-ON has a lot going for it, while its ON-readiness makes it supremely versatile
TSCORE ✪✪✪✪✪ PRICE £396 exc VAT from lambda-tek.com
he Open Networking (ON) initiative is great news for businesses – it provides an open platform for network switches that does away with vendor lock-in. This means you’re no longer at the mercy of vendors who release upgrades only as the mood takes them: you can choose from a wide range of Linuxbased firmware options.
It’s an idea that Dell EMC has fully embraced, with a rapidly growing family of ON-ready appliances. Its new N1108P-ON switch – aimed at campus and SMB networks – is one of a six-member family of Layer 2 switches, all of which support ON in hardware with a variety of Gigabit port densities.
The N1108P-ON sits at the more modest end of the range. It’s best suited to SMBs seeking to extend wired network connectivity to smaller areas such as meeting rooms or reception areas. It features eight RJ45 ports supporting 10/100/1000Mbits/ sec speeds, while alongside sit pairs of RJ45 and SFP fibre ports supporting Gigabit speeds only.
Installation is simple. We used the built-in USB port to connect the switch to a Windows laptop and were immediately able to access its CLI using HyperTerminal. On first boot-up, the switch runs a quick setup wizard to secure access, create a management VLAN, enable web browser access and activate SNMP. CLI fans can continue using the command-line interface to manage the switch, or you can move over to the intuitive web interface.
The N1108P-ON currently comes preloaded with Dell EMC’s DNOS v6 firmware, which provides a traditional set of L2 switching services and a lot more besides. It differs from the DNOS v9 used in Dell EMC’s data centre switches, as it focuses more on user connections and can automate network management functions. For example, its Auto-VoIP feature recognises IP phones and creates class-of-service (CoS) policies to prioritise voice traffic.
Naturally, you’re not stuck with DNOS v6; this being an ON device, the N1108P-ON is ready to run other Linux-based OSes as they become available. That will soon include a scaled-down version of Dell EMC’s Debian-based DNOS v10, which is already available for data centre switches, which supports opensource Linux apps such as load balancers and firewalls. Support for partners such as Cumulus Networks is coming soon, too.
“Open Networking does away with vendor lock-in: you can choose from a wide range of Linux-based firmware options”
OS updates can be installed easily, as the switch includes the opensource ONIE (open networking installer environment). We’ve seen this in action before, on Dell EMC’s S6000 data centre switch; this made it easy for us to boot the switch, install Cumulus Linux over the network and run scripts to enable selected ports.
You don’t need to wait for an upgrade to enjoy an impressive set of features, however. The N1108P-ON’s built-in security capabilities are excellent: along with up to 512 port and protocol-based VLANs, it supports MAC and IP address access control lists (ACLs), and per-port tiered authentication using 802.1x and MAC addresses.
There’s also an optional captive portal that presents users with a (fully customisable) web login page when they connect to a port. The switch’s local database supports 128 user accounts, or you can link up with an external RADIUS server for more flexibility.
The switch also supports PoE/PoE+ via the first four multi-speed ports. There’s a respectable total power budget of 75W, so it can power a good selection of wireless APs, IP cameras and VoIP handsets. We tested this with Linksys wireless APs and D-Link IP cameras, and found the switch had no problems powering them; from the web interface, we could see it had correctly identified their device class and allowed us to assign different power priorities to each PoE port.
The N1108P-ON initially looks pricey, but you get a lot for your money – and the Open Networking support gives you plenty of options for software upgrades. If 12 Gigabit Ethernet ports is enough, it’s a great choice for SMBs that want to extend wired networking and PoE services to smaller venues. SPECIFICATIONS 1U half-width rack chassis 8 x 10/100/1000 RJ45 ports, 2 x Gigabit RJ45, 2 x Gigabit SFP PoE/PoE+ (Ports 1-4) 75W PoE budget 24Gbits/sec backplane capacity 1.5MB packet buffer 16K MAC addresses 512 VLANs CLI and web browser management
limited lifetime warranty