Dell PowerConnect 2124 User manual

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Dell™ PowerConnect™ 2124 and 2508 Systems
User’s Guide

Notes, Notices, and Cautions
NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better
use of your computer.
NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of
data and tells you how to avoid the problem.
CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates a potential for property damage,
personal injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
© 2002 Dell Computer Corporation. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of
Dell Computer Corporation is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text:
Dell, the DELL logo, DellNet , and PowerConnect are trademarks
of Dell Computer Corporation.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer to either the entities
claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Computer Corporation disclaims any
proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
September 2002 P/N 0P263 Rev. A02

Contents 3
Contents
1Caution: Safety Instructions 5
2Features 11
Package Contents 12
Front Panel Indicators 13
Connecting Devices 16
Aggregating Traffic at 1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet 17
Class-of-Service 18
Redundant Power System PowerConnect RPS-60 19
Mounting Kit Instructions 19
Technical Information 20
3Help and Regulatory Notices 21
Technical Assistance 22
Problems With Your Order 24
Product Information 24
Returning Items for Warranty Repair or Credit 24
Before You Call 25
Contacting Dell 26

4Contents
Regulatory Notices 42

Safety Instructions 5
Caution:
Safety
Instructions
Use the following safety guidelines to ensure your own personal safety and to help protect
your system from potential damage.
General
• Observe and follow service markings. Do not service any product except as explained
in your system documentation. Opening or removing covers that are marked with the
triangular symbol with a lightning bolt may expose you to electrical shock.
Components inside these compartments should be serviced only by a trained service
technician.
• If any of the following conditions occur, unplug the product from the electrical outlet
and replace the part or contact your trained service provider:
– The power cable, extension cable, or plug is damaged.
– An object has fallen into the product.
– The product has been exposed to water.
– The product has been dropped or damaged.
– The product does not operate correctly when you follow the operating
instructions.
• Keep your system away from radiators and heat sources. Also, do not block cooling
vents.
• Do not spill food or liquids on your system components, and never operate the
product in a wet environment. If the system gets wet, see the appropriate section in
your troubleshooting guide or contact your trained service provider.
• Do not push any objects into the openings of your system. Doing so can cause fire or
electric shock by shorting out interior components.
• Use the product only with approved equipment.
• Allow the product to cool before removing covers or touching internal components.
• Operate the product only from the type of external power source indicated on the
electrical ratings label. If you are not sure of the type of power source required,
consult your service provider or local power company.

6Safety Instructions
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• Use only approved power cable(s). If you have not been provided with a power cable
for your system or for any AC-powered option intended for your system, purchase a
power cable that is approved for use in your country. The power cable must be rated
for the product and for the voltage and current marked on the product's electrical
ratings label. The voltage and current rating of the cable should be greater than the
ratings marked on the product.
• To help prevent electric shock, plug the system and peripheral power cables into
properly grounded electrical outlets. These cables are equipped with three-prong
plugs to help ensure proper grounding. Do not use adapter plugs or remove the
grounding prong from a cable. If you must use an extension cable, use a 3-wire cable
with properly grounded plugs.
• Observe extension cable and power strip ratings. Make sure that the total ampere
rating of all products plugged into the extension cable or power strip does not exceed
80 percent of the ampere ratings limit for the extension cable or power strip.
• To help protect your system from sudden, transient increases and decreases in
electrical power, use a surge suppressor, line conditioner, or uninterruptible power
supply (UPS).
• Position system cables and power cables carefully; route cables so that they cannot be
stepped on or tripped over. Be sure that nothing rests on any cables.
• Do not modify power cables or plugs. Consult a licensed electrician or your power
company for site modifications. Always follow your local/national wiring rules.
• When connecting or disconnecting power to hot-pluggable power supplies, if offered
with your system, observe the following guidelines:
– Install the power supply before connecting the power cable to the power supply.
– Unplug the power cable before removing the power supply.
– If the system has multiple sources of power, disconnect power from the system by
unplugging all power cables from the power supplies.
• Move products with care; ensure that all casters and/or stabilizers are firmly
connected to the system. Avoid sudden stops and uneven surfaces.
Rack Mounting of Systems
Caution:
Safety
Instructions

Safety Instructions 7
Observe the following precautions for rack stability and safety. Also refer to the rack
installation documentation accompanying the system and the rack for specific caution
statements and procedures.
Systems are considered to be components in a rack. Thus, "component" refers to any
system as well as to various peripherals or supporting hardware.
CAUTION: Installing systems in a rack without the front and side stabilizers
installed could cause the rack to tip over, potentially resulting in bodily injury
under certain circumstances. Therefore, always install the stabilizers before
installing components in the rack.
After installing system/components in a rack, never pull more than one
component out of the rack on its slide assemblies at one time. The weight of
more than one extended component could cause the rack to tip over and may
result in serious injury.
NOTE: Your system is safety-certified as a free-standing unit and as a component for use
in a Dell rack cabinet using the customer rack kit. The installation of your system and rack
kit in any other rack cabinet has not been approved by any safety agencies. It is your
responsibility to have the final combination of system and rack kit in a rack cabinet
evaluated for suitability by a certified safety agency. Dell disclaims all liability and
warranties in connection with such combinations.
• System rack kits are intended to be installed in a rack by trained service technicians. If
you install the kit in any other rack, be sure that the rack meets the specifications of a
Dell rack.
CAUTION: Do not move racks by yourself. Due to the height and weight of the
rack, a minimum of two people should accomplish this task.
• Before working on the rack, make sure that the stabilizers are secured to the rack,
extended to the floor, and that the full weight of the rack rests on the floor. Install
front and side stabilizers on a single rack or front stabilizers for joined multiple racks
before working on the rack.
• Always load the rack from the bottom up, and load the heaviest item in the rack first.
• Make sure that the rack is level and stable before extending a component from the
rack.
Caution:
Safety
Instructions

8Safety Instructions
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• Use caution when pressing the component rail release latches and sliding a
component into or out of a rack; the slide rails can pinch your fingers.
• After a component is inserted into the rack, carefully extend the rail into a locking
position, and then slide the component into the rack.
• Do not overload the AC supply branch circuit that provides power to the rack. The
total rack load should not exceed 80 percent of the branch circuit rating.
• Ensure that proper airflow is provided to components in the rack.
• Do not step on or stand on any component when servicing other components in a
rack.
CAUTION: A qualified electrician must perform all connections to DC power and
to safety grounds. All electrical wiring must comply with applicable local or
national codes and practices.
CAUTION: Never defeat the ground conductor or operate the equipment in the
absence of a suitably installed ground conductor. Contact the appropriate
electrical inspection authority or an electrician if you are uncertain that
suitable grounding is available.
CAUTION: The system chassis must be positively grounded to the rack cabinet
frame. Do not attempt to connect power to the system until grounding cables
are connected. Completed power and safety ground wiring must be inspected by
a qualified electrical inspector. An energy hazard will exist if the safety ground
cable is omitted or disconnected.
Modems, Telecommunications, or Local Area Network Options
• Do not connect or use a modem during a lightning storm. There may be a risk of
electrical shock from lightning.
• Never connect or use a modem in a wet environment.
• Do not plug a modem or telephone cable into the network interface controller (NIC)
receptacle.
• Disconnect the modem cable before opening a product enclosure, touching or
installing internal components, or touching an uninsulated modem cable or jack.
Caution:
Safety
Instructions

Safety Instructions 9
When Working Inside Your System
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge
Static electricity can harm delicate components inside your system. To prevent static
damage, discharge static electricity from your body before you touch any of the electronic
components, such as the microprocessor. You can do so by periodically touching an
unpainted metal surface on the chassis.
You can also take the following steps to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge
(ESD):
• When unpacking a static-sensitive component from its shipping carton, do not
remove the component from the antistatic packing material until you are ready to
install the component in your system. Just before unwrapping the antistatic
packaging, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body.
• When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an antistatic container or
packaging.
• Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use antistatic floor
pads and workbench pads and an antistatic grounding strap.
NOTE: Your system may also include circuit cards or other components that contain
batteries. These batteries must also be disposed of in a battery deposit site. For
information about such batteries, refer to the documentation for the specific card or
component.
Caution:
Safety
Instructions

10 Safety Instructions
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1
SECTION 1
Features
Package Contents
Front Panel Indicators
Connecting Devices
Aggregating Traffic at 1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet
Class-of-Service
Redundant Power System PowerConnect RPS-60
Mounting Kit Instructions
Technical Information

12 Features
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The PowerConnect 2124 and 2508 switches provide 24 10/100-Mbps Fast
Ethernet ports plus 1 10/100/1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet port and
8 10/100/1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports, respectively. With complete
switching features, including auto-sensing of line speed and auto-
negotiating of duplex mode, these switches offer smooth network
migrations and easy upgrades to network capacity.
These switches have the following features:
• Complies with IEEE 802.3 10Base-T, IEEE 802.3u 100Base-TX,
IEEE 802.3z/ab 1000Base-T
• 24 10/100-Mbps plus 1 10/100/1000-Mbps switch ports
(PowerConnect 2124)
• 8 10/100/1000-Mbps switch ports (PowerConnect 2508)
• Automatic negotiation for speed and duplex mode on all ports
• Backpressure flow control in half-duplex operation
• IEEE 802.3x PAUSE frames flow control in full-duplex operation
• Auto MDI/MDIX
• 8K MAC address entries supported with hardware-based address aging
• Tag-based 802.1p Class-of-Service with four priority queues per port
• Comprehensive LED indicator panel to monitor overall switching
condition
• 19-inch rack-mountable
• Standard 1U chassis
• Internal power supply
• Optional external redundant power supply with
PowerConnect RPS-60
Package Contents
Before you install a switch, verify that your package contains the
following items:
•Switch
• Self-adhesive rubber pads for desktop installation

Features 13
• Rack-mount kit for rack installation
•PowerConnect 2124 and 2508 User’s Guide
•ACpowercord
Front Panel Indicators
The LEDs on the front panel display the following information:
• Status of the power supply
• Status of the optional external redundant power supply
• Connection speed of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps or 1000 Mbps
• Data activity on the segment
• Full- or half-duplex operation mode
PowerConnect 2124
Power LED
• Green — The unit is on and the internal power supply is working
properly.
• Red — The unit is on and the internal power supply has failed.
• Off — The unit is off.

14 Features
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Redundant Power System (RPS) LED
• Green — The redundant power system is connected and working
properly.
• Red — The redundant power system is connected, but failed.
• Off — The redundant power system is not connected.
10/100 Ports Link/Activity (LNK/ACT) LED
• Green — A 100-Mbps link has been established.
• Blinking Green — A 100-Mbps link has been established and data is
being transmitted or received.
• Orange — A 10-Mbps link has been established.
• Blinking Orange — A 10-Mbps link has been established and data is
being transmitted or received.
• Off — No link established.
10/100 Ports Duplex Mode/Collisions (FDX/COL) LED
• Green — The port is operating in full-duplex mode.
• Blinking Green — The port is operating in half-duplex mode and
collisions are occurring.
• Off — The port is operating in half-duplex mode and no collisions are
occurring.
10/100/1000 Port Gigabit (1000) LED
• Green — A 1000-Mbps link is established.
• Off — No 1000-Mbps link is established.
10/100/1000 Port Fast Ethernet (100) LED
• Green — A 100-Mbps link is established.
• Off — No 100-Mbps link is established.

Features 15
10/100/1000 Port Link/Activity (LNK/ACT) LED
• Green — A link has been established.
• Blinking Green — A link has been established and data is being
transmitted or received.
• Off — No link established.
10/100/1000 Port Duplex Mode/Collisions (FDX/COL) LED
• Green — The port is operating in full-duplex mode.
• Blinking Green — The port is operating in half-duplex mode and
collisions are occurring.
• Off — The port is operating in half-duplex mode and no collisions are
occurring.
PowerConnect 2508
Power LED
• Green — The unit is on and the internal power supply is working
properly.
• Red — The unit is on and the internal power supply has failed.
• Off — The unit is off.

16 Features
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Redundant Power System (RPS) LED
• Green — The redundant power system is connected and working
properly.
• Red — The redundant power system is connected, but failed.
• Off — The redundant power system is not connected.
Gigabit (1000) LED
• Green — A 1000-Mbps link is established.
• Off — No 1000-Mbps link is established.
Fast Ethernet (100) LED
• Green — A 100-Mbps link is established.
• Off — No 100-Mbps link is established.
Link/Activity (LNK/ACT) LED
• Green — A link has been established.
• Blinking Green — A link has been established and data is being
transmitted or received.
• Off — No link established.
Duplex Mode/Collisions (FDX/COL) LED
• Green — The port is operating in full-duplex mode.
• Blinking Green — The port is operating in half-duplex mode and
collisions are occurring.
• Off — The port is operating in half-duplex mode and no collisions are
occurring.
Connecting Devices
RJ-45 Switch Ports
There are RJ-45 connectors on the front panel of the switch.

Features 17
The PowerConnect 2124 provides 24 10/100-Mbps ports that can sense
10/100-Mbps speeds and 1 10/100/1000-Mbps port that can sense
10/100/1000-Mbps speeds.
The PowerConnect 2508 provides 8 10/100/1000-Mbps ports that can sense
10/100/1000-Mbps speeds.
NOTE: Ensure that Category 5E (CAT 5E) cabling is used for connecting
devices at 1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet speed.
All ports can negotiate full- and half-duplex modes automatically. These
switching ports allow users to connect the switches to 10Base-T, 100Base-TX
and 1000Base-T devices.
All the RJ45 ports support Auto MDI/MDIX and therefore automatically
detect the type of cable used to connect the network device. Crossover or
straight-through networking cables can be used to connect PCs as well as
other networking devices like hubs or routers to the switch.
Aggregating Traffic at 1000-Mbps
Gigabit Ethernet
You can build high-performance networks by aggregating 10/100-Mbps
traffic via a 1000-Mbps uplink. Connect the 10/100/1000-Mbps port of the
PowerConnect 2124 to the 10/100/1000-Mbps Gigabit Ethernet port of the
PowerConnect 2508. To achieve best performance, also connect your
Gigabit Ethernet-capable servers into the 10/100/1000-Mbps ports of the
PowerConnect 2508.

18 Features
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Class-of-Service
The switch supports tag-based prioritization following the IEEE 802.1p
standard. The eight levels of IEEE 802.1p priority are mapped to the four
priority queues of each port. For each port, the four priority queues are
scheduled following a Weighted Round Robin scheme.
NOTE: The IEEE 802.1p priority information is part of the IEEE 802.1q tag
that also defines VLAN memberships. The switches will ignore the VLAN
membership information in the tag (i.e. all ports are part of all VLANs), but
will preserve the full tag information—including packet priority and
VLAN ID—when transmitting the packet at the destination port.
Gigabit Link
IEEE 802.1p Priority Priority Queue Scheduling Weight
1,2 0 4
0,3 1 16
4,5 2 64
6,7 3 255

Features 19
Redundant Power System
PowerConnect RPS-60
The optional external redundant power system PowerConnect RPS-60
provides a second, redundant power supply for your switch, eliminating the
power supply as a single point of failure. To use the RPS-60:
1Attach the adapter tray to the back of the switch by tightening the two
mounting screws.
2Insert the power adapter into the tray.
3Connect the DC cable of the power adapter to the switch by plugging
the cable in to the connector located at the back of the switch
labeled "RPS."
4Attach the AC power cord to the power adapter and connect the AC
power cord into a power outlet.
The switch is now using both power supplies simultaneously. You can
monitor the status of the two power supplies via the front panel LEDs.
Mounting Kit Instructions
These switches come with mounting brackets and screws for rack mounting
and rubber feet for stationing on a flat surface.
Installing on a Flat Surface
The switch can be installed on any appropriate level surface that can safely
support the weight of the switches and their attached cables. There must be
adequate space around the switch for ventilation and access cable
connectors.
To install the switch on a flat surface, complete the following steps:
1Set the switch on the flat surface and check for proper ventilation.
Allow at least 2 inches (5.1 cm) on each side for proper ventilation and
5 inches (12.7 cm) at the back for power-cord clearance.
2Attach rubber feet on each marked location on the bottom of
the chassis.
The rubber feet are optional, but recommended to keep the unit from
slipping.

20 Features
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Installing in a Rack
The switch can be installed in most standard 19-inch racks.
NOTE: For racks that are not prethreaded, cage nuts are provided.
To install the switch in a rack, complete the following steps:
1Use the supplied screws to attach a mounting bracket to each side of
the switch.
2Position the switch in the rack and align the holes in the mounting
bracket with the holes in the rack.
3Insert and tighten two screws appropriate for your rack through each of
the mounting brackets.
Technical Information
Network Protocol and Standards Compatibility
IEEE 802.3 CSMA/CD
IEEE 802.3 10Base-T
IEEE 802.3u 100Base-TX
IEEE 802.3z/ab 1000Base-T
IEEE 802.3x Flow Control
IEEE 802.3p Priority
Interface
RJ-45 connector
Power Supply
100–240VAC/50-60 Hz universal input
Physical Dimensions
341 x 230.5 x 43.2 mm (W x D x H)
13.43 x 9.07 x 1.70 inch
Environmental Specifications
Operating temperature 0º to 40ºC (32º to 104ºF)
Storage temperature –20º to 70ºC (–4º to 158ºF)
Operating Humidity 10 to 90% RH
Storage Humidity 10 to 95% RH