API Guide

PowerEdge MX Ethernet I/O modules
The Dell EMC PowerEdge MX7000 supports the following Ethernet modules: MX9116n Fabric Switching Engine, MX7116n Fabric
Expander Module, and MX5108n Ethernet Switch. For detailed information, see the Dell EMC PowerEdge MX7000
documentation.
● The MX9116n Fabric Switching Engine is a scalable L2/L3 switch designed that provides high-bandwidth, low-latency 25GE
networking; for example, in private cloud and software-defined storage (SDS) networks. This high-end switch offers:
○ Sixteen 25GE server-facing ports
○ Twelve double-density QSFP (QSFP28-DD) ports that you can use to connect to Fabric Expanders or break out to:
8x10GE, 8x25GE, or 4x50GE ports for connection to rack servers or other Ethernet devices, or 2x40GE/2x100GE ports
for uplinks, connection to SAN storage, and switch interconnects.
○ Two single-density QSFP28 ports that operate in 1x100GE, 2x50GE, 1x40GE, 4x25GE, or 4x10GE mode.
○ Two QSFP28 unified ports that operate in Ethernet or Fibre Channel 1x100GE, 1x40GE, 4x25GE, 4x10GE, 2x50GE, or
4x32GFC, 2x32GFC, 1x32GFC, or 4x16GFC mode.
● The MX7116n Fabric Expander Module operates as an unmanaged Ethernet repeater to connect servers to the Fabric
Switching Engine using QSFP28-DD connections. The Expander Module offers:
○ Sixteen 25GE server-facing ports
○ Two QSFP28-DD ports for connection to a Fabric Switching Engine
● The MX5108n Ethernet Switch is a basic Ethernet switch designed to provide high-performance, low-latency networking for
single MX7000 chassis installations. It provides FCoE transit, but no native Fibre Channel functionality, and offers:
○ Eight 25GE server-facing ports
○ Two 100GE QSFP28 uplink ports
○ One 40GE QSFP+ uplink port
○ Four 10GBase-T uplink ports
For more information, see:
● Unified port groups on page 243 — Ethernet and Fibre Channel interfaces
● Double-density QSFP28 interfaces on page 313
● Single-density QSFP28 interfaces
● Server-facing interfaces
● Virtual ports
Operating modes
The MX9116n Fabric Switching Engine and the MX5108n Ethernet Switch operate in Full Switch and SmartFabric modes. A
SmartFabric switch is automatically placed in SmartFabric mode. A switch that is not part of a SmartFabric is automatically
placed in Full Switch mode. To verify the currently configured mode, use the show switch-operating-mode command.
OS10# show switch-operating-mode
Switch-Operating-Mode : Smart Fabric Mode
To change the mode, use the OpenManage Enterprise - Modular (OME-Modular) user interface. You cannot change the mode
using the OS10 CLI. For more information, see the Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise - Modular User's Guide — Ethernet IO
Modules chapter.
Full Switch mode
PowerEdge MX Ethernet switches operate in Full Switch mode by default. In Full Switch mode, all supported OS10 CLI
commands and features that the hardware supports are available.
You can also perform certain tasks using the OpenManage Enterprise - Modular interface, including:
● Configure hostname and IP management protocols, such as SNMP and NTP.
● Set the port status up or down.
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