D-Link switches gear with Layer 3
Firm to start shipping new offerings next quarter
D-Link has launched two managed Layer 3 Gigabit switches with 10Gb uplinks.
The firm will start shipping the devices next quarter. No official pricing is available yet, but market watchers expect D-Link to continue with its tradition of low pricing.
"These products will position us against Nortel's and Extreme's range," said Tahira Parveen, UK sales manager at the firm. Parveen said D-Link will provide training, with a heavy focus on managed switches in the near future.
The DXS-3326GSR is a 24-port mini GBIC SFP switch, while the DXS-3350SR has 48Gb ports. Both stack to 12 units in a ring or six units in a star, and come with two slots for 10Gbps XFP ports for connection to the backbone.
"Gigabit switches are being bought for the same reason people bought 10/100 switches to begin with. There's not much price difference between 10/100 and Gigabit, and people want to future-proof," said Keith Humphreys, managing consultant at EuroLAN Research.
"A 10Gb uplink takes D-Link into the high-connectivity class. If they're talking about 10Gb, they have to look at business partners, rather than catalogue or retail resellers."