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Networking management and infrastructure specialist Netgear on Oct. 9 announced the launch of the ProSafe Next-Gen Edge M5300 series, a family of stackable managed Gigabit switches designed to satisfy 10-Gigabit Ethernet backbone requirements.
The new line features two embedded 10-Gigabit uplinks, 10 Gbase-T (RJ45) and SFP+ (fiber), and two additional 10-Gigabit input/output (I/O) bays for uplink or stacking. The company is also making it possible for midsize organizations to upgrade from Gigabit Layer 2+ models to full Layer 3 through a license upgrade.
The switches feature a modular main power supply and hot-swap redundant power supply/external power supply (RPS/EPS) capabilities to ensure high network availability. They also offer virtual chassis stacking technology with 48G-bps interconnect per switch to help simplify network operations. Meshed stacking capabilities provide advanced load-balancing capabilities to support mission-critical applications.
Other features include integrated security, high availability, delivery optimization, enhanced manageability and support for new applications, while redundancy is assured by distributing multiple connections across the stack, which acts as a single logical switch that is transparent to the server and aggregation switch. IT administrators can also add more ports to the switch fabric through virtual chassis stacking.
“Netgear’s new line of fully managed switches is ideal for growing organizations with evolving networking requirements,” Infonetics Research directing analyst Matthias Machowinski said in a statement. “With a long list of standard features, including PoE+ [the updated Power over Ethernet standard] and 10GbaseT, and the ability to upgrade to Layer 3, these switches allow organizations to adapt as their requirements become more complex.”
The series is available from authorized Netgear channel partners worldwide. The family includes the M5300-28G with 24 ports Gigabit and Layer 2+ software package, and GSM7228S-100NAS for $2,270; the M5300-52G with 48 ports Gigabit and Layer 2+ software package, and GSM7252S-100NAS for $3,650; and the M5300-52G with Layer 3 license upgrade for M5300-28G, GSM7228L-10000S for $660. The line also includes the M5300-52G with Layer 3 license upgrade for M5300-52G, GSM7252L-10000S for $1,250; and the M5300-28GF3 with 24 ports Gigabit Fiber and Layer 3 software package, and GSM7328FS-200NAS for $2,930.
“The ProSafe Next-Gen Edge M5300 Gigabit series is the ideal access layer for campus and enterprise networks with 10-Gigabit Ethernet backbone requirements. The switches deliver pure line-rate performance for virtualization or convergence, without the exorbitant acquisition and maintenance costs of solutions offered by legacy big IT networking vendors,” Netgear’s commercial business unit product line manager for managed infrastructure Laurent Masia said in a statement. “The ProSafe Next-Gen Edge M5300 series combines the latest advances in hardware and software engineering for higher availability, stronger security, better scalability, better usability and greater energy efficiency.”