The I/O Aggregator is a zero-touch, layer 2 switch blade with two fixed 40GbE ports on the base module and support for two optional plug-in modules. The Aggregator operates in a Dell PowerEdge M1000e chassis, which can support up to 32 servers and six I/O Aggregator blade switches. The Aggregator runs the Dell Force10 Operating System (FTOS) and autoconfigures as an unmanaged switch with bridging and multiplexing functionality, which transmits traffic as follows:

• GbE/10GbE connections through the midplane to up to 32 server ports in the chassis
• 10GbE connections through uplink ports to top-of-rack (ToR) switches
• 40GbE connections through stacking ports to other I/O Aggregators in a switch stack

In a data center network, the Aggregator functions as a flat layer 2 passthrough switch that interoperates with Dell and third-party ToR devices.

The switch supports data center bridging (DCB) features, and provides seamless connectivity for a Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) server and iSCSI storage data traffic.

In its default operational mode, the Aggregator requires no additional configuration; network connectivity for servers in an M1000e chassis is enabled. By simplifying switch configuration and management, the Aggregator reduces complexity in a data center network.

On the Aggregator, FlexIO plug-in modules (Figure 1-2) operate only as uplinks; stacking is not supported. The following modules are supported in the two expansion slots:

• • 4-Port 10-Gigabit Ethernet module using SFP optics or direct-attach cables (1m, 3m, or 5m DAC) 4-Port 10GBASE-T module using RJ-45 connector (copper) cables
• NOTE: Only one 4-Port 10GBASE-T module is supported in an Aggregator.
• NOTE: The 10M speed is not supported on the 4-Port 10GBASE-T module. Only 100M, 1G, and 10G speeds are supported.
• • 2-Port 40-Gigabit Ethernet QSFP (SR or direct attach only) module only for 10GbE SFP connections using 4x10GbE breakout cables.