Abstract

Dell Inc. commissioned The Tolly Group to evaluate its PowerConnect 6024, a 24-port Gigabit Ethernet switch designed for use as an enterprise-class aggregation or as a data center switch. The PowerConnect 6024 is a fixed-port Layer 3 model that comes configured with hot-swappable power supplies and fans, support for the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol and other high availability features that make it suitable as an aggregation switch or a core device for small to medium enterprises.

The Tolly Group tested the Layer 2/Layer 3 throughput capability of the PowerConnect 6024 while it was subjected to standard fixed packet sizes, as well as to a real-world test scenario with variable-size packets and access control lists enabled. Tests were conducted in December 2003 at The Tolly Group’s Boca Raton, FL., test facilities.