D-Link shows stackable Layer 3 switches

D-Link, known more to buyers of consumer network gear than corporate IT chiefs, is taking aim at enterprise networks this week with a new line of high-speed stackable switches.

The xStack series of switches includes 24- and 48-port 10/100/1000M bit/sec, or triple-speed, switches, as well as all-fiber Gigabit Ethernet switches. Each box includes proprietary 10G bit/sec interconnect ports for creating high-speed stacks.

At around US$138 per Gigabit port, the boxes also cost about 30 percent less than the industry average price for a fixed-configuration 1000M bit/sec connection, according to Dell'Oro Group.

The new D-Link xStack series of switches includes the following models:

-- DXS-3350SR: a 48-port triple-speed switch with four small form factor pluggable (SFP) ports; US$4,800; available in the third quarter of this year.

-- DXS-3326GSR: a 24-port Gigabit SFP switch with four triple-speed copper ports; US$3,700; available in the third quarter of this year.

-- DES-3352SR: a 48-port 10/100M bit/sec switch with two SFP slots and two triple-speed copper ports; US$1,100; available in the fourth quarter of this year.

-- DGS-3324SRi: a 24-port triple-speed switch with eight SFP ports and an integrated 10G port; US$3,500; available now.

-- DGS-3324SR: a 24-port 10/100/1000 managed stackable Layer 2-4 switch with four SFP ports; US$3,300; available now.

All of the xStack series switches support Layer 2-4 switching, as well as Layer 3 routing capabilities and protocols, such as OSPF and RIP, according to D-Link.

The xSeries' proprietary 10G bit/sec stacking technology allows the boxes to be configured in either a star or ring configuration, allowing for fast interconnects between nodes. All the boxes are manageable via SNMP and RMON, and support Layer 2 and Layer 3 QoS capabilities.