SWITChING
DATA SHEET
OVERVIEW
The 3Com
®
Switch 5500G Gigabit Family delivers
premium levels of performance, security and
reliability for robust switching at the enterprise
network edge. The family consists of Layer 2/3/4
Gigabit Ethernet and Power over Ethernet switches,
with advanced features that can accommodate the
most demanding applications, offering resilient and
secure connectivity and the latest traffic-prioritization
technologies to optimize applications on converged
networks. Designed for maximum flexibility and
scalability, 3Com Switch 5500G models come with 24
or 48 Gigabit ports, and offer optional modules for
10-Gigabit and SFP Gigabit uplink connections.
The switches can be stacked up to eight units high
using patented 3Com XRN
®
(eXpandable Resilient
Networking) technology. One XRN stack can provide
up to 448 Gigabit Ethernet ports, with 96 Gbps
resilient stacking bandwidth, all centrally managed,
with high-end enterprise chassis-class availability.
Further expansion is possible via clustered stacking
technology, allowing single IP management for up to
32 devices from different 3Com switch families,
including the Switch 5500G, 5500, 4800G, 4500G, 4500,
4200G and 4210.
KEY BENEFITS
ENTERPRISE-LEVEL PERFORMANCE
3Com Switch 5500G 10/100/1000 devices provide
switching capacity of up to 232 Gbps for 48-port
models and 184 Gbps for 24-port models. Wirespeed
line-rate performance is delivered on all ports within
the stack. Advanced Layer 3 routing—including OSPF,
PIM-SM, PIM-DM and RIP v1/v2—helps deliver
optimal performance and system response.
BUILT FOR FLEXIBILITY AND GROWTH
The Switch 5500G family consists of five models:
choose 24 or 48 Gigabit ports, with or without PoE; a
fifth SFP model offers 24 SFP Gigabit ports. Four ports
on each of these models are dual-purpose or “dual-
personality”, functioning as either 10/100/1000 or with
fiber Gigabit SFPs; two of these four SFP ports also
support Fast Ethernet fiber.
All models come with an applications module slot for
adding ports or capabilities. Install an 8-port SFP
Gigabit module, or a 1- or 2-port 10-Gigabit module.
Use this in the future to add a 3Com Open Services
Networking (OSN) module.
HIGH AVAILABILITY FOR CRITICAL
APPLICATIONS
XRN technology, a 3Com innovation, enables multiple
inter-connected and stackable Layer 3 switches to be
managed as a single entity. Stack and switching fabric
setup is automated and provides a high level of
resiliency and continuous availability without adding to
network complexity. After configuration, all switches
actively share routing intelligence and network
loads—eliminating the wasted bandwidth and added
expense of a passive standby unit. Ultra-fast failover
recovery automatically redistributes traffic among the
other active units in case a switch becomes
disconnected or fails.
MULTILAYER SECURITY
The Switch 5500G family provides integrated and
distributed security enforcement that can be managed
from a central location. Access control lists (ACLs)
help protect network resources from unauthorized
access and data corruption. User-based authentication
3Com SwitCh 5500G
GiGabit Family
from top: 3Com Switch 5500G-EI 24-Port, Switch 5500G-EI PWR
24-Port, Switch 5500G-EI 48-Port, Switch 5500G-EI PWR 48-Port,
Switch 5500G-EI 24-Port SFP
Premium stackable Gigabit switches with
maximum security, convergence features
and intelligence required by the most
demanding advanced enterprise networks
