Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B
The Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B is a 9U 4-slot 64Gb Gen 7 modular director built on the Brocade X7-4 platform. Engineered for mission-critical core storage backbones deploying high-speed NVMe flash arrays, the ED-DCX7-4B delivers 64Gb line-rate port switching, autonomous SAN analytics, and automated traffic engineering to eliminate latency spikes across multi-tenant cloud fabrics.
Also written as: Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B, Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B, DCX7-4B 64Gb Director
Specifications
| Brand | Dell |
|---|---|
| Family | Connectrix |
| Form factor | 9U director chassis |
| Released | Sep 2020 |
| Slot count | 4 horizontal port blade slots + 2 Control Processor (CP) slots + 2 Core Routing (CR) slots in 9U |
| Port count | Up to 256x 64Gb/s Fibre Channel ports or 128x 256Gb/s QSFP links |
| Switching bandwidth | 15.36 Tbps aggregate chassis bandwidth |
| Operating system | Brocade Fabric OS (FOS) Gen 7 director edition |
| Power supply | Quad redundant hot-plug power supplies with hot-swappable high-output blowers |
Generations
- Previous generation: Dell Connectrix ED-DCX6-4B
Compatible parts
HBAs
540-BBUU Dell Emulex LPe31002 Dual Port 16Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter
540-BBUV Dell QLogic 2692 Dual Port 16Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter
Transceivers
407-BCBI Dell 32Gb Short Wave SFP28 Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)
Rail kits
770-BCKW Dell ReadyRails II Sliding Rails for 2U PowerEdge Servers (B6)
Works together
How the Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B connects to servers, storage and the network: 3 ways, with the parts and products on each path.
iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet
Keep the speed the same at all three points: a 25GbE server, a 25GbE switch port and a 25GbE array port. Mixed speeds work but the slowest link sets the pace.
Servers
Dell PowerEdge R6525 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R7525 2U rack
Dell PowerEdge R250 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R350 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R450 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R550 2U rack
Adapters for the server
540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
540-BBGP Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 OCP 3.0 Adapter
540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
Storage
Dell PowerStore 1000T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 1000X 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 3000T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 3000X 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 5000T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 5000X 2U rack
Optics
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Servers
- Dell PowerEdge R6525 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R7525 2U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R250 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R350 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R450 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R550 2U rack
Adapters for the server
- 540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGP Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 OCP 3.0 Adapter
- 540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
Storage
Dell PowerScale F200 1U rack
Dell PowerScale F600 1U rack- Dell PowerStore 1000T 2U rack
- Dell PowerStore 1000X 2U rack
- Dell PowerStore 3000T 2U rack
- Dell PowerStore 5000T 2U rack
Optics
Hyperconverged cluster
Plan at least two 25GbE ports per node to two switches; all-NVMe clusters often move to 100GbE.
HCI nodes
Dell VxRail D560 1U short-depth rack
Dell VxRail D560F 1U short-depth rack
Dell VxRail E660 1U rack
Dell VxRail E660F 1U rack
Adapters for the server
- 540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGP Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 OCP 3.0 Adapter
- 540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
Optics
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- iSCSI explained mrplanb.com
- Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
- Network monitoring tools compared mrplanb.com
- Dell E-Lab Navigator (Dell interoperability) dell.com
Check compatibility with Dell
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that Dell has tested with the Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B.
- Compatibility Dell E-Lab Navigator (storage and SAN interoperability) (free vendor sign-in)
- Support Dell Support: drivers, manuals and service tag lookup
Equivalent models from other brands
Buying a used Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B: what to check
Confirm CP74 Control Processor health, verify CR74 Core Routing blades, inspect 64Gb port blades for SFP+ optic recognition, and test high-efficiency quad power supplies.
FAQ
What is the maximum port speed on the ED-DCX7-4B?
Standard SFP+ ports operate at up to 64Gb/s, while QSFP ports support up to 256Gb/s inter-chassis and uplink speeds.
Does the ED-DCX7-4B support older Gen 6 or Gen 5 optics?
Yes, Gen 7 FC ports provide backward compatibility with 32Gb and 16Gb Fibre Channel transceivers.
Buying or selling Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- Dell Connectrix Director Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27