Dell PowerSwitch S5212F-ON
The Dell PowerSwitch S5212F-ON is a unique half-width 1U open networking switch providing twelve 25GbE SFP28 ports and three 100GbE QSFP28 uplinks. Engineered for high-density hyperconverged infrastructure (VMware vSAN, VxRail), software-defined storage, and edge computing environments, two S5212F-ON switches can be mounted side-by-side in a single 1U rack tray to deliver full Top-of-Rack network redundancy in 1U. It supports ONIE for third-party network operating systems and Dell SmartFabric OS10. Pre-owned system buyers should verify whether dual-switch tandem mounting brackets are included.
Also written as: PowerSwitch S5212F-ON, Dell S5212F-ON, S5212F Half-Width Switch
Specifications
| Brand | Dell |
|---|---|
| Family | PowerSwitch |
| Form factor | 1U rack |
| Released | Mar 2019 |
| Ports | 12x 25GbE SFP28 + 3x 100GbE QSFP28 ports (half-width 1U chassis) |
| Switching capacity | 1.08 Tbps (2.16 Tbps full duplex) |
| Power supply | Dual redundant hot-plug 350W AC or DC power supplies, normal or reverse airflow |
Generations
- Previous generation: Dell PowerSwitch S4112F-ON
Works together
How the Dell PowerSwitch S5212F-ON 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 R650 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R750 2U rack
Dell PowerEdge R6515 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R7515 2U rack
Dell PowerEdge R6525 1U rack
Dell PowerEdge R7525 2U rack
Adapters for the server
540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
540-BBHB Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Mezzanine Network Adapter
540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
Storage
Dell PowerStore 1000T 2U rack
Dell Unity XT 380F 2U rack
Dell Unity XT 380XT 2U rack
Dell Unity XT 480F 2U rack
Dell Unity XT 480XT 2U rack
Dell Unity XT 680F 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 R650 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R750 2U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R6515 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R7515 2U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R6525 1U rack
- Dell PowerEdge R7525 2U rack
Adapters for the server
- 540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
- 540-BBHB Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Mezzanine Network Adapter
- 540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe Adapter
Storage
- Dell PowerStore 1000T 2U rack
- Dell Unity XT 380F 2U rack
- Dell Unity XT 380XT 2U rack
- Dell Unity XT 480F 2U rack
- Dell Unity XT 480XT 2U rack
- Dell Unity XT 680F 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 P Series P570F 2U rack (1 node)
Dell VxRail E Series E560 1U rack (1 node)
HPE SimpliVity 325 Gen10 1U rack
HPE SimpliVity 380 Gen10 G 2U rack
Adapters for the server
- 540-BBGY Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 PCIe Low Profile Network Adapter
- 540-BBHB Dell Broadcom 57414 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 OCP 3.0 Mezzanine Network Adapter
- 540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
- 540-BBGO Dell Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10GBASE-T RJ45 PCIe 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 PowerSwitch S5212F-ON.
- 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 S5212F-ON: what to check
Confirm whether single or dual-unit 1U mounting bracket trays are provided. Verify airflow orientation and confirm OS10 or ONIE bootloader functionality.
FAQ
What is the advantage of the half-width form factor?
Two S5212F-ON switches mount side-by-side in a standard 1U rack slot, providing redundant ToR fabrics in 1U of rack space.
What protocols does the S5212F-ON support for storage?
iSCSI, RoCEv2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet), NVMe/TCP, and PFC/ECN lossless Ethernet.
Buying or selling S5212F-ON?
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 PowerSwitch S5212F-ON Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27