Dell PowerSwitch Z9100-ON

Name: Dell PowerSwitch Z9100-ON
Brand: Dell

End of saleNetwork1U switch

The Dell PowerSwitch Z9100-ON is a high-performance 1U 32-port 100GbE open networking aggregation and spine switch. Based on Broadcom Tomahawk silicon and delivering 6.4 Tbps throughput, the Z9100-ON was engineered to power multi-tier cloud fabrics, Web 2.0 infrastructures, and high-bandwidth leaf-spine data center interconnects with sub-microsecond latency.

Also written as: PowerSwitch Z9100-ON, Dell Z9100-ON, Z9100 32x 100GbE Spine Switch

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Specifications

Brand	Dell
Family	PowerSwitch Z-Series
Form factor	1U switch
Released	Oct 2015
End of sale	Jan 2021
End of support	Jan 2026
Port configuration	32x 100GbE QSFP28 ports (or up to 128x 25GbE / 10GbE via breakout cables)
Switching capacity	6.4 Tbps full-duplex non-blocking switching throughput
Operating system	ONIE; supports Dell OS9, OS10, Cumulus Linux, and SONiC
Airflow options	Normal (I/O to PSU) or Reverse (PSU to I/O) airflow
Power supply	Dual redundant hot-plug 750W AC or DC power supplies

Generations

Previous generation: Dell PowerSwitch S6010-ON
Next generation: Dell PowerSwitch Z9332F-ON

Compatible parts

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 PowerSwitch Z9100-ON connects to servers, storage and the network: 3 ways, with the parts and products on each path.

iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet File storage (NFS and SMB)Hyperconverged cluster

iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet

Server10/25/100GbE NICEthernet switchstorage VLAN, two switchesStorage arrayiSCSI or NVMe/TCP ports

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

Adapters for the server

540-BDBX Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Adapter
540-BDCF Dell Intel E810-CQDA2 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
540-BDCP Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
540-BDCQ Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 OCP 3.0 Adapter

Storage

Dell PowerStore 7000T 2U rack
Dell PowerProtect DD9900 2U appliance + shelves
Dell Isilon H5600 4U 4-node chassis
Dell PowerMax 2500 4U multi-node rack
Dell PowerMax 8500 system bay multi-enclosure
Dell PowerStore 1200T 2U rack

Optics

407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)
QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-LR4-AR Arista 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module

iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet: how it fits together

File storage (NFS and SMB)

Server or clientEthernet NICEthernet switchdata or storage VLANNAS or scale-outNFS, SMB, S3 ports

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

Adapters for the server

540-BDBX Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Adapter
540-BDCF Dell Intel E810-CQDA2 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
540-BDCP Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
540-BDCQ Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 OCP 3.0 Adapter

Storage

Optics

407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)
QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-LR4-AR Arista 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module

File storage (NFS and SMB): how it fits together

Hyperconverged cluster

HCI nodedrives plus 25GbETwo Ethernet switchesstorage and VM trafficMore HCI nodesthree or more

Plan at least two 25GbE ports per node to two switches; all-NVMe clusters often move to 100GbE.

HCI nodes

Adapters for the server

540-BDBX Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Adapter
540-BDCF Dell Intel E810-CQDA2 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
540-BDCP Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
540-BDCQ Dell Broadcom 57508 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 OCP 3.0 Adapter

Optics

407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)
QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-LR4-AR Arista 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module

Hyperconverged cluster: how it fits together

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 Z9100-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 PowerSwitch Z9100-ON: what to check

Verify QSFP28 optic recognition across all 32 ports, test breakout cable splitting (4x 25GbE), check fan module airflow and power supply health, and test ONIE boot loader.

FAQ

What port speeds are supported on the Z9100-ON?

100GbE, 50GbE, 40GbE, 25GbE, and 10GbE using appropriate optics, DACs, and breakout configurations.

Can the Z9100-ON run Enterprise SONiC?

Yes, Broadcom Tomahawk-based Z9100 hardware is fully supported by community and Enterprise SONiC distributions.

Buying or selling PowerSwitch Z9100-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.

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Sources

Dell PowerSwitch Z9100-ON Spec Sheet, checked 2026-10-27