Home › Servers › Dell

Dell PowerEdge XE2420

End of saleServers2U rack

The PowerEdge XE2420 is a ruggedized short-depth 2U edge server designed for harsh, space-constrained environments outside traditional datacenters. Operating reliably from 5C to 45C with front-accessible I/O and support for up to four edge accelerator cards, it targets 5G telecom and edge AI analytics.

Also written as: PowerEdge XE2420, Dell XE2420, XE2420 Edge Server

Buy Dell PowerEdge XE2420 Sell yours

Specifications

Brand	Dell
Family	PowerEdge XE
Form factor	2U rack
Released	Apr 2020
End of sale	Dec 2023
End of support	Dec 2028
Cpu sockets	2
Cpu platform	2nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors
Memory slots	16
Memory type	DDR4 ECC RDIMM up to 2933 MT/s
Drive bays	Up to 6x 2.5in SAS/SATA drives plus 4x PCIe NVMe EDSFF drives
Pcie slots	Up to 4x PCIe Gen3 slots (supports up to 4x low-profile or 2x full-height GPUs)
Chassis depth	Short-depth 17.5 inches (444mm)

Generations

Next generation: Dell PowerEdge XR7620

Works together

How the Dell PowerEdge XE2420 connects to servers, storage and the network: 5 ways, with the parts and products on each path.

Fibre Channel SAN iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet Direct-attached SAS File storage (NFS and SMB)GPU cluster fabric

Fibre Channel SAN

Serverwith an FC HBAFC switchtwo fabrics, A and BStorage arrayFC host ports

Match the speed: 16Gb and 32Gb FC HBAs, switches and array ports work together, and each generation also runs one or two speeds below its own (a 32Gb port runs at 16Gb and 8Gb).

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

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
540-BCMS Dell QLogic 2770 Single Port 32Gb Fibre Channel PCIe Adapter
540-BCMT Dell QLogic 2772 Dual Port 32Gb Fibre Channel PCIe Adapter

Switches

Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-8B 14U director chassis
Dell Connectrix DS-7720B 1U rack
Dell Connectrix MDS-9148T 1U rack
Dell Connectrix MP-7850B 1U switch

Storage

Optics

407-BBOG Dell 16Gb Short Wave SFP+ Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
407-BCBI Dell 32Gb Short Wave SFP28 Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver
407-BBOH Dell 8Gb Short Wave SFP+ Fibre Channel Optical Transceiver

Fibre Channel SAN: how it fits together

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.

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

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

Switches

Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B 9U director chassis
Dell PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON 1U switch
Dell PowerSwitch N3224F-ON 1U switch
Dell PowerSwitch N3224P-ON 1U switch

Storage

Optics

407-BBOU Dell 10GbE SFP+ SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 300m MMF)
407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)
407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)

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

Direct-attached SAS

Serverexternal SAS HBASAS cableMini-SAS HD, no switchArray or JBODSAS host ports or EMM

12Gb SAS uses Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644) connectors; older 6Gb gear uses Mini-SAS (SFF-8088). Adapter cables exist, but the link runs at the slower speed.

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

405-AANT Dell 12Gbps SAS HBA Dual Port External PCIe Controller
405-AASU Dell HBA355e External SAS 12Gb/s Host Bus Adapter
HBA465E Dell HBA465e External Host Bus Adapter

Storage

Direct-attached SAS: 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.

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

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

Switches

Dell Connectrix ED-DCX7-4B 9U director chassis
Dell PowerSwitch N3248PXE-ON 1U switch
Dell PowerSwitch N3224F-ON 1U switch
Dell PowerSwitch N3224P-ON 1U switch

Storage

Optics

407-BBOU Dell 10GbE SFP+ SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 300m MMF)
407-BBOY Dell 100GbE QSFP28 SR4 Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MPO-12)
407-BCBF Dell 25GbE SFP28 SR Optical Transceiver (850nm, 100m MMF)

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

GPU cluster fabric

GPU serverone 200/400G NIC per GPUInfiniBand or RoCE switchrail-optimisedStorage and other GPU serversseparate storage network

InfiniBand adapters and switches must match the generation: HDR is 200Gb, NDR is 400Gb. VPI adapters such as ConnectX-6 and ConnectX-7 can run either InfiniBand or Ethernet.

Adapters for the server (check the fit list)

540-BCVE Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 VPI Single Port 200Gb/s HDR InfiniBand / 200GbE PCIe Adapter
540-BDDW Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 VPI Dual Port 200Gb/s HDR InfiniBand / 200GbE PCIe Adapter
540-BDRV Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-7 Dual Port 400Gb/s NDR InfiniBand / 400GbE PCIe Gen5 Adapter

Switches

GPU cluster fabric: 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
Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
SAN transport and NVMe over FC for backup 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 PowerEdge XE2420.

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

FAQ

What is the physical depth of the PowerEdge XE2420 chassis?

The XE2420 has a shallow depth of only 17.5 inches (444 mm), allowing it to mount easily inside compact telecom cabinets and two-post racks.

Can the XE2420 accommodate GPU accelerator cards?

Yes, it supports up to two double-wide 300W accelerator cards (e.g., NVIDIA V100/A100) or up to four 75W low-profile inference GPUs (e.g., NVIDIA T4).

Buying or selling XE2420?

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.

Buy XE2420 Sell yours

Sources

Dell PowerEdge XE2420 Support Overview, checked 2026-10-27
Dell PowerEdge XE2420 Technical Documentation, checked 2026-10-27