GV46K - Dell PowerSwitch Z9100-ON 32-Port 100GbE Switch

Dell PowerSwitch Z9100-ON is a 1U data center switch with 32 QSFP28 ports supporting 10/25/40/50/100GbE plus 2x SFP+ ports, 6.4Tbps switching capacity.

The Dell GV46K is the manufacturer part number for the Dell PowerSwitch Z9100-ON, a high-density fixed-configuration Ethernet switch purpose-built for data center core, spine, and leaf deployments. It provides 32 fixed QSFP28 ports that can be flexibly configured to support 100GbE, 50GbE, 40GbE, 25GbE, or 10GbE speeds, plus two additional SFP+ ports for 10GbE/1GbE/100MbE connectivity. Built on a non-blocking switching architecture, the Z9100-ON delivers line-rate Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding with sub-microsecond latency, making it well suited for high-performance computing, cloud, and virtualization environments. The unit ships with redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fans, supports ONIE for alternate OS installation, and runs Dell's OS9 or OS10 networking software. Its compact 1RU form factor conserves rack space while enabling dense, scalable network fabrics for modern data centers.

• Manufacturer: Dell Technologies
• Product Family: PowerSwitch Z-Series
• Product Model: Z9100-ON
• Product Type: Layer 3 Managed Ethernet Switch
• Ports: 32 x QSFP28 (100/50/40/25/10GbE) + 2 x SFP+ (10GbE/1GbE/100MbE)
• Switching Capacity: 6.4 Tbps (full duplex)
• Forwarding Rate: Up to 3300-4400 Mpps
• Latency: Sub 500ns (L2: ~300ns, L3: ~400ns)
• Packet Buffer Memory: 16MB
• CPU Memory: 8GB
• MAC Address Table: 136,000 entries
• IPv4 Unicast Routes: 136,000
• IPv6 Unicast Routes: 68,000
• ARP Entries: 128,000
• Operating System: Dell OS9 / OS10 (ONIE-enabled for alternate NOS)
• Power Supply: 2 x Redundant, hot-swappable 750W AC PSUs (100-240 VAC 50/60Hz)
• Max Power Consumption: 605 Watts
• Typical Power Consumption: 195 Watts
• PoE: Not supported
• Airflow: Standard (I/O to PSU) or Reverse (PSU to I/O)
• Management Ports: 1 x RS-232 console, 1 x 10/100/1000Base-T, 1 x USB 2.0 Type A, 1 x Micro-USB Type B
• Security: 802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS+, SSHv2, IPSec (AH/ESP)
• Dimensions: 434 x 320 x 44 mm (17.09 x 12.60 x 1.74 in), 1RU
• Weight: 9.98 kg (22 lbs)
• Operating Temperature: 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F)
• Storage Temperature: -40°C to 70°C (-40°F to 158°F)
• Operating Humidity: 10-90% RH non-condensing

• 32 fixed QSFP28 ports configurable for 100/50/40/25/10GbE speeds
• 2 additional SFP+ ports for 10GbE/1GbE/100MbE connectivity
• Non-blocking switching fabric delivering line-rate L2/L3 performance
• Up to 6.4Tbps of switching I/O bandwidth (full duplex)
• Sub-500ns latency for high-performance, low-latency networking
• Redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fan modules
• Supports ONIE for zero-touch installation of alternate network OS
• Priority-based Flow Control (PFC), DCBX, and ETS for DCB environments
• Virtual Link Trunking (VLT) for Layer 2 multipathing
• Compact 1RU design for high port density and rack space efficiency
• Field-reversible airflow (I/O-to-PSU or PSU-to-I/O)
• Comprehensive IPv4/IPv6 routing and security feature support

Designed for high-performance, high-density networking in modern data centers and enterprise cloud environments.

• Data center spine or leaf switch in Active Fabric architectures
• High-density 10/25/40/50/100GbE top-of-rack (ToR) aggregation
• End-of-row (EoR) aggregation for large-scale server farms
• High-performance computing (HPC) cluster interconnects
• Cloud and virtualization infrastructure backbone connectivity
• Converged network deployments requiring DCB and lossless Ethernet
• Migration path to 100Gbps core networking in existing data centers

• High-density 100GbE port count in compact 1U
• Ultra-low latency for demanding workloads
• Flexible multi-speed port configuration
• Redundant power and cooling for uptime
• Scalable L2/L3 feature set for growth
• Cost-effective migration path to 100G core

• Form Factor: 1U rack-mountable
• Dimensions: 434 x 320 x 44 mm (17.09 x 12.60 x 1.74 in)
• Weight: 9.98 kg (22 lbs)
• Cooling: Removable fan modules, reversible airflow

Per available documentation, this product is validated for use with the following Dell PowerSwitch ecosystem components:

• Dell OS9 Enterprise networking operating system
• Dell OS10 Enterprise networking operating system
• Dell EMC Networking S-Series (e.g., S4048) ToR switches in leaf/spine designs
• QSFP28 100GbE optical and DAC transceivers/cables
• QSFP28 to 4xSFP28 25GbE breakout DAC cables
• QSFP+ to QSFP+ 40GbE active optical and passive DAC cables
• QSFP28 to 2xQSFP28 50GbE breakout DAC cables
• Z9100 Cable Breakout Kits (MTP to LC, various port/fiber configurations)
• ReadyRails tool-less rack mounting kits
• Redundant hot-swappable 750W AC power supply units

Note: Compatibility is based on Dell's official Z9100-ON spec sheet and reseller documentation; verify transceiver and cable compatibility lists for specific firmware/OS versions before deployment.

• Dell PowerSwitch Z9100-ON switch unit
• 2 x AC power supply units (PSUs)
• Rail kit (ReadyRails)
• Console cable
• Documentation/Getting Started Guide

Q: What is the Dell GV46K part number?

A: GV46K is Dell's manufacturer part number for the PowerSwitch Z9100-ON, a 32-port fixed-configuration 10/25/40/50/100GbE data center switch.

Q: How many ports does the GV46K/Z9100-ON have?

A: It has 32 fixed QSFP28 ports configurable for 100/50/40/25/10GbE speeds, plus 2 additional SFP+ ports for 10GbE/1GbE/100MbE connectivity.

Q: What is the switching capacity of the Z9100-ON?

A: According to Dell's spec sheet and third-party documentation, it delivers up to 6.4 Tbps of switching I/O bandwidth in full duplex mode.

Q: Does the GV46K support redundant power supplies?

A: Yes, the switch is equipped with two redundant, hot-swappable AC power supplies rated up to 750W for high availability.

Q: What operating systems does the Z9100-ON support?

A: It ships with Dell OS9 or OS10 and supports ONIE, allowing installation of alternate network operating systems.

Q: What is the latency of this switch?

A: Third-party benchmarks and distributor documentation report latency below 500ns, with figures around 300ns for L2 and 400ns for L3 forwarding.

Q: What are the physical dimensions and weight of the GV46K?

A: Per Dell's installation manual, the unit measures 434 x 320 x 44 mm (1U) and weighs approximately 9.98 kg (22 lbs).

Q: What is the typical use case for this switch?

A: It is commonly deployed as a spine or leaf switch in Active Fabric data center architectures, HPC clusters, and high-density 100GbE aggregation environments.