MGRTC - Dell Brocade M6505 16Gbps FC SAN I/O Blade Switch

Dell MGRTC is the Brocade M6505 16Gbps Fibre Channel SAN I/O switch module for the PowerEdge M1000e blade enclosure, scalable 12-24 ports.

Dell MGRTC is the manufacturer part number for the Brocade M6505 16 Gbps Fibre Channel SAN I/O Module, a hot-pluggable blade switch purpose-built for the Dell PowerEdge M1000e blade server enclosure. It provides eight external Fibre Channel ports (expandable to 24 total ports via a Ports on Demand license) and 16 internal ports connecting directly to blade server mezzanine cards, eliminating the need for external SAN switches and cabling. The module supports auto-sensing speeds of 4, 8, and 16 Gbps on external ports, and 8/16 Gbps internally, and can operate in either NPIV-based Access Gateway mode or as a full-fabric Fibre Channel switch. It is designed to simplify SAN connectivity, reduce data center footprint, and deliver enterprise-class diagnostics, monitoring, and redundancy for virtualized and storage-intensive environments.

• Manufacturer: Dell
• Product Family: Brocade M-Series
• Product Series: Brocade M6505
• Dell Part Number / MPN: MGRTC (also cross-referenced as 0MGRTC, 0M6505, HTPC7, T6RG7, 1K4W5, 00K3M)
• Product Type: 16 Gbps Fibre Channel SAN I/O Blade Switch Module
• Form Factor: Blade I/O module for Dell PowerEdge M1000e enclosure
• External Ports: 8 external Fibre Channel SFP+ ports, scalable to 24 with Ports on Demand (POD) license
• Internal Ports: 16 internal ports to blade server mezzanine cards
• External Port Speed: Auto-sensing 4, 8, or 16 Gbps
• Internal Port Speed: 8 Gbps or 16 Gbps
• Switching Bandwidth: Up to 192 Gbps aggregate switching bandwidth
• Management Port: 1 serial port with RJ-45 connector
• Operating Modes: Brocade Access Gateway (NPIV) mode or Native Fabric (full-fabric) switch mode
• Transceivers: Hot-pluggable Brocade-branded SFP+ optical transceivers only
• Operating System: Brocade Fabric OS
• Management Software: Brocade Advanced Web Tools, Advanced Performance Monitoring, Brocade Fabric Watch, Brocade Network Advisor, CLI
• Management Protocols: HTTP, SNMP v1/v3, SSH, Syslog, SMI-S compliant
• Security: Administrative Domains, auditing, trial licenses for add-on security capabilities
• Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
• Nonoperating Temperature: -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F)
• Operating Altitude: Up to 3,048 m (10,000 ft)
• Operating Relative Humidity: 10% to 90% noncondensing
• Dimensions: Approx. 10.74 in (H) x 10.74 in (W) x 12.09 in (D)
• Compatible Chassis: Dell PowerEdge M1000e Blade Enclosure (I/O bays B or C)
• Warranty (Reseller Refurbished): 90 days to 1 year, varies by reseller

• Zero-footprint blade design integrated directly into the M1000e chassis
• Scalable from 12 to 24 ports via Dynamic Ports on Demand (POD) licensing
• Auto-sensing external port speeds of 4, 8, and 16 Gbps
• Supports NPIV-enabled Access Gateway mode for simplified SAN edge management
• Can also operate as a full-fabric native Fibre Channel switch
• Up to four switch modules supported per chassis for redundancy
• Hot-pluggable SFP+ optical transceiver support
• Advanced diagnostics, monitoring, and Fabric Watch health reporting
• Consolidated I/O reduces cabling complexity across blade servers
• SMI-S compliant for integration with storage management frameworks
• Compatible with Brocade B-Series, M-Series, and other NPIV-enabled SAN fabrics
• Non-disruptive scalability supporting pay-as-you-grow deployments

Designed to deliver consolidated, high-speed Fibre Channel SAN connectivity for blade server environments.

• Connecting Dell PowerEdge M1000e blade servers to enterprise SAN storage fabrics
• Consolidating Fibre Channel I/O in virtualized data center environments
• Simplifying SAN edge management using NPIV Access Gateway mode
• Scaling SAN port capacity dynamically as blade server workloads grow
• Providing redundant SAN connectivity paths within a single blade chassis
• Supporting enterprise storage in cloud computing and large-scale virtualization deployments
• Replacing external top-of-rack FC switches to reduce cabling and rack space

• Reduces data center cabling complexity
• Scales ports without hardware replacement
• Simplifies SAN fabric management via NPIV
• Supports high-density blade server storage I/O
• Enables redundant, high-availability SAN paths
• Lowers total cost of ownership vs external switches

• Height: 10.74 inches
• Width: 10.74 inches
• Depth: 12.09 inches
• Form Factor: Blade I/O module (installs in M1000e I/O bay B or C)

Per available documentation, this product is validated for:

• Dell PowerEdge M1000e Blade Server Enclosure
• Dell PowerEdge M-Series blade servers with Fibre Channel mezzanine cards
• Brocade B-Series SAN fabrics (via NPIV Access Gateway mode)
• Brocade M-Series SAN fabrics
• Cisco and other NPIV-enabled SAN fabrics (in Access Gateway mode)
• Brocade-branded 16Gbps, 8Gbps, and 4Gbps SFP+ transceivers
• Brocade Network Advisor SAN Enterprise/Professional management software

Note: Requires the M1000e chassis 1.1 mid-plane revision for full functionality; only Brocade-branded SFP+ transceivers are supported for guaranteed operation.

• Brocade M6505 16Gbps FC SAN I/O Module (Dell MGRTC)
• SFP+ transceivers (quantity varies by port configuration/vendor listing)
• Documentation/quick start reference (varies by reseller)

Q: What product does Dell MPN MGRTC correspond to?

A: MGRTC is the Dell part number for the Brocade M6505 16Gbps Fibre Channel SAN I/O Module, a blade switch for the PowerEdge M1000e enclosure, as confirmed by Dell documentation and multiple resellers.

Q: How many ports does the Brocade M6505 (MGRTC) support?

A: It ships with 8 external and 16 internal ports, and per Dell's owner's manual, the module can be upgraded to 24 total ports using a Ports on Demand (POD) license.

Q: What Fibre Channel speeds does this module support?

A: According to Dell's official documentation, external ports operate at 4, 8, or 16 Gbps, while internal ports support 8 Gbps and 16 Gbps speeds.

Q: Does the MGRTC switch require a specific chassis revision?

A: Yes, per Dell's support article, the Brocade M6505 requires the M1000e chassis 1.1 mid-plane revision to support full-speed functionality across all fabrics.

Q: Can the Brocade M6505 operate as a full-fabric switch?

A: Yes, Dell's product documentation confirms the switch can be deployed either as a Brocade Access Gateway (NPIV mode) or as a full native-fabric Fibre Channel switch.

Q: What transceivers are compatible with the MGRTC module?

A: Only Brocade-branded hot-pluggable SFP+ optical transceivers are supported, as stated in Dell's Owner's Manual for the M1000e enclosure.

Q: What SAN fabrics can the M6505 connect to in Access Gateway mode?

A: In Access Gateway mode, per third-party technical documentation, it can connect to NPIV-enabled Brocade B-Series, Brocade M-Series, and other compatible SAN fabrics.

Q: Is the Dell MGRTC (Brocade M6505) still available new from Dell?

A: The M6505 is an older generation blade switch primarily found through refurbished/reseller channels such as Alta Technologies and RenewTech, indicating it is largely end-of-sale from Dell's direct new-unit catalog.