Dell PowerSwitch S5248F-ON vs S5232F-ON
Dell PowerSwitch S5248F-ON
Dell PowerSwitch S5232F-ON
The Dell PowerSwitch S5248F-ON and S5232F-ON are both members of Dell's S5200-ON open networking family: 1U, fixed-configuration data center switches built on Broadcom Trident3 silicon and running Dell SmartFabric OS10 (with third-party NOS options through the ONIE boot loader). They are designed to work together rather than compete head-to-head. The S5248F-ON is a 25GbE-optimized top-of-rack (ToR) or leaf switch that fans out high-density server and storage connectivity, while the S5232F-ON is a 100GbE-dense switch typically deployed as a spine or aggregation layer above those leaves. Choosing between them is mostly a question of where the box sits in your fabric and what speed your endpoints actually need. This page lays out the practical differences so an Uniqcli buyer can match the right model to the role.
Side by side
| Dell PowerSwitch S5248F-ON | Dell PowerSwitch S5232F-ON | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | Top-of-rack / leaf switch for servers and storage | Spine / aggregation switch, or high-density 100GbE ToR |
| Port configuration | 48x 25GbE SFP28 + 6x 100GbE QSFP28 uplinks | 32x 100GbE QSFP28 + 2x 10GbE SFP+ |
| Switching capacity | 2.0 Tbps (4.0 Tbps full-duplex) | 6.4 Tbps |
| Port flexibility / breakout | 25GbE downlinks (also support 10GbE); 100GbE uplinks can break out to lower rates | Multi-rate 100GbE ports run 10/25/40/50/100GbE; up to ~124 ports of 25GbE breakout |
| Operating system | Dell SmartFabric OS10 or third-party NOS via ONIE | Dell SmartFabric OS10 or third-party NOS via ONIE |
| Form factor | 1U, hot-swap redundant PSUs and fans, reversible airflow options | 1U, hot-swap redundant PSUs and fans, reversible airflow options |
| Best-fit endpoints | 25GbE/10GbE-attached compute and storage nodes | 100GbE-attached leaves, high-bandwidth servers, or storage arrays |
| Typical fabric position | Connects the racks | Connects the leaves |
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Dell PowerSwitch S5248F-ON
Dell PowerSwitch S5232F-ON
Choose the S5248F-ON
Pick the S5248F-ON when you are connecting servers and storage directly and most of those endpoints use 25GbE (or 10GbE) NICs. Its 48 SFP28 downlinks give you dense per-rack access, and the six 100GbE QSFP28 ports provide ample uplink bandwidth into a spine. This is the standard leaf or ToR choice for virtualization clusters, vSAN/Ceph nodes, and general-purpose compute racks where the switch's job is to aggregate a rack of 25GbE hosts. If your cost-per-port and rack density matter more than raw 100GbE port count, the S5248F-ON is the efficient fit.
Choose the S5232F-ON
Pick the S5232F-ON when you need 100GbE density: as a spine that aggregates many leaf switches, or as a ToR for racks full of 100GbE-attached servers, GPU nodes, or high-throughput storage arrays. Its 32 QSFP28 ports and 6.4 Tbps fabric give you the headroom to build a non-oversubscribed leaf-and-spine fabric, and the multi-rate ports plus heavy breakout support (up to ~124 ports of 25GbE) let one chassis serve double duty. If your design is bandwidth-bound at the aggregation layer or your endpoints are moving to 100GbE, this is the switch that scales.
These two switches are complementary, not interchangeable. In a typical leaf-and-spine data center fabric you would deploy S5248F-ON switches at the leaf to connect 25GbE servers and storage, and S5232F-ON switches at the spine to aggregate those leaves over 100GbE. Decide by endpoint speed and fabric position: 25GbE access racks point to the S5248F-ON, while 100GbE aggregation or 100GbE-attached racks point to the S5232F-ON. Because both run the same Dell SmartFabric OS10 and share the S5200-ON platform, mixing them in one fabric is straightforward and gives you a consistent management and automation experience. Uniqcli can help size the leaf-to-spine ratio, optics, and breakout cabling for your specific rack count and oversubscription target.
Talk to a specialistFrequently asked
Can I use the S5232F-ON and S5248F-ON together in the same network?
Yes, and that is the intended design. The S5248F-ON typically serves as the 25GbE leaf/ToR layer and the S5232F-ON as the 100GbE spine that aggregates those leaves. Both run Dell SmartFabric OS10 on the shared S5200-ON platform, so they share management, automation, and feature behavior, which makes building a consistent leaf-and-spine fabric straightforward.
What is the main difference between the two switches?
Port speed mix and total capacity. The S5248F-ON is 25GbE-dense (48x 25GbE SFP28 plus 6x 100GbE uplinks, 2.0 Tbps), built to connect servers and storage. The S5232F-ON is 100GbE-dense (32x 100GbE QSFP28, 6.4 Tbps), built to aggregate leaves or connect 100GbE endpoints. They sit at different layers of the fabric rather than competing for the same role.
Do both switches support breakout cables to lower speeds?
Yes. Both use multi-rate QSFP28 ports that support breakout to lower speeds. The S5232F-ON's 100GbE ports run 10/25/40/50/100GbE and support a large amount of 25GbE breakout (up to roughly 124 ports), while the S5248F-ON's 100GbE uplinks can break out as well, on top of its native 48 SFP28 ports that handle 25GbE and 10GbE. Uniqcli can confirm the exact supported breakout combinations and the right optics or DAC cables for your configuration.
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