Introduction

Enterprise-class stackable-switch for edge applications; meets the demanding needs of secure, converged networks.
The 3Com® Switch 4500 50-Port stackable Ethernet switch features rich Layer 2 switching and dynamic Layer 3 routing in a cost-effective, high performance platform.

With robust security, extensive management, traffic prioritization and quality of service features, the Switch 4500 50-Port capably handles emerging business applications.

Up to eight switches can be stacked via Gigabit Ethernet ports, allowing single-IP management for an entire stack.

48 10/100 ports and two dual-personality Gigabit ports allow the Switch 4500 to provide secure, dependable LAN connectivity for small to medium enterprise and branch office networks.

Features

# Security:
802.1X network access control combined with RADIUS authentication ensures secure access to resources. Additionally, RADIUS Authenticated Device Access (RADA) enables authentication of attached devices via MAC address.

Port-based Access Control Lists (ACLs) effectively enable usage policies at each point of access to the network via the switch.

Secure Shell (SSHv2) and SNMPv3 support ensure secure management access to switches via authentication and encryption of management traffic.

# Dynamic Voice over IP: Unique Voice VLAN feature detects the presence of IP phones and dynamically assigns switch ports to the Voice VLAN, enabling automated configuration and prioritization of VoIP traffic. This powerful feature minimizes cost and complexity associated with adding or moving IP phones.

# Performance:
Aggregate switching capacity up to 13.6 Gbps.

Dual Gigabit uplinks on each switch unit enable high-speed connections to the network backbone or locally attached servers.

# Prioritization and Bandwidth Management: Eight priority queues per port enable 802.1p Class of Service / Quality of Service (CoS/QoS). Bandwidth rate limiting and protocol filtering capabilities allow the Switch 4500 family to enforce controls on each port for efficient use of network resources and prioritization of "business-critical" or "time-sensitive" applications, including Voice over IP (VoIP).

# Flexibility and Scalability:
Each Gigabit port offers a choice of copper or fiber media: 1000Base-T (via RJ45) or 1000Base-X (via optional "SFP" Small Form Factor Pluggable transceiver modules).

Stacking capability allows up to 8 units to be combined in a single managed stack, scaling up to as many as 384 10/100 ports. A comprehensive set of switching features, including multicast filtering and Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol support, act to further improve scalability and availability of network resources.

# Management and Control:
Powered by the 3Com Operating System, the same proven software featured in 3Com premium enterprise switches - including the Switch 5500, Switch 7700, and Switch 8800 families.

Network configuration and control features are accessible via command line interface (CLI), or by using SNMP management software such as 3Com Enterprise Management Suite (EMS) and 3Com Network Director.

# Ease of Use: Dynamic routing with RIP (Routing Information Protocol) allows automatic updating of Layer 3 network topologies. Speed and duplex mode on all ports are negotiated automatically, preventing the possibility for improper configuration. Switches detect and adjust to cross-over or straight through cable connections via "Auto MDI/MDIX" feature, eliminating the need for different cables to interconnect network devices.

Specifications

# Ports: 48 autonegotiating 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX ports configured as auto MDI/MDIX; 2 dual-personality Gigabit port pairs: user configurable for RJ45 (copper) or SFP-based (fiber) interfaces.

# Performance: 13.6 Gbps forwarding bandwidth, 10.1 million packets per second, 8,000 MAC addresses, maximum

# Stacking: Up to 8 switch units, 384 10/100 ports; Single IP address and management interfaces for stack-wide control

# Layer 2: 802.1Q Port-based VLANs: 256, 802.3ad (LACP), Manual aggregation Trunk groups: 25 groups (48-port), 8 10/100 ports or 2 Gigabit ports per group, autonegotiation of port speed and duplex, 802.3x full-duplex flow control, back pressure flow control for half-duplex, 802.1D (STP), 802.1w (RSTP), BPDU protection included in Fast Start, Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) v1 and v2 snooping, IGMP Querier, filtering for 128 multicast groups

# Layer 3: Hardware-based routing, static routes: 12 in addition to the default address, dynamic / static ARP entries : 1990 / 10, IP interfaces: 4, RIP, v1 and v2: 2K via default route plus 10 locally learned routes, IGMP v1 and v2 snooping, DHCP Relay: 2 KB max

# Convergence: Eight hardware queues per port, 802.1p (CoS/QoS) on egress DSCP EF for prioritization of VoIP traffic, Weighted Round Robin, Egress rate limiting, port-based, Application and protocol blocking

# Security: 802.1X user authentication: RADIUS authentication, multiple users per port by locking to the MAC address, automatic port assignment of VLANs, multiple RADIUS server realm definitions, (RADA): authenticate devices based on MAC address against RADIUS server, authenticate multiple devices per port, automatic assignment of VLANs to a port specific to the devices attached, PAP, CHAP, EAPoL authentication, for multiple users per port and 1,024 users per fabric, port-based MAC address lockdown using DUD with continuous learning, wirespeed packet filtering in hardware, Layer 2/3/4 ACL filters: source and/or destination MAC address, 16-bit Ethertype, source and/or destination, IP address, TCP source and/or destination port, UDP source and/or destination port, MD5 cipher-text authentication and clear-text authentication for RIP v2 packets and SNMP v3 traffic, trusted MAC and IP address, concurrent sessions; four access-privilege levels, 802.1X network administrator authentication, secure management via SSH v2.0 or SNMPv3, management activity logs automatically recorded for detailed analysis, administrative password recovery

# Operating system: 3Com Operating System; shared with 3Com Switch 8800, 7700 and Router 6000

# 3Com management: 3Com Network Supervisor, 3Com Network Director, 3Com Enterprise Management Suite

# Other management: CLI via the console port or Telnet, embedded web management interface, system configuration with SNMP v1, 2, and 3, RMON groups: statistics, history, alarm, and events, ACL/QoS statistics, comprehensive IP interface statistics and rates, 1-to-1 port mirroring, ability to apply QoS profile to mirror port, forwarding only certain traffic types and preventing oversubscription of copy port, detailed alarm/debug information, supports ping and traceroute, backup and restore of software image, network debugging tools: DHCP Relay, UDP Helper, multiple configuration file support, Xmodem, FTP, TFTP

# Built-In power supply: AC Line Frequency: 50/60 Hz, Input Voltage: 90-240 VAC, Current Rating: 1.0A maximum

# IEEE standards: 802.1D (STP), 802.1p (CoS), 802.1Q (VLANs), 802.1w (RSTP), 802.1X (Security), 802.3 (Ethernet), 802.3ad (Link Aggregation), 802.3ab (1000BASE-T), 802.3i (10BASE-T), 802.3u (Fast Ethernet), 802.3x (Flow Control), 802.3z (Gigabit Ethernet)

# Emissions: CISPR 22 Class A, FCC Part 15 Class A, EN 55022 1998 Class A, ICES-003 Class A, VCCI Class A, EN 61000-3-2 2000, 61000-3-3

# Safety agency certifications: UL 60950, IEC 60950-1, EN 60950-1, CAN/CSA-C22.2, No. 60950-1-03

# Reliability: MTBF 47 years (411,000 hours)

# Dimensions: Height: 43.6 mm (1.7 in or 1U); width: 440 mm (17.3 in); depth: 270 mm (10.6 in)

# Weight: 3.3 kg (7.3 lb)

Package Contents

# Switch unit

# Documentation pack

# Console cable

# Rack mount kit

# Rubber feet

Photos