How do SONiC and RoCE mitigate network congestion for AI workloads?

Name: PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON
Brand: Dell
SKU: powerswitch-z9864f-on

To mitigate network congestion for demanding, synchronized AI workloads, SONiC and RoCEv2 work together to create a multi-layered, end-to-end congestion defense system. Because AI workloads generate massive, synchronized 'elephant flows' that require lossless data transmission, these technologies utilize mechanisms like DCQCN, Priority Flow Control (PFC), and Dynamic Load Balancing to prevent packet drops and minimize latency.

Dell Networking Dell PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON

A 2U fixed switch based on the Broadcom Tomahawk 5 NPU, providing 64 ports of 800GbE (OSFP112) with a 102.4 Tbps switching capacity.

Spine800G EthernetAI / Modern DC

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SKU: powerswitch-z9864f-on

Ports: 64x 800 GbE OSFP112, 2x SFP+
Capacity: 51.2 Tbps
NPU: Broadcom Tomahawk™ 5

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Overview of Data Center Switches

Dense, high-capacity, top-of-rack and aggregation switches for spine and leaf data center architectures.

Fiber models with high-performance for modern data centers.

Best For:

Hyperscale data center spines and super-spines
High-performance cloud infrastructure
Massive east-west traffic architectures

Scalable networking for the data center

Optimize your network with flexible, scalable, and high-performance data center switches. Designed for modern workloads, PowerSwitch aggregation and top-of-rack (ToR) switches deliver reliable and agile spine and leaf data center architectures, and enable seamless migration to software-defined data centers.

Overview of PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON

PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON Key Specifications

Built for hyperscale data centers, this switch supports massive east-west traffic with industry-leading port density and throughput, enabling high-speed, low-latency performance across the largest data center fabrics.

NPU

Broadcom Tomahawk™ 5

Switch Capacity

51.2 Tbps

Forwarding

20.3 Bpps

Ports

64x 800 GbE OSFP112, 2x SFP+

Ideal Workloads

AI & Machine Learning Fabrics: Purpose-built to handle the intense, non-blocking traffic requirements of GPU clusters training large language models (LLMs) and trillion-parameter generative AI.

AI Fabric Ready

Utilizes Enterprise SONiC and RoCEv2 for end-to-end congestion management, reducing P99 tail latency by up to 77% for lossless AI workloads. Read our "Building Generative AI Fabrics: Dell PowerSwitch (Ethernet) vs. NVIDIA InfiniBand (Quantum)" deep dive

Features

Select hardware and software independently with our open standards-based switches, eliminating vendor lock-in for ultimate scalability.

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Flexible, open networking

Select hardware and software independently with our open standards-based switches, eliminating vendor lock-in for ultimate scalability.

Extreme performance

Accelerate workloads with line-rate throughput, low latency, and intelligent data center fabrics designed to handle demanding environments.

Simple management

Simplify deployment and lifecycle management with intuitive tools including Enterprise SONiC Distribution by Dell Technologies.

Efficient operation

Optimize power and cooling with compact 1U and 2U PowerSwitch models. Dell Smart Fabric Services automates management, reducing energy waste and cooling costs.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Data Center Switch

Choosing based on specs instead of workload
Fix: Start with your environment. Hyperscale switches are designed for massive east-west traffic. Make sure your workload actually demands this level of throughput.
Overbuilding your spine when your leaf layer is the bottleneck
Fix: Evaluate where your actual bottleneck is before investing in maximum spine throughput.
Better fit: PowerSwitch Z9664F-ON, PowerSwitch Z9432F-ON
Deploying hyperscale where mid-scale is sufficient
Fix: Not every rack needs 800 GbE. Use hyperscale at the spine and right-size your leaf switches.
For leaf / ToR: PowerSwitch Z9664F-ON, PowerSwitch Z9432F-ON

Technical Details

Hardware Specifications

Complete technical specifications for the PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON.

PERFORMANCE

NPUBroadcom Tomahawk™ 5

Switch Capacity51.2 Tbps

Forwarding Capacity20.3 Bpps

Latency<700 ns

CONNECTIVITY

Ports64x 800 GbE OSFP112, 2x SFP+

Buffer Size165 MB

For full specifications, please reference the datasheet (PDF).

Frequently Asked Questions

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Dell's data center switches are high-performance network switches designed for modern data centers. They provide the foundation for scalable, automated, and secure networking, helping you handle demanding workloads and drive business innovation.

Dell PowerSwitch delivers high-density, low-latency connectivity from 1GbE to 800GbE to eliminate network bottlenecks. Their open, standards-based architecture supports massive fabric scaling and seamless integration, ensuring your infrastructure can grow efficiently with your business demands.

The "-ON" (Open Networking) suffix indicates that the switch supports a choice of third-party operating systems, giving you the flexibility to build a network that fits your specific operational model.

The PowerSwitch Z-Series, particularly the Z9864F-ON, is engineered for high-performance data center spines and super-spines. It offers industry-leading 800GbE density and throughput to support the most demanding cloud, AI/ML, and large-scale enterprise workloads.

Dell PowerSwitch Layer 3 switches provide advanced routing capabilities to direct traffic efficiently across different network segments, which is critical for modern data center design. Many models in the S-Series offer flexible SFP+ ports for high-speed 10GbE fiber connectivity.

Yes, the Dell PowerSwitch E-Series includes multi-gigabit switches with 48-port configurations that support high-power PoE. These switches are ideal for powering devices like wireless access points, IP cameras, and VoIP phones.

A Top-of-Rack switch connects servers and storage within a single rack to the broader data center network, simplifying cabling and improving performance. The Dell PowerSwitch S- and Z-Series offers a range of 1 to 800 GbE switches that are perfectly suited for Top-of-Rack deployments, providing high-density connectivity and low latency.

Dell's data center switches like PowerSwitch provide the high-bandwidth, low-latency fabric essential for large data transfers in AI training and inference workloads. With support for up to 800GbE and advanced features, they ensure your network can keep pace with accelerated computing and storage.

Dell PowerSwitch incorporates a multi-layered security approach, including features like port security, access control lists (ACLs), Hardware Root of Trust features, Secure Boot, Trusted Platform Module TPM 2.0 and authentication protocols to safeguard your network. Open Networking models also support advanced security software to help you build a Zero Trust-ready architecture.

Yes, PowerSwitch is designed for modern, automated environments and support a wide range of management tools. They offer standard CLI, REST APIs, and support for automation frameworks like Ansible, allowing for seamless integration into your existing DevOps and NetOps workflows. They also offer SmartFabric Manager for SONiC, enabling simplified deployment, orchestration, monitoring and life cycle management of SONiC fabrics through a single pane of glass.

Product Comparison

Compare Fiber

See how the PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON stacks up against other models in the lineup.

Model

NPU

Capacity

Ports

PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON Current

Broadcom Tomahawk™ 5

51.2 Tbps

64x 800 GbE OSFP112, 2x SFP+

PowerSwitch Z9664F-ON

Broadcom Tomahawk™ 4

25.6 Tbps

64x 400 GbE QSFP56-DD, 2x 10 GbE SFP+

PowerSwitch Z9432F-ON

Broadcom Trident4-X11™

12.8 Tbps

32x 400 GbE QSFP56-DD, 2x 10 GbE SFP+

PowerSwitch S5448F-ON

Broadcom Trident4™-X9

16 Tbps

48x 100 GbE QSFP56-DD, 8x 400 GbE QSFP56-DD, 2x 10 GbE SFP+

PowerSwitch S5232F-ON

Broadcom Trident3™-X7

6.4 Tbps

32x 100 GbE QSFP28, 2x 10 GbE SFP+

PowerSwitch S5296F-ON

Broadcom Trident3™-X7

6.4 Tbps

96x 25 GbE SFP28, 8x 100 GbE QSFP28

PowerSwitch S5248F-ON

Broadcom Trident3™-X7

4 Tbps

48x 25 GbE SFP28, 4x 100 GbE QSFP28, 2x 100 GbE QSFP28-DD

PowerSwitch S5224F-ON

Broadcom Trident3™-X5

2.16 Tbps

24x 25 GbE SFP28, 4x 100 GbE QSFP28

PowerSwitch S5212F-ON

Broadcom Trident3™-X5

2.16 Tbps

12x 25 GbE SFP28, 3x 100 GbE QSFP28

PowerSwitch S4348F-ON

Broadcom Trident3™-X5

2160 Gbps

48x 10 GbE SFP+, 6x 100 GbE QSFP28

PowerSwitch S4148F-ON

Broadcom Maverick

1760 Gbps

48x 10 GbE SFP+, 2x QSFP+, 4x 100 GbE QSFP28

PowerSwitch S4128F-ON

Broadcom Maverick

960 Gbps

28x 10 GbE SFP+, 2x 100 GbE QSFP28

PowerSwitch S4112F-ON

Broadcom Maverick

840 Gbps

12x 10 GbE SFP+, 3x 100 GbE QSFP28

Copper

Dense, high-capacity, top-of-rack and aggregation switches for spine and leaf data center architectures.

Explore Copper

Out-of-Band Management

Dedicated switches for management, orchestration, and troubleshooting of production infrastructure.

Explore Out-of-Band Management

Downloads

Documentation & Resources

Access datasheets and technical resources for the PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON.

Hardware Spec Sheet

Complete hardware specifications, port configurations, and performance data.

Download PDF

Quick Reference Guide

A high-level architecture guide covering best practices for spine-and-leaf deployments.

Download Guide

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Also Consider

PowerSwitch Z9664F-ON

Spine 400G Ethernet High Density

NPU: Broadcom Tomahawk™ 4
Capacity: 25.6 Tbps
Ports: 64x 400 GbE QSFP56-DD, 2x 10 GbE SFP+

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PowerSwitch Z9432F-ON

Leaf 400G Ethernet Entry Deploy

NPU: Broadcom Trident4-X11™
Capacity: 12.8 Tbps
Ports: 32x 400 GbE QSFP56-DD, 2x 10 GbE SFP+

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Dell Networking Dell PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON

Dense, high-capacity, top-of-rack and aggregation switches for spine and leaf data center architectures.

Scalable networking for the data center

PowerSwitch Z9864F-ON Key Specifications

Ideal Workloads

AI Fabric Ready

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Data Center Switch

Hardware Specifications

PERFORMANCE

CONNECTIVITY

Frequently Asked Questions

What are data center switches?

How do Dell PowerSwitch solutions enhance data center performance and scalability?

What is the difference between Dell PowerSwitch models with and without the "-ON" suffix?

Which Dell PowerSwitch series is best for high-density 800GbE data center fabrics?

What are Dell PowerSwitch Layer 3 switches, and which models include SFP+ ports?

Does the Dell PowerSwitch portfolio include 48-port Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches?

What is the role of a Top-of-Rack switch?

How do Dell data center switches support modern workloads like AI and machine learning?

What security features are built into Dell PowerSwitch data center switches?

Can Dell PowerSwitch switches be managed with existing network automation tools?

Compare Fiber

Copper

Out-of-Band Management

Documentation & Resources

Also Consider

PowerSwitch Z9664F-ON

PowerSwitch Z9432F-ON