Overview of Switching

Select Dell SonicWALL appliances provide combined security and switching solutions. Layer 2 switching features enhance the deployment and interoperability of Dell SonicWALL devices within existing Layer-2 networks.

Flexible, intelligent switching capabilities with this unique PortShield architecture, increase port density with 26 interfaces, and advanced switching features.

NOTE: The advanced switching features are supported only on NSA and SuperMassive platforms.

The advanced switching features on a network security appliance provide the following benefits:

•	Increased port density – With one appliance providing 26 interfaces, including 24 switch ports, you can decrease the number of devices on your internal network.

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Increased security across multiple switch ports – The PortShield architecture provides the flexibility to configure all 26 LAN switch ports into separate security zones such as LANs, WLANs and DMZs, providing protection not only from the WAN and DMZ, but also between devices inside the LAN. Effectively, each security zone has its own wire-speed ‘mini-switch’ that benefits from the protection of a dedicated deep packet inspection firewall.

The switching features have their own menu group in the left navigation pane of the SonicOS management interface.

Some switching features operate on PortShield Groups and require preliminary configuration on the Network > PortShield Groups page. Some operate on existing Network > Interface configurations. The Port Security feature uses MAC address objects. For more information about configuring these related features in SonicOS, see the corresponding sections:

•	Configuring Interface Settings

•	Configuring PortShield Groups

•	Configuring Address Objects