New MES3500I-24F industrial management-level switch overview

In 2025, we are expanding our industrial equipment range. Previously, the MES switch line was expanded with the MES3500I-8P8F edge switch. In October, the MES3500I-24F industrial management-level switch is launched to mass production.

The switch has 20 × 1G SFP ports, 4 × 1G Combo ports and 4 × 10G SFP+ uplink ports. Bandwidth of 128 Gbps and non-blocking architecture ensure stable data transmission, even under high load.

The switch implements L3 features essential for deployment of fault-tolerant and scalable networks. For traffic isolation, the VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) technology is used, that enables the separation of traffic from different segments within a single device.

The switch supports the OSPF, IS-IS, BGP, RIP dynamic routing protocols and the PIM SM/DM Multicast routing protocols for optimal data delivery in high-density networks.

MES3500I-24F is designed for networks where continuous data transmission is critical. The switch has a number of solutions to provide fault tolerance. The ERPS (Ethernet Ring Protection Switching) protocol is implemented to ensure rapid connection recovery in case of a line failure, minimizing switchover time. Two hot-swappable AC/DC power supplies are also available.

Stacking of up to 8 devices allows switches to be combined into a single logical system. For system management, a dedicated OOB port is provided, which remains accessible even if the primary network fails.

The device is equipped with multi-layered security mechanisms to prevent unauthorized connections, traffic spoofing, and network attacks. Features include DHCP Snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection, and IP Source Guard.

For traffic filtering, ACL L2–L4 is used. Additional protection mechanisms against DoS attacks are also implemented.

MES3500I-24F can be used in a variety of applications. For example, on production facilities, the switch is used to aggregate data from conveyor zones. Several programmable logic controllers (PLCs) assigned to different conveyor zones are connected to the switch in the control cabinet. The equipment transmits signals to the SCADA server, which provides the operator with centralized real-time monitoring of the entire line status.

In critical technological processes such as chemical or energy facilities, 1U switches are used to implement a redundant ring topology, which guarantees network operability even if one of the links is broken.

The new model can be used in conjunction with other Eltex equipment, ensuring complete transmission infrastructure. Detailed information on how to deploy an industrial network infrastructure with the MES switches lineup can be found in the “Solutions” section.

To learn more about MES3500I-24F, please contact Eltex Sales Department at foreign.sales@eltex-co.ru.