Reference Guide

16 Management Networks for Dell EMC Networking
Out-of-band (OOB) management networks
The OOB management network is a separate network that is solely for management traffic. The network uses
the dedicated management port on each switch to connect to a management switch dedicated for
management traffic. Production traffic initiated by the network end-users does not traverse the OOB
management network. An OOB management network is typically desired in most data centers, large
enterprises, and backbone networks of service providers, where network management is critical. This
topology has the advantage of fast connection speeds of Ethernet over the speeds of serial connections that
are shown in the previous topology. The managed devices use IP addresses through static assignment or a
DHCP server.
This solution requires the addition of one or more dedicated management switches (as discussed in section
4.1). Using an OOB Ethernet network provides the following benefits:
• Continued access when the production network becomes misconfigured
• Continued access during production network cabling failures
• Accessible through IP protocols such as SSH, HTTPS, Telnet, and HTTP
• Allows for OOB ACLs for identity and security
OOB management to :
iDRAC
iDRAC
MM and CMC
OOB
Server
Server
Chassis
(MX, FX2, etc.)
Other device
Leaf Switch
Leaf Switch
- Server iDRAC ports
OOB
OOB
MGMT Switch
Upstream
Management Network
- Chassis MM and CMC ports
- Switch OOB ports
- Other devices OOB ports
- Upstream network
OOB management network of a single rack