Reference Guide

5 Management Networks for Dell EMC Networking
Introduction
Production networks consist of one or more Ethernet switches that carry production traffic data from end to
end. Administrators must be able to access the production switches to manage them. For small networks with
switches that are physically accessible in the same room, it is easier for the administrator to access and
connect to each switch using the console port. This method is used when the initial configuration is performed
and may be used for continued management of the switch. In most instances, however, production networks
are too large to configure and manage one switch at a time through the console port. These larger networks
contain many switches that are scattered across multiple rooms, buildings, cities, and beyond. In these
situations, a management network that is separate from the production network is preferred and offers many
benefits.
Management networks allow administrators to configure, manage, and monitor all devices in the network
including switches and servers. There are three types of management networks that are widely used with Dell
EMC networked devices. This document provides the pros and cons of each management network type and
assists you in selecting one or more methods to suit your needs.
1.1 Purpose of this document
Table 1 describes what is and what is not the purpose of this document.
Is/is not
This document is:
This document is not:
Used to configure a management network
A guide for managing the production network
Used to connect Dell EMC devices
An interoperability guide for non-Dell devices
For connecting to devices remotely for configuring
A guide for configuring the production network
Provides access to production network devices
For performance analysis, telemetry, or other use
1.2 Typographical conventions
The CLI and GUI examples in this document use the following conventions:
Monospace Text CLI examples
Underlined Monospace Text CLI examples that wrap the page
Italic Monospace Text Variables in CLI examples
Bold Monospace Text Commands entered at the CLI prompt, or to highlight information in CLI
. output
Bold text UI elements and information that is entered in the GUI