The Dell 8YXH5 is a reverse-airflow fan module for the PowerSwitch N3200-ON and N2200-ON series, drawing air in at the power supplies and exhausting it at the port face. It is a hot-swappable field-replaceable unit.
Why airflow direction is the whole decision
A switch is only as good as its position in the hot aisle. In a conventional layout, equipment draws cool air from the cold aisle at the front and exhausts into the hot aisle at the back. A top-of-rack switch is usually mounted with its ports facing the cold aisle - because that is where the cables are - which puts its port face on the wrong side for normal airflow. Reverse airflow fixes that: air enters at the PSU end and leaves at the port end, so the switch exhausts into the hot aisle exactly like everything else in the rack.
Get this wrong and the switch recirculates its own exhaust. Every component in a reverse-airflow build has to agree - fans and power supplies both. Mixing a reverse-airflow fan with a normal-airflow supply produces two opposing air paths inside one chassis, and the switch will run hot regardless of ambient temperature.
Reading Dell's airflow markings
Dell encodes airflow in the part description rather than the part number. PSU-IO means air travels from the power supply side to the I/O side - reverse airflow, which is what this module is. IO-PSU is the normal-airflow counterpart. The switch itself carries the same marking, and the two must match.
Which switches take it
The N3200-ON and N2200-ON campus family: N3248TE-ON, N3248X-ON, N3248PXE-ON, N3224T-ON, N3224F-ON, N2224X-ON and N2248X-ON. Pair it with the matching reverse-airflow 550 W supply (Dell CRMRT or CRMCT) to keep the whole chassis flowing in one direction.
Condition
Refurbished, tested and covered with warranty.
Related models
Specifications
| Airflow direction | Reverse airflow (port-to-PSU, [PSU-IO]) |
|---|---|
| Platform | Dell PowerSwitch N3200-ON / N2200-ON series |
| Serviceability | Hot-swappable field-replaceable unit |
| Shipping weight | 0.3 lbs |
