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# About top-of-rack switches

Top-of-rack switches provide a unified, converged fabric over 10-Gb Ethernet for LAN and SAN traffic. This unification enables network consolidation, reducing the number of adapters and cables required and eliminating redundant switches.

A configuration of enclosures, server blades, and third-party devices—such as top-of-rack switches—provides scalability in managing server blades and higher demand for bandwidth from each server with access-layer redundancy. See the HPE OneView Support Matrix for the complete list of supported devices.

Modular data centers, deploying both individual server blades and racks of server blades, can use a top-of-rack switch deployment model as a solution for network consolidation. You can increase data center flexibility by placing switching resources in each rack so that server connectivity can be aggregated.

Integration with top-of-rack switches provides the following benefits:

- A distributed modular system that creates a scalable server access environment

- One single point of management and policy enforcement

- Reduced operational expenses (less cabling, reduced power consumption for operation and cooling, effective bandwidth utilization)

Currently, HPE OneView support for these resources focuses on providing a monitored view of the environment with the ability for limited configuration changes on the interconnect facing ports. Firmware update is not supported. HPE OneView supports status and configuration monitoring and compliance monitoring of Cisco Nexus top-of-rack switches when they are operating as access switches and connected directly to a Cisco FEX (Cisco Fabric Extender for BladeSystem) in an enclosure.

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