The Dell Networking MX7116n Fabric Expander Module (FEM) acts as an Ethernet repeater, taking signals from an attached compute sled and repeating them to the associated lane on the external QSFP28-DD connector. The MX7116n FEM provides two QSFP28-DD interfaces, each providing up to eight 25 GbE connections to the chassis.There is no operating system or switching ASIC on the MX7116n FEM, so it never requires an upgrade. There is also no management or user interface, making the MX7116n FEM maintenance-free. The PowerEdge MX7000 chassis supports up to four MX7116n FEMs in Fabric A or Fabric B, or both.
Note: The MX7116n FEM cannot act as a stand-alone switch and must be connected to the MX9116n Fabric Switching Engine (FSE) to function.