ExtremeCloud Orchestrator vs Dell SmartFabric Manager

ExtremeCloud Orchestrator9.0Visit Dell SmartFabric Manager8.8Visit

Higher score ExtremeCloud Orchestrator #3 in Data Center Fabric Software 9.0/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 4 features Contact Extreme

vs

Dell SmartFabric Manager #5 in Data Center Fabric Software 8.8/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 4 features Contact Dell

• ExtremeCloud Orchestrator fits best

  Teams operating EVPN-VXLAN IP fabrics

• Dell SmartFabric Manager fits best

  Mid-market and enterprise SONiC fabric operations

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Side by side

Feature	ExtremeCloud Orchestrator 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Dell SmartFabric Manager 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.8
Ranking	#3 in Data Center Fabric Software	#5 in Data Center Fabric Software
Best for	Teams operating EVPN-VXLAN IP fabrics	Mid-market and enterprise SONiC fabric operations
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Pricing on request
Free plan	Not checked yet	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Support	Email, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone
Integrations	3 integrations	1 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features ExtremeCloud Orchestrator 3/4 · Dell SmartFabric Manager 2/4
Fabric automation	✓	✓
Multi-vendor management	—	—
Fabric assurance	✓	✓
API access	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported fabrics	Small data-center (non-Clos), 3-stage IP Clos, 5-stage IP Clos; BGP underlay with BGP or EVPN overlay; EVPN-VXLAN	SONiC
Deployment model	On-premises	On-premises
Our review
Pros	Automates deployment and lifecycle management across several IP fabric designs Supports EVPN-VXLAN overlays and tenant VLAN, VRF, BGP, EVPN and VTEP services Integrates with VMware vCenter, OpenStack ML2 and Microsoft SCVMM	Builds fabric configurations from blueprints or through the UI Configures fabrics, tenants, networks, and routing policies Tracks fabric health, connectivity, bandwidth, and flow metrics
Cons	Management is limited to Extreme fabrics, not multi-vendor environments Licensing is an annual subscription, with pricing available through sales or partners Self-hosted deployment requires an on-premises server, OVA or TPVM instance	Supports SONiC rather than multi-vendor fabric management Requires self-hosted deployment on a VM or Linux server Pricing requires contacting Dell sales
Our verdict	ExtremeCloud Orchestrator (XCO) gives teams a centralized interface and APIs for deploying, provisioning, configuring, monitoring and managing Extreme IP fabrics. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise organizations operating data-center… Read the review →	Dell SmartFabric Manager is software for deploying and operating network connectivity for Dell ISG solutions using SONiC. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise data center teams that need to discover and manage switches, configure… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• ExtremeCloud Orchestrator — where it wins

  • Automates deployment and lifecycle management across several IP fabric designs
  • Supports EVPN-VXLAN overlays and tenant VLAN, VRF, BGP, EVPN and VTEP services
  • Integrates with VMware vCenter, OpenStack ML2 and Microsoft SCVMM

  Where it doesn't

  • Management is limited to Extreme fabrics, not multi-vendor environments
  • Licensing is an annual subscription, with pricing available through sales or partners
  • Self-hosted deployment requires an on-premises server, OVA or TPVM instance

• Dell SmartFabric Manager — where it wins

  • Builds fabric configurations from blueprints or through the UI
  • Configures fabrics, tenants, networks, and routing policies
  • Tracks fabric health, connectivity, bandwidth, and flow metrics

  Where it doesn't

  • Supports SONiC rather than multi-vendor fabric management
  • Requires self-hosted deployment on a VM or Linux server
  • Pricing requires contacting Dell sales

• ExtremeCloud Orchestrator9.0/10 · Pricing on request

  A self-hosted control point for automating Extreme IP fabric deployment and operations.

  Contact ExtremeFull verdict →
• Dell SmartFabric Manager8.8/10 · Pricing on request

  A self-hosted SONiC fabric manager for blueprint-based configuration and operational monitoring.

  Contact DellFull verdict →