Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric vs Dell SmartFabric Manager

HIHuawei iMaster NCE-Fabric9.2Visit Dell SmartFabric Manager8.8Visit

Higher score HI Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric #2 in Data Center Fabric Software 9.2/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 4 features Contact Huawei

vs

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

• Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric fits best

  Huawei-based VXLAN data-center fabrics

• Dell SmartFabric Manager fits best

  Mid-market and enterprise SONiC fabric operations

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Side by side

Feature	HIHuawei iMaster NCE-Fabric 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Dell SmartFabric Manager 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.8
Ranking	#2 in Data Center Fabric Software	#5 in Data Center Fabric Software
Best for	Huawei-based VXLAN data-center 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
Platforms	Linux	Web, Linux
Support	Email, Tickets, Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone
Integrations	7 integrations	1 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric 0/4 · Dell SmartFabric Manager 2/4
Fabric automation	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Multi-vendor management	Not checked yet	—
Fabric assurance	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
API access	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported fabrics	Not checked yet	SONiC
Deployment model	On-premises	On-premises
Our review
Pros	Automates provisioning, onboarding, and orchestration across data-center networks Supports centralized, distributed, and hybrid VXLAN overlays Connects with OpenStack, Kubernetes, VMware, and Microsoft platforms	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	On-premises, self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure planning Pricing is provided through a sales inquiry rather than published plans Its broad control and integration scope may exceed simpler fabric needs	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	Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric is a software-defined management and control system for data-center networks. It is aimed at mid-market and enterprise teams that need centralized control over Huawei-based VXLAN fabrics, including multi-cloud or… 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

• Huawei iMaster NCE-Fabric — where it wins

  • Automates provisioning, onboarding, and orchestration across data-center networks
  • Supports centralized, distributed, and hybrid VXLAN overlays
  • Connects with OpenStack, Kubernetes, VMware, and Microsoft platforms

  Where it doesn't

  • On-premises, self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure planning
  • Pricing is provided through a sales inquiry rather than published plans
  • Its broad control and integration scope may exceed simpler fabric needs

• 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

• HIHuawei iMaster NCE-Fabric9.2/10 · Pricing on request

  A self-hosted fabric controller for teams building Huawei-based VXLAN data-center networks.

  Contact HuaweiFull 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 →