The HP E4500 Switch Series are managed, stackable 10/100 Ethernet switches that provide secure, flexible LAN connectivity for enterprise and branch office networks. HP E4500 switches offer Layer 2 switching and dynamic Layer 3 routing, as well as robust security, Quality of Service (QoS), and management features to deliver intelligent edge connectivity for essential business applications. Dual-personality ports allow for both copper and fiber Gigabit uplink connections. The switch supports true stacking with the ability to stack up to eight switch units—384 10/100 ports per stack—with single IP management and distributed aggregated links for high uplink resiliency.

- IEEE 802.1AB Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP): automated device discovery protocol provides easy mapping by network management applications. Uni-Directional Link Detection (UDLD): monitors cable between two switches and shuts down the ports on both ends if the cable is broken, turning the bi-directional link into uni-directional; this prevents network problems such as loops. Secure Web GUI: provides a secure, easy-to-use graphical interface for configuring the module via HTTPS. Command-line interface (CLI): provides a secure, easy-to-use command-line interface for configuring the module vi
- Gigabit Uplinks: E4500-24 model has two dual-personality ports for either 10/100/1000 or mini-GBIC SFP connectivity; other models have dual-personality dual mini-GBIC Gigabit SFP ports and ship with two 1000Base-T SFP transceivers for copper Ethernet connections. Auto-MDIX: automatically adjusts for straight-through or crossover cables on all 10/100 and 10/100/1000 ports. IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet (PoE): provides up to 15.4 W per port to IEEE 802.3af-compliant PoE-powered devices such as IP phones, wireless access points, and security cameras.
- RMON (remote monitoring): provides advanced monitoring and reporting capabilities for statistics, history, alarms, and events. Dual flash images: provides independent primary and secondary operating system files for backup while upgrading. Full-featured console: provides complete control of the switch with a familiar command-line interface (CLI). Web interface: allows configuration of the switch from any Web browser on the network. Multiple configuration files: allow multiple configuration files to be stored to flash image.
- VLAN support and tagging: supports IEEE 802.1Q, with 4094 simultaneous VLAN IDs. GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP): allows automatic learning and dynamic assignment of VLANs. Jumbo packet support: supports up to 9220-byte frame size to improve performance of large data transfers. IEEE 802.1ad QinQ: increases the scalability of an Ethernet network by providing a hierarchical structure; connects multiple LANs on a high-speed campus or metro network.