ForitGate 500E - hardware / software switch

[zubair_aboo]

We are deploying a FortiGate 500E for a customer and a 10Gb switch (different vendor). Instead of using up the 10G ports the customer wants to use the Fortigate copper ports as 1Gb switch ports. 

Does the 500E have a hardward switch? I cannot find any reference if it does. If not, can we configure the copper ports to be part of the software switch? 

Any help is appreciated.

[Kenundrum]

It has soft switch capability. I used a few of the 1G ports as a soft switch for a while after rapid deploying a location and the full switch was delayed in shipping. It works for bridging a bunch of the interfaces together, but not much else. I would not recommend using it forever as I imagine there is a performance penalty.

[neonbit]

The 300E has a hardware switch, the 500E only has a software switch.

[Markus]

It seems that only the SMB Modells have Hardware Switch (exempt older C and D Series)

https://beneicke-edv.de/wp-content/uploads/FTNT/manuals/feature-platform-matrix-SWMTX-563-20171206-R...

If you go with Software Switch you have Performance Penalty as the Traffic no longer gets offloaded by the Asic.

https://help.fortinet.com/fos50hlp/54/Content/FortiOS/fortigate-hardware-acceleration-52/acceleratio...

Chapter: Software switch interfaces and NP processors

Also be aware that Firewall sessions that include proxy-based security profiles are never offloaded to network processors and are always processed by the FortiGate CPU. https://help.fortinet.com/fos50hlp/54/Content/FortiOS/fortigate-hardware-acceleration-52/acceleratio...

Chapter: Network processors (NP1, NP2, NP3, NP4, NP4Lite, NP6 and NP6Lite)

More about NP6 and NP6lite Acceleration https://help.fortinet.com/fos50hlp/54/Content/FortiOS/fortigate-hardware-acceleration-52/NP6.htm

[zubair_aboo]

Thank you all, the answers have been helpful.