The 7G4280-19 has 18, 1000BASE X compliant front panel ports that support a variety of optional Small Form Factor Pluggable (SFP) Gigabit connections using optional Mini Gigabit Interface Cards (MGBICs). There is also a slot for an optional Ethernet interface module 7G-6MGBIC or 7G-6MGBIC-A.

The 7G4280-19 can be installed in a Matrix E7, N7, N5, N3 or N1 chassis, but only supports FTM2 data backplane interconnections in the Matrix E7 chassis. Traffic flow from FTM2 to FTM1 can only be accomplished with a 7H4382 25, 7H4382-49, 7H4383-49, or 7H4385-49 DFE module. Each of the front panel ports can operate in either half duplex or full duplex mode of operation. The duplex mode can be determined by either auto negotiation or manual configuration. The DFE module ports can be configured to provide a high level of security, control traffic by limiting the rate of traffic accepted into the module and prioritizing traffic to expedite the flow of higher priority traffic through the module. The DFE module receives power and backplane connectivity when it is inserted into a Matrix E7, N7, N5, N3 or N1 chassis.