Any organisation looking for high-density, high-bandwidth connectivity to desktops, switches, servers and other network devices should seriously consider the latest BayStack 380 switches from Nortel Networks.
That`s according to Anton van Bers, Nortel product manager at Comztek, who says that the new BayStack 380 switches offer a resilient solution that minimises capital and operational expenses.
"Their robust security features offer protection against unauthorised access to data traffic. The switches are Web-manageable and support redundant power supply (RPS) and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) options," he says.
BayStack 380 switches are available in two models: the BayStack 380-24T and BayStack 380-24F.
The BayStack 380-24T offers high-density desktop switching and server farm aggregation, while the BayStack 380-24F provides high-density wiring closet Layer 2 aggregation. Both switches offer resilient connectivity for minimal network downtime, secure access and data traffic protection, as well as lower training and installation costs.
The BayStack 380-24T is ideal for mid-size and large businesses that have a need for high bandwidth to the desktop. It has 24 10/100/1000Mbps auto-sensing ports and four SFP (Small Form Factor Pluggable) GBIC (Gigabit Interface Converter) ports. It provides high-density Gigabit connectivity to power-user desktops for high-speed applications such as graphics, multimedia and CAD/CAM, as well as server farm aggregation. Ports 21 through 24 may be configured as either 10/100/1000 Base-TX ports or SFP GBIC ports in any combination.
Small and mid-size businesses that need simple and cost-effective Layer 2 aggregation should opt for the BayStack 380-24F Gigabit switch. This comes with 20 SFP ports and four full-sized GBIC ports, and is an ideal switch for high-density wiring-closet Layer 2 aggregation. BayStack 470-48T stacks or BayStack Business Policy Switch/BayStack 450 stacks can be collapsed into the BayStack 380-24F using the uplink ports on the wiring closet switches. The BayStack 380-24F`s high-density design results in lower per port price than its competitors.
MultiLink Trunking (MLT) enables grouping of links between the switch and another switch or server to provide greater bandwidth of up to 8Gbps with active redundant links for one trunk. This feature also provides load-balancing and automatic fail-over protection. Up to six trunks are supported. Nortel Passport 8600`s Split MultiLink Trunking (SMLT) eliminates single points of failure in the network and allows the BayStack 380 to have multiple active connections to the network core.
Both BayStack 380 switches deliver redundant power supply support crucial in mission critical environments. UPS capability for the switches is supported with the BayStack 10 PSU.
They also support BaySecure, which allows authentication of all access, not only to the switches for management and configuration, but also access to the infrastructure. This software feature limits access to only network authorised and trusted personnel, including full tracking of network connections.
Standards-based priority queuing enables prioritisation of multimedia or latency sensitive traffic, making it possible to integrate voice, video and data within the same network. LAN traffic is prioritised according to Layer 2 802.1p values using four hardware-based queues.
The BayStack 380-24T switch also offers Auto MDI/MDIX, which saves money and time if it needs to be connected to a hub or another switch. Normally, a crossover cable is required for this purpose, but with the BayStack 380-24T switch, an inexpensive straight through cable or crossover cable can be used.
All BayStack switches have a common `look and feel`, which allows them to be managed in a similar fashion via a broad set of management tools. These tools include Web-based management, Java-based Device Manager, menus, Optivity Network Management System (NMS), and Optivity Switch Manager (OSM).
"Network management begins with the device. The BayStack 380 switches support four groups of remote monitoring (RMON) on all ports and are SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) compliant. The SNMP agent software resides in the switch and uses the information it collects to provide comprehensive network monitoring capabilities for all ports," Van Bers says.
"Web-based network management makes managing the BayStack 380 switches easy. This feature provides summary, configuration, fault, statistics, application, administration and support pages for the switch.
"The process of configuration, however, begins with a single device, but finishes across multiple devices. Java-based Device Manager is the configuration tool for those functions that require communicating with a single device. However, Device Manager uses a common user interface and workflow that supports many Nortel Ethernet switches," he adds.
"With more than 100 years in telecommunications, Nortel Networks is uniquely positioned to help any business reduce costs by combining voice and data into an integrated system. Why take a chance on a vendor that only understands part of the equation? We can show how the BayStack 380 switches, along with other Nortel products, can help organisations increase their profitability, streamline their business operations, increase productivity, and gain the competitive edge," Van Bers concludes.
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