Olicom has unveiled a new high-capacity ATM switch designed for deploying high-speed, fault tolerant backbones in the large enterprise network. Olicom s new CrossFire 9200 ATM Switch, built on the same modular architecture as its CrossFire 9100, can be outfitted with up to 32 155 Mbps ports or seven 622 Mbps ports (or a combination of both). Whereas the CrossFire 9100 represents an entry-level ATM switching solution, the CrossFire 9200 is an enterprise-class backbone ATM switch with redundancy and fault tolerance features that make it suitable for mission-critical networking applications. "With a price of less than $1,000 per port for an ATM backbone switch, and utilising a 5 Gbps shared memory, fully non-blocking switch fabric, the CrossFire 9200 defines a new level of price-performance in ATM switching," says Olicom Africa country manager, Nick Muller. "This is further amplified by a number of innovative configuration and management features that dramatically lower the barrier to ATM migration in enterprise Ethernet and Token-Ring networks. "The CrossFire 9200 represents an important step forward for large enterprise customers in need of a robust, reliable and cost-effective backbone solution," Muller adds that the CrossFire 9200 has addresses all of the critical issues, such as cost, complexity and reliability, that may have impeded network managers from deploying ATM in the past. Clearstep strategy Olicom s new CrossFire 9200 ATM Switch plays an important role in the company`s ClearStep migration strategy, designed to help Token-Ring enterprises implement the most intelligent and cost-effective path to the future. ClearStep leverages the industry`s widest range of upgrade options available to Token-Ring customers, including switched Token-Ring, High-Speed Token-Ring, Fast Ethernet, and ATM. Cost-effective ATM switching is a particularly important upgrade option for those enterprises needing to connect Fast Ethernet LANs and Token-Ring LANs across a high-speed backbone. Leadership in ATM backbones Several important features establish the CrossFire 9200 in a leadership position as a large-enterprise ATM backbone switch: Modular Architecture - The CrossFire 9200`s modular design gives customers considerable flexibility in accommodating the widest range of network configurations and future growth requirements. Customers can mix and match 155 Mbps and 622 Mbps modules to configure a solution specifically suited to meet their immediate needs, and to plan for future network expansion. Modularity also enables the switch to be upgraded with investment-enhancing features, such as a new processor, upgrade features, and future port modules; The CrossFire 9200 provides the industry`s most comprehensive set of advanced fault-tolerance features, designed to ensure mission-critical performance in the enterprise network. These include: proactive error detection and monitoring; dual power supply option; hot-swappable modules; automatic termination of "broken" virtual circuits; and fully integrated redundant LANE services. In addition, the CrossFire 9200 incorporates Olicom s ClearSession network fault tolerance technology, designed to ensure the non-stop availability of network resources in a high-speed switched environment. Redundancy Specifically, CNNI (ClearSession Network-to-Network Interface), part of Olicom`s device software running on a redundant mesh of CrossFire ATM Switches, ensures sub-three second failure recovery of any network connection across the ATM backbone. No other ATM backbone redundancy solution can match the fast reconnect times accomplished by CNNI. High-Speed Switch-to-Switch Connectivity - with support for up to seven 622 Mbps connections to and from a single switch, the CrossFire 9200 enables enterprises to build a backbone infrastructure that can accommodate the most demanding inter-switch bandwidth requirements. Scaleability - Support for the ATM Forum`s Private Network-to-Network Interface (PNNI) protocols allows networks of CrossFire 9200s to scale to thousands of switches (with no theoretical limit) while still delivering interoperable, QoS-based routing; The CrossFire 9200 features eight (8) front-facing, hot-swappable module slots that can accommodate a maximum of eight 155Mbps modules, each with four 155Mbps UTP or fiber (OC-3) ATM ports (for a total of 32 155Mbps ports), and up to seven 622Mbps (OC-12) modules, providing a flexible platform for a wide range of networking needs. The switching fabric is "32 x 32 OC-3," which means it is capable of switching cells at wire speed between all 32 ports simultaneously. The switch also includes a high-performance RISC processor used for network management and LAN Emulation services.
Share
Editorial contacts