Virtualisation set to transform data centre networking

Briefing:  Data centre switching

Part 3: Networking developments

The adoption of virtualisation techniques is causing an upheaval in the data centre. Virtualisation is being used to boost server performance, but its introduction is changing how switching equipment is networked.

“This is the most critical period of data centre transformation seen in decades,” says Raju Rajan, global system networking evangelist at IBM.

“We are on a long hard path – it is going to be a really challenging transition”

Stephen Garrison, Force10 Networks

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Fulcrum's Alta switch chips add programmable pipeline to keep pace with standards

Briefing:  Data centre switching 

Part 2: Ethernet switch chips

Fulcrum Microsystems has announced its latest FocalPoint chip family of Ethernet switches. The Alta FM6000 series family supports up to 72 10-Gigabit ports and can process over one billion packets a second.

“Instead of every top-of-rack switch having a CPU subsystem, you could put all the horsepower into a set of server blades”

Gary Lee, Fulcrum Microsystems

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Is Broadcom’s chip powering Juniper’s Stratus?

Briefing:  Data centre switching

Part 1: Single-layer switch architectures

Juniper Networks’ Stratus switch architecture, designed for next-generation data centres, is several months away from trials. First detailed in 2009, Stratus is being engineered as a single-layer switch with an architecture that will scale to support tens of thousands of 10 Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) ports.

Stratus will be in customer trials in early 2011.

Andy Ingram, Juniper Networks

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