Belvedere Trading Selects Force10 Networks Switches to Drive Down Latency as it Rounds Out 10 Gigabit Ethernet Migration

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Force10 Networks, Inc., a global technology leader, today announced that Belvedere Trading LLC, a leading proprietary trading firm specializing in equity index and commodity derivatives, has selected and deployed high-performance Force10 S-Series™ top-of-rack (ToR) switches as part of a successful network design aimed at providing ultra-low latency, which better supports the highly transactional nature of their business.

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Electronic traders, such as Belvedere, are diligently working to ensure that their network infrastructure can support their massive amount of transactions as well as drive down the latency to nanosecond levels. With each transaction representing potentially millions of dollars, ultra-low latency is critical in high-performance trading environments.

"In current trading environments, delivering reliable and superior performance and ultra-low latency can represent the difference between being profitable and losing opportunities," said Yezdaan Baber, Director of Technology, Belvedere Trading LLC. "Our continued investment in Force10 switches reflects our confidence in their technology mapping seamlessly to the needs of our business."

Based on a recent network performance and power test, the S4810 access switch demonstrated as much as 5% to 70% lower latency than comparable switches in a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) configuration. The test was conducted by independent analyst and publisher Nick Lippis of The Lippis Report and Ixia, a leader in converged IP network test solutions. Click here to view the Lippis Report test results.

Belvedere selected the newly offered S4810 access switches to be deployed strategically at their network edge and collocation facilities to leverage the performance of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) for Belvedere's financial derivatives trading practice.

S4810 Purpose-Built for High Frequency Trading-Type Applications  

Recognizing the immediate need to ensure line-rate, non-blocking throughput and ultra-low latency throughout its performance-sensitive high-frequency trading (HFT) environment, Belvedere deployed the S4810 switches in geographical proximity to U.S. trading exchanges. Its 1.28 Tbps (full-duplex) non-blocking, cut-through switching fabric delivers line-rate performance under full load with ultra-low latency. The compact S4810 switch design provides 64 10 GbE worth of throughput in a combination of 10 GbE and 40 GbE feeds...

FTOS, the modular Force10 operating system software, runs on both the C-Series resilient core switches and the S4810, providing Belvedere with a L2 and L3 feature richness, including IGMP multicasting and high availability provided by stacking. FTOS also provides underlying code stability and advanced monitoring and serviceability functions, including real-time network and application traffic monitoring.

"Force10 has a rich heritage of delivering reliable, high-performance switching solutions to environments grappling with huge files or high transaction levels," said Arpit Joshipura, chief marketing officer, Force10 Networks. "Coupling low latency requirements and advanced L3 software features provides a unique value to customers in HFT environments."

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks is a global technology leader that data center, service provider and enterprise customers rely on when the network is their business. The company's high performance solutions are designed to deliver new economics by virtualizing and automating Ethernet networks. Force10's high density and resilient Ethernet switching and routing products increase network availability, agility and efficiency while reducing power and cooling costs. Force10 provides 24x7 service and support capabilities to its global customer base in more than 60 countries worldwide. For more information on Force10 Networks, please visit www.force10networks.com.

Force10 Networks, the Force10 Networks logo, Force10, E-Series, Traverse, and TraverseEdge are registered trademarks and ExaScale, S-Series, TeraScale, FTOS, Open Automation, JumpStart, SwitchLink, SmartScripts, and HyperLink, are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE Force10 Networks, Inc.