IBM Certifies 40 Gigabit Ethernet Line Card From Force10 Networks

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Force10 Networks, Inc., a leader in high-performance data center networking, today announced that its ExaScale® E-Series™40 Gigabit Ethernet (40 GbE) line card has been certified to interoperate with IBM's iDataPlex servers and clusters and its new Intelligent Cluster BOM components. The certification of the 40 GbE line card will enable IT managers to leverage IBM clustering technology with up to 56 ports of 40 GbEconnectivity within one ExaScale chassis-based virtualized core switch/router. Today's announcement also represents an extension of interoperability, which also includes IBM's support of the Force10 S60 top-of-rack (ToR) access switch.

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Tested by IBM with all Intelligent Cluster BOM components, the Force10 line card is designed to provide excellent core connectivity to the IBM/BNT G8264 switch, via the 40GbE ports on the BNT switch, enabling maximum throughput from the BNT ToR switch to a Force10 ExaScale core chassis, which includes four QSFP ports and two CFP ports.

Rich Heritage of HPC Applications Deploying Force10 Networks

Designed in-house using proven experience in high performance hardware and software design, ExaScale uses patented backplane technology and advances in ASIC design to power the E-Series switch/routers with industry-leading density, performance, reliability and eco-efficiency.

These Force10 performance attributes have become so widely recognized that Force10 switch/routers are currently utilized in more than 30 percent of the top 40 most powerful supercomputers in the world, including the IBM-based Roadrunner. Ranked number one on the Top500 list, the Roadrunner supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory is the first supercomputer to reach peak performance of one Petaflop and utilizes Force10 core switch/routers to anchor the supercomputer within the network.

"More than ever, as data center managers build out their infrastructure and position themselves for tomorrow's business needs, they must balance performance attributes that help to foster company growth while maintaining cost-effectiveness," said Michael O'Brien, vice president, global alliances and channels, Force10 Networks. "Force10 has a rich heritage of helping HPC environments primarily through the fault-tolerant design of ExaScale and other core switch/routers, which have enabled significant application uptime, all while providing deep buffering and congestion management technology that ensures maximum network efficiency."

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks develops high-performance data center solutions powered by the industry's most innovative line of open, standards-based, networking hardware and software. The company's Open Cloud Networking framework grants Web 2.0/portal operators, cloud and hosting providers, enterprise and special-purpose data center customers new levels of flexibility, performance, scale and automation—fundamentally changing the economics of data center networking. Force10 Networks operates globally, providing 24x7 service and support to its customer base in more than 60 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.force10networks.com.

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

SOURCE Force10 Networks, Inc.