INTERCONNECTS

Foundry Networks and Internet2 announced that an international team lead by the University of Tokyo set a new Internet2 Land Speed Record (I2-LSR) using Foundry’s high-performance IPv4/IPv6 routing and 10-Gigabit Ethernet (GE) wide area networking (WAN) technology. The winning IPv4 performance achieved 7.99 Gbps transfer rate over multiple paths exceeding 30,000 km, setting a new record of 239,820 Terabit-meters/second. For the IPv6 record, the team transferred data at a rate of 6.18 Gbps over a 30,000 km path resulting in a mark of 185,400 terabit-meters per second (Tb-m/s) – 10.75 percent more than the previous record. Foundry Networks routers have the distinction of being part of the record-holding demonstrations for both the IPv6 I2-LSR and IPv4 records. The I2-LSR competition for the highest-bandwidth over extended distances is an open and ongoing contest. The winning team was made up of organizations from the research and university communities and the networking equipment industry. The record-setting IPv4 and IPv6 data transfers were powered using three Foundry Networks’ NetIron 40G IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack routers configured with 10-Gigabit Ethernet Wide Area Network Physical Layer Interfaces (10-GbE WAN PHY) connecting to the trans-oceanic optical transport network. “Future networks will be built on IPv6 technology,” said Dr. Kei Hiraki, professor at the University of Tokyo. “This new Land Speed Record encourages ultra-high bandwidth applications to develop more rapidly, potentially changing how businesses will operate and how people will live their lives. We chose Foundry Networks equipment because of their incredible performance and reliability, the NetIron 40G router has proven to be an integral component in this test.” The NetIron 40G is part of Foundry Networks' router/switch portfolio and has been awarded the prestigious IPv6 Ready Phase II Certification from the IPv6 Council. The IPv6 Ready Phase II Certification poses a set of stringent requirements on equipment in terms of IPv6 standards conformance and interoperability. Foundry's BigIron MG8 and the award-winning BigIron RX family of terabit-class systems have also achieved the IPv6 Ready Phase II Certification. Foundry's 10-GE WAN PHY offers an attractive alternative to traditional SONET/SDH OC-192/STM-64 links due to its capability of delivering 10 Gbps performance at a fraction of the cost, and with the benefit of Ethernet's operational simplicity. WAN PHY technology provides an excellent solution for Ethernet transport over SONET/SDH-based DWDM optical transport. “It is a great honor to be a key enabler in the Internet2 Land Speed Record competition,” said Ken Cheng, vice president and general manager, high value systems business unit. “This new milestone is further proof that Foundry’s switching, routing, and optical equipment offer enterprises and service providers the most consistent performance available on the market.” The history of the I2-LSR competition can be viewed at: its Web site.