INTERCONNECTS

Foundry Networks, a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced it will expand its portfolio of modular Gigabit and 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10-GbE) optical interfaces to enable the next generation of business and broadband service applications which are increasingly delivered based on high speed converged Gigabit and 10-Gigabit Ethernet networks. The new modular media interfaces include the recently ratified Ethernet-in-the-First-Mile (802.3AH EFM) standard which defines a simple yet efficient Ethernet access technology for delivering data, voice and video applications to business and residential users, and a 10-Gigabit Ethernet interface standard (10Gbase-ZR/10Gbase-ZRD) which enables 10-Gigabit Ethernet connectivity of up to 80 Kilometers. These new modular media transceivers, combined with the three new transceivers announced last month give Foundry the most diverse and cost-effective portfolio on the market, allowing customers ultimate flexibility and choice in their network deployments. In November 2004, Foundry announced the industry's first modular 10-GbE WAN PHY optical transceiver (10Gbase-LW) which enables seamless connectivity between 10-GbE and a DWDM or SONET/SDH wide area network infrastructure, a 10-GbE modular 10Gbase-LX4 optical transceiver for legacy FDDI grade cable and a 10-GbE 10GBase-CX4 copper transceiver for short distance data center applications "As a leading high performance Ethernet solution provider, Foundry Networks is dedicated to continuing innovation and bringing new products and solutions to the market to meet customer needs," said Ken Cheng, vice president and general manager of Foundry's Layer 2/3 Switching & Routing Solutions Business Unit. "These new media interfaces allow our customers to deploy business applications which were not possible before, and further accelerate the adoption of Ethernet as the convergence technology of choice." Ethernet-in-the-First-Mile (802.3AH EFM) Modular GbE Optical Interface EFM offers a future-proof first mile transport for data, voice and video to both business and residential users. By integrating the optical combiner and splitter into the SFP transceiver, a single strand of fiber is able to transmit bi-directionally. These devices work in a pair, with an upstream device and a downstream device connected at each end of the fiber. With EFM modular optical transceivers, Foundry Networks offers a broad range of switching and routing solutions which enable broadband service providers to cut fiber requirements significantly and radically reduce the costs associated with delivering broadband services to residential and business subscribers. 10Gbase-ZR/10Gbase-ZRD DWDM Modular 10-GbE Optical Interface This family of XENPAK modular optical transceivers includes multiple versions corresponding to the DWDM ITU grid with 100 GHz spacing. These transceivers are able to transmit optical signals up to 80km allowing for direct connection to passive DWDM combiners. With the 10Gbase-ZR/10Gbase-ZRD transceivers, Foundry will enable a wide variety of applications including Metro POP and enterprise campus connectivity without the need of optical repeaters and DWDM equipment, hence providing significant cost savings and reducing management overhead. 10Gbase-LW WAN PHY Modular 10-GbE Optical Interface Foundry's 10GBASE-LW optic for Global WAN Transport (WAN PHY) offers a compelling alternative to SONET/SDH OC192 infrastructure because it delivers 10-GbE bandwidth at a fraction of the cost with higher performance, and with Ethernet's improved operational simplicity. With the WAN PHY modular optical transceiver, Ethernet frames are encapsulated in SONET frames at OC-192 rate (1310nm SMF for 10 km distances) making it an excellent solution for connecting to DWDM devices and for carrying native 10 Gigabit Ethernet over existing OC-192c networks. 10Gbase-LX4 10-GbE Optical Interface The 10Gbase-SX and LX standard requires the use of high performance multi-mode fiber. The majority of multi-mode fiber installed today is 5 - 10 year old FDDI grade cabling. The 10Gbase-LX4 technology sends and receives data as four WDM signals on the MMF and SMF fiber. These signals are sent at 1/4 the speed of 10Gbase-SX that allows the use of FDDI-grade cable. Foundry's 10GBASE-LX4 XENPAK optical transceiver will enable 10-GbE applications using legacy physical fiber plants (330 m over FDDI-grade MMF, or 10km over SMF). 10Gbase-CX4 10-GbE Copper Interface In data center and high performance computing applications such as inter-switch links or server to switch links, the use of high performance 10 Gigabit Ethernet fiber transceivers is overkill and an unneeded cost. The 10Gbase-CX4 XENPAK transceiver allows for transmitting 10 Gigabit Ethernet over copper cabling for distances of up to 15m, dramatically lowering the media cost without impacting performance. U.S. List Pricing and Availability Transceiver List Price Availability 802.3AH EFM $1,495 NOW 10G-XNPK-ZR/ZRD $29,995 Feb'05 10G-XNPK-LW $14,995 NOW 10G-XNPK-LX4 $4,995 NOW 10G-XNPK-CX4 $995 NOW