INTERCONNECTS

Foundry Networks, Inc., a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced a complete portfolio of new ServerIron Layer 4-7 switches that include the ServerIron GT series stackable gateway switches and ServerIron 450 and 850 modular systems. The new ServerIron 450 and 850 modular switches enable highly scalable and resilient Gigabit server farms, including blade server farms, and deliver unprecedented Layer 4-7 switching performance and Denial of Service (DoS) attack protection against 4+ million attack packets per second for robust application and server farm security. With major new TrafficWorks™ Layer 4-7 switching operating system enhancements, the ServerIron 450 and 850 switches provide integrated support for financial applications, help mitigate SPAM, and secure the DNS infrastructure. The new ServerIron GT Gigabit Ethernet stackable switches feature integrated support for SSL to optimize server utilization and end user response time for secure Web applications. Additionally, these systems deliver wire-speed Gigabit rate DoS attack protection and superior application switching and load balancing. The new Foundry switches are powered by Foundry’s high-performance 3rd generation network processor technology to enable massively scalable mission-critical application infrastructure. The ServerIron 450 and 850 switches feature Foundry’s field-proven JetCore™ ASIC based line modules that double Gigabit Ethernet port density and support hardware-assisted “always-on” sFlow traffic monitoring. The 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface module options help meet the high throughput demands of content-rich applications like streaming media and imaging. The ServerIron GT series switches combine a rich set of Layer 4-7 switching features and high performance SSL acceleration into a compact form factor. With a choice of 4- and 12-port Gigabit Ethernet configurations, these systems enable a range of network and server farm designs, and increase application availability, security and scalability. With an entry-level U.S. list price of $14,995 for the 4-port ServerIron GT switch, Foundry offers the best price/performance for a Layer 4-7 switch on the market. Key highlights of the new ServerIron products and feature enhancements include: Up to a four-fold increase in connection performance and DoS protection performance for unprecedented application performance and security. The ServerIron 450 and 850 switches deliver up to 300,000 Layer 4 connections per second, and protection against 4+ million DoS attack packets per second while serving legitimate user traffic. High density Gigabit connectivity to servers, including blade server farms, with support for up to 112 Copper and Fiber Gigabit Ethernet ports in a single chassis with advanced Layer 2/3 switching and routing, and Layer 4-7 application switching integrated in a single platform. Integrated SSL Acceleration in the ServerIron GT Series: Termination and acceleration of SSL connections, and centralized SSL certificate management for added security and easy manageability. Offloads servers from SSL processing, and supports content switching on SSL connections. Industry’s first FIXSWITCHTM capability that automates server connectivity, improves manageability and security, and enables rapid disaster recovery for Financial Information eXchange (FIX) applications. FIX applications are widely used to automate information exchange for securities trading, and use the FIX protocol standard. Highly intelligent 3rd generation content analysis engine that increases application security and availability for many types of application content, including HTTP, SOAP, XML, FIX, WAP, and SIP, as well as proprietary formats. The highly flexible and customizable content engine performs sophisticated inspection, filtering, switching and prioritization of application traffic to maximize application availability. “This is Foundry’s most significant Layer 4-7 product introduction. With this announcement, we are maintaining the industry’s best price and performance leadership, while introducing new levels of security and application switching capabilities,” said Bobby Johnson, president and CEO of Foundry Networks. Foundry’s ServerIron Layer 4-7 switches provide sophisticated Internet traffic and content switching features including server load balancing, URL and cookie based switching, global server load balancing, and transparent cache switching. Some of the world’s most demanding customers such as AOL TimeWarner, CheckFree Corporation, NTT DoCoMo, and Wachovia Bank rely on Foundry ServerIron systems for server farm scalability and application security.