MANUFACTURING

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Extreme Networks, Inc., a leader in high-performance Ethernet switching, today announced third-generation Triumph(TM) technology for its award-winning Alpine(TM) modular switching platform. The two new modules provide scalable Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, advanced traffic management and integrated copper diagnostics. These advancements protect customer investment by supporting bandwidth-intensive applications with improved scalability and ease the burden of cable management. Extreme Networks' Alpine modular switching platform provides scalable Ethernet connectivity for Enterprise and Metro networks. Extreme has delivered a complete portfolio of next-generation technology for evolving the network, addressing the core, distribution and access portions of the infrastructure. This portfolio supports a massive proliferation of networking devices and sophisticated converged applications. With its third-generation Triumph technology, Extreme delivers increased bandwidth and functionality, addressing the distribution and access layers of the network. Triumph technology provides the Alpine switch with high-density Gigabit Ethernet connections integrated with advanced traffic management capabilities. The new Alpine modules (GM-16T3 with 16-port auto-sensing 10/100/1000 copper ports and GM-16X3 with 16 port fiber 1000BASE-X ports) scale the network and deliver a 400 percent increase in Gigabit port density compared to previous generation technology. "Our networking budget only allows us to refresh the infrastructure every five years, therefore, it was critical that we selected a copper Gigabit Ethernet switch with the density to service all of our graphics workstations both now and in the foreseeable future," said William Reed of the Arizona State Land Department. "Extreme Networks' Alpine 3808 switch with the new GM-16T3 module met all of these requirements perfectly." T-Control Rate Shaping for Advanced Traffic Management Extreme Networks' T-Control rate shaping enables detailed traffic management to deliver mission-critical services. With T-Control rate shaping, the GM-16X3 and GM-16T3 modules can support eight ingress, eight egress queues and one egress super-queue per port so that each port can be individually configured to accurately and flexibly rate shape traffic. Bandwidth can be configured in 1Kbps increments, giving the network administrator accurate control for bandwidth utilization. An added benefit of T-Control rate shaping is the ability to maintain detailed statistics for all in-profile, out-of-profile and dropped traffic on each queue. This data can be used to implement usage-based billing. Integrated Copper Plant Testing for the Alpine Switch The Alpine GM-16T3 module provides integrated copper plant testing, allowing network managers to automatically identify and remedy cabling issues on their network. This functionality improves total infrastructure manageability and uptime by integrating physical cable diagnostic capabilities directly into the switch, thereby making it possible to remotely diagnose both Layer 1 (physical) and Layer 2-7 (logical) issues in an integrated and seamless fashion. The GM-16X3 and GM-16T3 modules are compatible with existing Alpine 3802, 3804 and 3808 switches. They are interoperable with all current Alpine modules, delivering a complete set of Layer 2/3 switching features for advanced bandwidth management and high throughput. "Enterprises are taking a hard look at extending end-to-end Gigabit Ethernet connectivity throughout the network," said Timon Sloane, director of product management for Extreme Networks. "With the addition of Triumph technology, the Alpine switch hits this sweet spot, extending important traffic management capabilities with dense Gigabit ports for superior performance and flexibility."