SCIENCE

Force10 Networks has announced that the Shenzhen Genomics Institute (SGI) has deployed its C-Series resilient chassis-based switches and its S-Series access switches to deliver core-to-edge switching solutions for the institute's high-performance computing network environment. The high-performance Force10 solution has played a pivotal role in distributing large amounts of compute resources and network traffic resulting from SGI's human gene sequencing computation projects.

"The line-rate performance, resiliency and scalability of the Force10 switches provided us with a practical solution for the demanding requirements of our servers, memory and network," said Fang Lin, administrator, SGI's computation platform. "We believe that the high performance, low latency and inherent reliability of Force10 switches significantly contributed to the successful implementation of many large-scale gene sequencing projects."

All of the Force10 switches deployed at SGI run the modular Force10 Operating System (FTOS) software. Designed to provide enhanced consistency, reliability, scalability and serviceability, FTOS is purpose-built to streamline network management, reduce unplanned downtime related to operational error and lower the total cost of network ownership.

SGI has deployed the Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10 GbE functionality of the Force10 C300 and C150 resilient switches as well as its S2410 and S50 access switches.

The Force10 C-Series is designed to provide inherent reliability and scalability for high performance Ethernet environments, such as SGI. The Force10 S-Series is designed to provide high-density GbE and 10 GbE network performance in a modest form factor. Its high flexibility and high density meet the requirements of PoE wiring cabinet-type environments and wireless core flexibility and high availability. As an example, the Force10 S2410, a 24-port 10 GbE switch with a switching latency of less than 300 nanoseconds, provides rapid and predictable performance required to efficiently move data out to the network edge without impacting computing performance.

"Leading scientific organizations, such as SGI, and high-performance computing deployments in general, drive the cutting edge architectures in performance and latency," said Arpit Joshipura, chief marketing officer, Force10 Networks. "Force10's architecture provides unmatched performance and scalability needed in high-performance computing to give these institutes the best opportunity to provide state-of-the-art research, analysis and results."