SYSTEMS

Fulcrum 10-Gigabit Ethernet Switches Show Off Low-Latency Throughput in iWarp Applications: Fulcrum Microsystems today announced that datacenter switches based on its FocalPoint FM2224 10-Gigabit Ethernet switch chip will be a part of the SCinet, the network constructed on site at SC|06, and will be the foundation for OpenFabric demonstrations at the show. SC|06 is the premier international conference on high performance computing, networking and storage and will be held from Nov. 11-17 in Tampa, FL. In addition to having its switches in the SC|06 network operation center (NOC), Fulcrum will have its technology on display in booth 842. The OpenFabric initiative provides tools, communications and resources for vendors and developers to create, refine and publish standard open source software stacks for RDMA capable data center fabrics. RDMA is a critical component of iWarp, which delivers end-to-end latency of less than ten microseconds in a 10-Gigabit Ethernet network with switching provided by Fulcrum’s FM2224 chip. Advantages of iWarp technology include an ability to leverage the TCP/IP infrastructure, a broad knowledge base and mature management and monitoring capabilities. Moreover, an iWarp infrastructure is routable, which eliminates the need for gateways to connect to the LAN, WAN, or Internet. “Demonstrating OpenFabric solutions is an important step in the maturity of iWarp, which is quickly becoming the leading candidate for bringing 10-Gigabit Ethernet into the data center,” said Mike Zeile, vice president of marketing for Fulcrum Microsystems. “And the need for a low latency switch to complete the application provides perfect opportunity for Fulcrum to take advantage of our industry-leading low latency FocalPoint family.” The SCinet demonstration is being conducted using Fulcrum’s FocalPoint-based 10-Gigabit Ethernet evaluation platform, which is available to switch manufacturers to help speed system development. The platform, which is available in several versions containing combinations of CX-4 copper and 10GBase-SR and -LR fiber interfaces, features up to 24 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports in a single rack unit (1U) form factor – all while providing industry-leading latency as low as 200ns, port-to-port.