Special Features:
NEW ETHERNET SWITCH ARCHITECTURE
DEPLOYED
A new chassis and programmable-processor architecture has been designed by
Riverstone Networks Inc. This new architecture achieves Layer 3 10-Gbit
Ethernet switching capability at less than $10,000 a port, including all
hardware and multiprotocol label switching software.
While the company could have improved and enhanced several generations of
ASIC
technology from its Cabletron Systems and Yago Systems roots, Riverstone
decided to start over to hit price points it is betting competitors won't
achieve.
This deployment comes after Force10 Networks Inc. began the industry's
first
10-Gbit Ethernet switch, and is arriving concurrently with Extreme Networks
Inc.'s announcement of ASICs for its upcoming switch, expected in May.
The efforts by Riverstone to get all costs out of a 10-Gbit switch
coincides
with efforts from companies such as Intel Corp. to make 10-Gbit links standard
in server blades.
In considering Ethernet switching's place in public service-provider
networks,
Riverstone used Layer 2 MPLS services as a position in the Open Systems
Interconnect protocol stack at which to draw the line between product
families. If a carrier wants Layer 2 Virtual Private Network services but no
advanced routing, the Riverstone XGS 9000 family embeds microcoded support for
MPLS and IP Version 6 forwarding.
However, if true routing is warranted, Riverstone will steer customers to
its
RS family of routers.
Riverstone executives remain coy on the nature of programmable forwarding
engine, hinting that it may use a common instruction set, yet with special
optimizing instructions not seen in network processors.
For its operating system, Riverstone used a lightweight Unix-like kernel,
designed afresh for optimal low-cost Layer 3 support. The new OS will not be
used only in the XGS 9008 and 9016 switches.
The quarter-rack XGS 9008 system has a 160-Gbit/sec aggregate capacity with
a
throughput of 200 million packets per second, which can be upgraded to 320
Gbits and 400 million packets per second when dual switching fabrics are used.
The half-rack system, XGS 9016, has a base capacity of 320 Gbits/sec and 400
million packets per second, or 640 Gbits and 800 million packets per second
when dual fabrics are installed.
An 8-slot chassis with power supply and adjunct support cards is listed at
$19,980, with a single 10-G line card at under $10,000, yielding a working
switching system for under $30,000.
The obvious target customer base is Internet exchange, as well as research
institutions using server clusters and grid computers. Local exchange carriers
and cable multi-system operators who offer video services can also use the XGS
9000 switch as a metropolitan backhaul.
Riverstone has partnered with Terayon Systems Inc. for sales of router
platforms for cable headends, but Garrison said Riverstone will sell backhaul
switches to MSOs directly. The company also anticipates sales to federal
agencies and national labs who rely on distributed Layer 3 switches.
Over time, Riverstone will provide encapsulation interfaces for Packet Over
Sonet, and perhaps specialized 10-Gbit Fibre Channel and Generic Framing
Protocol interfaces. But Garrison emphasized that, with MPLS and hard-wired
support for Quality of Service parameters, an Ethernet switch already provides
a level of support for low-latency traffic not seen in switched Ethernet
systems of the past.
|
