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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION
FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / JULY 28, 2003; VOL. 2 NO. 30
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Breaking News -
Networking:
Foundry Boosts Performance With
New Layer 4-7 Switch Net OS
Foundry Networks Inc, a performance and total solutions leader for
end-to-end
switching and routing, has released a new version of the TrafficWorks IronWare
operating system that powers its ServerIron Layer 4 - 7 load balancing
switches. With the new TrafficWorks Ironware operating system upgrade,
ServerIron systems provide significant enhancements to server and network
security, application traffic intelligence, and manageability of servers and
load balancing switches.
Major new features of the TrafficWorks IronWare Version 9.0 O/S
include:
- New Denial-of-Service (DoS) protection enhancement, to protect servers
against "TCP SYN" and "TCP ACK" attacks at the industry-leading rate of 1.5
million packets/second while switching legitimate traffic. Utilizing new
optimized algorithms and Foundry's unique network processor technology, the
new operating system offers a 15-fold increase in the SYN attack protection
performance over previous releases.
- Extensible Markup Language (XML) switching capability to control and
direct
traffic based on XML tags and attributes, making it easy to control e-commerce
traffic over extranets connecting to suppliers or customers. XML is
increasingly becoming the standard of choice for enterprises to exchange
e-commerce information.
- Full HTTP 1.1 Proxy Connection Manager support to alleviate servers of TCP
connection management overhead, improving user response time and allowing
servers to focus on application processing.
- Advanced Configuration Synchronization between ServerIron systems in a
high
availability configuration to reduce configuration errors and associated
network downtime.
- Check Point certified support for load balancing Check Point NG firewalls
to scale firewall capacity and offer rapid protection in case of a firewall
failure.
- Integration of Configuration Management and sFlow-based network and server
monitoring into Foundry's IronView Network Manager (INM) for ease of use and
enhanced manageability.
Foundry's ServerIron family of 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,
firewall 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 network security.
"Our network applications demand the highest levels of scalability,
manageability and security," said Bryan A. Larrieu, vice president of Voice,
Data Communications and System Security IT Operations for CheckFree
Corporation. "The ServerIron line is a great solution because it offers the
ideal combination of performance and innovative features, and it comes with
Foundry's strong customer support."
"Foundry Networks has traditionally been a performance-focused player in
the
Layer 4 - 7 switching market. With its new TrafficWorks IronWare release,
Foundry is adding more intelligence to its offerings without compromising its
core values," said IDC research analyst Maximilian Flisi. "Customers are
asking for more intelligence in these switches -- over and above performance.
With this release, Foundry is addressing both of these important customer
needs."
A recent survey by the Yankee Group showed that approximately 35% of
network
downtime is caused by human errors in configuration. With the new ServerIron
configuration synchronization features and integration with the sophisticated
INM package, network operators can minimize the chance of human errors in
configuration.
"As Layer 4 - 7 switches become increasingly popular to solve a variety of
server farm scalability and security issues, operational aspects of the Layer
4 - 7 switches is a concern for network operators," said Zeus Kerravala,
senior research analyst at Yankee Group. "The new TrafficWorks operating
system offers the most complete and powerful set of tools in the industry to
ease the operation and management of Layer 4 - 7 switches."
"With Release 9.0 of our TrafficWorks Ironware operating system, Foundry
once
again sets the bar for network infrastructure security, performance and
manageability," said Chandra Kopparapu, vice president and general manager of
the Service Provider and Multi-Layer Switching Business Unit at Foundry
Networks. "By continuously innovating and advancing Layer 4-7 switching
technology, Foundry ensures that its customers stay at the leading edge of the
security and performance curve to ensure mission-critical application
efficiency and security."
Powered by the TrafficWorks Ironware operating system, ServerIron Layer 4 -
7
switches lead the industry in performance, price/performance, switching
intelligence and port density. Foundry was the first and continues to be the
leading vendor to provide end-to-end networking infrastructure solutions that
encompass high performance Web switches, Internet Routers, and wire-speed
Layer 2/3 switches.
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