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From Network World
Nortel integrates the Alteon 780 switch with Passport 8600 Layer 3 switch
Nortel preps big Web switch
Carrier-class device is the first evidence of integration between
Nortel and Alteon products.
By JIM DUFFY
Network World, 01/08/01
SAN JOSE - Nortel Networks is readying a high-end
switch for service providers that could improve Web
site and network application uptime for firms that
outsource their hosting operations.
The company's Alteon 780 series Web switch, which
is the first evidence of integration between Nortel's
hardware products and those of acquisition Alteon,
will likely be installed in large Web-hosting sites. The
switches, which boast more than twice as many Fast
Ethernet ports and almost double the Gigabit Ethernet
ports of current top-of-the-line Alteon devices, are
designed to sit in front of Web servers and distribute
requests for content among those servers based on
availability or traffic load.
The switches should let service providers handle more
traffic on behalf of outsourcing customers more
efficiently, which should translate into Web sites and
hosted applications that respond to customer requests
more quickly. The switches also should appeal to a
broader range of service providers, which means
companies may have more providers to choose from
for their outsourced operations.
The 780 series will be based on Nortel's 10-slot
Passport 8600 Layer 3 switch chassis and modules
implementing Alteon's Layer 4 to Layer 7 switching
technology. The Alteon technology looks deep into
packets to determine the content request and direct it
to the appropriate server, balance server traffic,
manage bandwidth and perform other functions.
"Nortel needs to do something with its Alteon
acquisition," says Joel Conover, a senior analyst at
Current Analysis. "It needs to make its presence
better felt in both the enterprise and service provider
marketplaces. I don't think it's done a particularly
good job of following through in those spaces after
the various acquisitions."
The 780 will dramatically expand the Ethernet port
density of Nortel's current high-end content switch
offerings, the Alteon 708 and 714. The switch will
replace the 14-slot 714, Nortel says. (Sources expect
Nortel to unveil copper-based Gigabit Ethernet
interfaces for the 708 this year, as well as VPN and
streaming media load-balancing features for
corporations and service providers.)
The 780 will sport up to 336 Fast Ethernet or 56
Gigabit Ethernet ports. Conversely, the Alteon 714
supports up to 128 Fast Ethernet or 32 Gigabit
Ethernet ports; the eight-slot Alteon 708 provides up
to 64 Fast Ethernet or 16 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
The 780 will also bring packet-over-SONET
interfaces to the Alteon Web switches for the first
time, expanding WAN options for users.
The 780 will let Nortel better compete with Foundry
Networks and its ServerIron 400 and 800 offerings.
The 780 will have twice the 10/100M bit/sec Ethernet
port density of Foundry's ServerIron 800, while
matching its Gigabit Ethernet port count.
The 780 will also put additional pressure on Cisco to
integrate its ArrowPoint Web switching technology
with the Catalyst 6500 LAN switch line, Conover
says. Cisco acquired ArrowPoint Communications
last year for just less than $6 billion.
The 780 is expected to ship some time after March.
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