HP, FORE, FOUNDRY, COMPAQ and XYLAN got high-marks in Gbit arena, based on this article, it seems like not only too much competitions, the competitors are getting ahead of csco, pretty bad; this can very likely impact the buying decisions of many GBit networks' managers that are going to be revamping their networks, all imo.
from techweb-------------------------------------
May 03, 1999, Issue: 1009
Section: Features
RFP: Gigabit Ethernet Networks
Joel Conover
A resilient, high-performance backbone network can increase productivity
while reducing downtime and total cost of ownership. Gigabit Ethernet is the
logical choice for a low-cost, high-performance network upgrade, providing
unparalleled speed and ease of management. At the edge of your network, it
provides ample bandwidth for high-bandwidth applications. Today's Gigabit
Ethernet solutions also bring new levels of fault tolerance to your backbone
network.
To get a sense of the Gigabit Ethernet upgrade solutions vendors offer, we put
out an RFP for a fictitious publishing company called MediaMagik, which
aims to upgrade its existing backbone network. MediaMagik has
experimented with FDDI, Fast Ethernet and ATM in the core of its backbone,
but now hopes to move from a routed 100-Mbps backbone with 10-Mbps
switched desktop connections to a switched and routed Gigabit Ethernet with
100-Mbps desktop connections. We modeled MediaMagik's backbone
infrastructure after a real-world scenario at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
Like many businesses, MediaMagik must integrate several different
technologies and build a backbone that will last three to five years.
MediaMagik's business relies upon its high-speed data backbone to shuffle
multiple gigabytes of data each day. As a publisher of CD-ROMs, DVDs and
interactive media, MediaMagik relies upon its backbone network 24x7 to get
the job done. To minimize the impact of the new network backbone design,
we asked vendors to maintain MediaMagik's existing logical IP network
design by using VLANs (virtual LANs) and Layer 3 switching. Each vendor
also was required to provide a 2-Gbps full-duplex backbone network with
switched 10/ 100 to every desktop.
In the backbone, we called for N+1 redundancy, in which there is at least one
more unit than the minimum required to carry the load, so that if any one
switch goes down, the entire network will remain operational. Likewise, we
asked that there be room for MediaMagik to grow without having to overhaul
the network in the next three years. We encouraged vendors to show off their
added features and fault-tolerant options, but suggested that they balance
features and price carefully. We listed no price cap for this RFP.
MediaMagik's campus network consists of four identically configured
buildings with four floors. Each floor has 192 users. Each building has a
production server, and each floor has eight fiber drops to the basement of the
building. The campus' data center is located in the basement of the central
building (see "MediaMagik's Data Center Configuration" and "MediaMagik's
Campus Building," on page 56). In addition to the infrastructure for that
building, the data center also houses a high-capacity storage server and a large
tape-backup storage system.
MediaMagik's backbone uses TCP/IP as its primary transport protocol.
Legacy IPX and AppleTalk traffic have been minimized, and MediaMagik
expects all legacy traffic to be switched across the entire campus. Each floor
of MediaMagik's business is a logical IP subnet. The master production server
in the data center and the backup server also share a single IP subnet.
MediaMagik also wants to minimize the impact of the Gigabit Ethernet
migration, so it wants the new network to support the existing logical
configuration.
Eleven vendors responded to MediaMagik's RFP. Cisco Systems, Compaq
Computer Corp., Extreme Networks, FORE Systems, Foundry Networks,
Hewlett-Packard Co., Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks, Olicom,
3Com Corp. and Xylan Corp. turned in widely diverse solutions that all met
the core needs of MediaMagik's campus backbone upgrade. Prices for the
solutions ranged from $1.2 million to almost $3 million.
We scrutinized each vendor's solution to ensure it met MediaMagik's
backbone networking needs. Scalability and fault tolerance at the core of the
network were central to our evaluation, but total cost of ownership also
played an important role. Use this RFP as a guide to creating your short list:
Examining each vendor's solution will give you insight into how to build a
Gigabit Ethernet backbone.
In the end, Network Computing gave HP's proposal the bid. It exceeds all of
the requirements for MediaMagik's network, includes extensive product
support and does so with a price tag that beats many of the competitors'
offerings.
Other vendors on our short list for this RFP include FORE, Foundry,
Compaq and Xylan, which each had solutions that met MediaMagik's needs
and would be given further consideration in a purchasing situation. You'll find
summaries and evaluations of these five vendors' proposals, as well as
evaluations of the remaining vendors' solutions, on the pages that follow.
We invite you to examine all the vendors' complete RFP responses at
www.networkcomputing.com/1009/1009f1.html.
Minimum Requirements for the MediaMagik RFP
2-Gbps full-duplex backbone
Switched 10/100 Ethernet to 3,072 desktops
N+1 fault tolerance in the gigabit backbone
IP QoS capabilities end to end
IP routing capability at the core
802.1Q VLAN tagging and routing support
In Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Words: Solution Summary
Hewlett-Packard Co. can provide MediaMagik with a traffic-aware, highly
fault-tolerant networking infrastructure. Eight HP ProCurve Routing Switch
9304M0000s are deployed and are interconnected to eliminate any single
point of failure in a fully meshed backbone. Fault tolerance is provided by the
dual building switches and redundancy in key components: power supplies,
gigabit links and fans.
With the 9304M as the foundation of MediaMagik's backbone, up to 32
gigabit links can be accommodated in its 128-Gbps aggregate bandwidth,
non-blocking switch fabric. State-of-the-art hardware-based routing ensures
simultaneous full-media-speed Layer 3 routing on all ports. Traffic can be
appropriately controlled by using standards-based IEEE 802.1Q and 802.1p
for switching tagged packets directly from floors to their respective VLAN
server gigabit NIC.
A productive working environment is guaranteed by equipping each closet
with four HP ProCurve Switch 2424M units. These 24-port autosensing
10/100BASE-TX Layer 2 switches connect to the building's backbone HP
ProCurve Routing Switch 9304Ms via dual gigabit links and are wired to
provide link redundancy to the entire stack.
HP TopTools for Hubs & Switches provides the network management
capability for controlling and monitoring the network.
Network Computing's Evaluation of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Response
Hewlett-Packard's solution combines the strength of the vendor's
price-competitive ProCurve desktop switching solutions with the
enterprise-class ProCurve 9304M Routing Switch. These products fulfill
MediaMagik's need for a high-speed backbone while providing 2 Gbps of
bandwidth to each wiring closet. HP provides compelling reasons for
MediaMagik to deploy this network. The solution exceeds all our
expectations for a backbone implementation, and HP gets the bid.
HP provides routing functionality at the network's core. The fully meshed
backbone solution eliminates all single points of failure. Extensive use of the
Spanning Tree Protocol allows the HP solution to load-balance 2 Gbps of
traffic passively from the edge of the network through the core, while
maintaining full connectivity if a device fails.
HP uses a two-tier solution of core switches and edge devices. The company
provides 96 ports per wiring closet, and can accommodate growth via the HP
2424Ms' front-panel stacking capability, and/or by using the unused fibers in
the wiring closet of each floor for additional switches. The core switches
feature a 128-Gbps switching backplane, and have two available slots for up
to 16 additional Gigabit Ethernet ports per switch. The backbone can easily
be scaled to double or quadruple bandwidth, and adding users to the network
will not add load to the existing gigabit uplinks.
At the network's edge, the 2424M Fast Ethernet switches address
MediaMagik's need for VLAN tagging and IP priority. HP's switches can be
configured to give IP priority on a per-port basis, allowing the network
manager to assign high priority to any port that needs it. HP's TopTools
management package rounds out the picture with a highly versatile,
Web-based offering that adds significant value to the product line.
HP's bid is extremely cost-competitive. The $973,000 list price includes all
equipment and HP TopTools Management software for managing a
5,000-node network. The company's lifetime guarantee on desktop products
keeps support costs low. A complete 24x7, four-hour CustomerCare support
contract for all products, including the ProCurve routing switches, is $47,520
for the first year, and $85,104 each year thereafter. The total cost of this
3,086-port network, including four-hour turnaround on parts and service, is
$386 per port. HP also offers extensive outsourcing options, including
network-management and server-and-workstation warranty programs on
both HP and non-HP products.
Hewlett-Packard Co.
Pros
- Excellent price point
- Lifetime warranty
Cons
- Depends on Spanning Tree for load-balancing
In Compaq Computer Corp.'s Words: Solution Summary
Compaq Computer Corp.'s solution meets MediaMagik's requirements by
emphasizing capacity, redundancy and fault tolerance at the backbone using a
standard Gigabit Ethernet platform while supporting multilayer switching with
the ability to grow and control capacity. The 16-slot GIGAswitch/Routers
(GSRs) residing in the basements of Buildings 1 through 3 form the backbone
solution. Within each building, the cost-effective, Layer 2/3 stackable
SW5450 switch replaces the existing 10-Mbps switching infrastructure with a
100-Mbps, high-density solution connected to the Gigabit Ethernet backbone.
In Building 4, the Data Center, the existing ATM infrastructure is replaced by
two eight-slot GSRs providing multiple Gigabit Ethernet links to the data
storage and backup servers and connecting to the rest of the campus
backbone.
Each GSR includes built-in redundancy in its switch-control processor, power
supplies, hot-swappable modules and fans. Compaq's solution provides two
alternatives: two 16-slot GSRs in Buildings 1 through 3 providing complete
failover capability, or one 16-slot GSR in Buildings 1 through 3 with
redundant switch-control processors and power supplies.
Compaq will replace the existing 10-Mbps wire-closet switching infrastructure
with the stackable, fixed configuration SW5450 Layer 2/3 switch, offering 48
ports of high-density 100-Mbps switching to the desktop. The existing
96-port-per-closet requirement can be met with two SW5450s per closet,
four per floor and 16 per building. These switches offer a Gigabit Ethernet link
to the GSR forming the backbone.
In the Data Center, used for production, the ATM switch will be replaced
with two eight-slot GSRs, providing multiple Gigabit Ethernet links to the data
and backup storage servers using Gigabit Ethernet adapters running standard
NT.
Finally, Compaq's support plan and organization provides one service
contract for all the networking, server, software and workstation products
MediaMagik will deploy, including multivendor equipment, thus reducing total
cost of ownership.
Network Computing's Evaluation of Compaq Computer Corp.'s Response
Compaq Computer Corp. brings together a unique set of products in a
versatile, scalable backbone solution. The GIGAswitch/Router (GSR), a
product of the company's acquisition of Digital Equipment Corp. and an OEM
product from Cabletron Systems (the same product Olicom offers in its
CrossFire 8810), provides an ultrafast core for this network proposal, while
Compaq's SW5450 Enterprise Switches-similar to Extreme Networks'
Summit48-provide high-density edge fanout. Compaq's solution is elegant and
affordable. Thanks to its fine service offerings and pricing, Compaq's core
backbone proposal earned a spot on our short list.
Compaq provided two solutions: one with a partially meshed backbone, and
one with a fully meshed, redundant backbone. We prefer the latter because it
adds significant fault tolerance to MediaMagik's network backbone for little
extra cost.
Similar to the solutions from Cisco Systems and 3Com, Compaq suggests
MediaMagik employ a three-tier architecture with two eight-port
GIGAswitch/ Routers at the core, two at each building, and SW5450s at the
edge.
Compaq leaves 28 Gigabit Ethernet ports open in each building for future
expansion. Alternatively, the SW5450 switch supports physical-level
redundancy, which can be connected to the GIGAswitch/ Router for
enhanced reliability at the edge of MediaMagik's network.
Between its backbone switches, Compaq chose 10/100 Fast Ethernet ports
to provide redundancy. We're not sure why the vendor chose the
lower-speed connections for fault tolerance, but since these links are only
used in the event of a network failure, they may simply lower the overall
solution price.
Compaq, like HP, offers extensive network management, design, and
protection services. Through its acquisition of Digital Equipment Corp.,
Compaq inherited a significant service and support infrastructure, which is
available, for a price, to support both Compaq and non-Compaq products.
Without service and support, this design lists for $1,397,105. A three-year
24x7, four-hour support contract adds $369,975 to the price, bringing the
total cost of ownership figure to $574 per port for 3,076 ports.
Compaq Computer
Pros
- Layer 3-, Layer 4-capable across entire campus
- Expandable
Cons
- Doesn't address local business servers
In FORE Systems' Words: Solution Summary
We propose that MediaMagik install two ESX-4800 switches with a 4-Gbps
backbone (2 Gbps each direction). The FORE ESX line of backbone
Ethernet frame switches features a unique distributed-output-buffered switch
architecture that offers a high degree of parallel processing, and delivers
wire-speed routing of unicast and multicast IP and IPX traffic and stateful
packet classification at more than 70 million pps (packets per second). Each
ESX-4800 backbone switch can support 48 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. The
FORE design provides MediaMagik with the 76 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
required and can expand to support up to 36 Gbps of additional backbone
capacity via 18 additional Gigabit Ethernet ports without adding switches. The
ES-2810 stackable switches proposed for the wiring closets allow
MediaMagik to add up to 88 Fast Ethernet ports per floor to accommodate
new users.
Our solution includes all the services required to optimize the flow of business
applications over the network, including ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning),
VoIP (voice over IP), multimedia, intranet and e-commerce. Application
agents resident on the ESX-4800 switches identify application flows and
construct the policies required to optimize or protect applications across the
network. Policy-based network management is used to centrally store,
retrieve and manage policies via LDAP version 2 and version 3 using any
standard directory. All policies are enforced using stateful classification at wire
speed via programmable ASICs. This includes full wire-speed firewalling
across all ports using the Firewall Switching Agent and Check Point Software
Technologies FireWall-1 software.
FORE's Customer Support Program provides MediaMagik with access to a
full range of technical support capabilities. Included is a 24x7 Technical
Assistance Center (TAC), which offers phone service, case tracking and
customer-generated case escalation. Additionally, free software/firmware
upgrades and access to TACtics online are available. Finally, FORE is
offering MediaMagik our premier ForeMan Strategic Response program,
which features on-site four-hour part replacement and personnel support.
Network Computing's Evaluation of FORE Systems' Response
FORE Systems' new frame-based solution is an excellent initial offering. It is
different from others in that it uses patch panels to collapse MediaMagik's
entire network backbone into the corporate data center. MediaMagik was
extremely pleased that FORE's high-density ESX-4800 backbone switches
could support its entire network from a single location.
FORE recommends a two-tier solution that consists of two ESX-4800 core
switches and numerous ES-2810 stackable edge devices. Two Gigabit
Ethernet links interconnect the core switches, satisfying our need for a 2-Gbps
backbone; these devices have the capacity for up to three additional links, for
an aggregate backbone capacity of 5 Gbps.
FORE employs ES-2810 stackable 24-port switches at the edge of the
network. Two Gigabit Ethernet downlinks support the stack in a Spanning
Tree configuration. The stack provides 1 Gbps of bandwidth to each of 96
users, and can be expanded by four to 56 ports for future users. Additional
fibers also can be used to increase bandwidth to the edge of the network.
FORE's unique core architecture lets the company deploy its Firewall
Switching Agent directly on the switch's ASICs, so MediaMagik can police
and protect its servers' data. 802.1p and 802.1Q priority and VLAN (virtual
LAN) features are standard. Likewise, FORE's core equipment is poised for
directory-enabled policy-based networking. A directory services agent runs
on the switch, so the network manager can specify policies.
FORE's bid, which includes three years of service and 24x7 support, works
out to $515 per port, for 3,080 ports of client or server connections. FORE
offers a flat 40 percent hardware discount on all quoted frame-based RFPs.
FORE Systems
Pros
- Centralized backbone network
- Scalable design
Cons
- Unintelligent edge devices
- Limited scalability at edge
In Foundry Networks' Words: Solution Summary
Foundry Networks' FastIron II switches deployed in each wiring closet
provide wire-speed switched access to all end stations. You can assign end
stations to VLANs (virtual LANs) on a port, protocol, subnet or IEEE
802.1Q basis. Balancing all the users in a given wiring closet between two
FastIron II switches provides 100-Mbps desktop connectivity with an eye
toward future expansion and growth. Redundant, dual-homed riser
connections supply equal traffic loads to two BigIron 4000 switches.
Foundry's BigIron 4000 forms a foundation for the fully redundant backbone
that also extends to the data storage center and backup systems. In the
campus core, dual BigIron 4000s executes port-selectable wire-speed
switching or multiprotocol routing and delivers up to 47 million pps of
performance per chassis. With 128 Gbps of switching capacity, each BigIron
4000 ensures that high traffic volumes traversing the backbone do not degrade
performance.
The BigIron 4000 architecture scales up to 32 Gigabit Ethernet ports to
accommodate future network growth. MediaMagik can increase campus
backbone bandwidth by deploying additional Gigabit Ethernet modules in
each core chassis.
All Foundry products include built-in SNMP and RMON capabilities for
configuring, managing and monitoring traffic patterns, and can be controlled
from numerous sources. Local or remote configuration and management is
available through a command-line interface, HTTP interface or Foundry's
IronView GUI.
Network Computing's Evaluation of Foundry Networks' Response
Foundry Networks proposes a three-tier solution with an aggregate backbone
capacity of 2 Gbps. Like Cisco Systems, Foundry would provide a fully
meshed backbone network and redundant links to every point in the network,
including the edge switches.
Foundry's reasonably priced solution is unique in this RFP in that each switch
is a full chassis with an advanced Layer 2, 3 and 4 feature set. As such,
Foundry's proposal earns a place on MediaMagik's short list.
The company recommends two of its BigIron 4000 switches to form the core
of MediaMagik's backbone. Two connections from each distribution layer
switch provide the requisite 2-Gbps backbone. The BigIron 4000 chassis has
several extra slots available for future expansion.
Each building houses two distribution-layer BigIron 4000s. These switches
provide Gigabit Ethernet fanout for the FastIron II switches at the network's
edge, as well as connectivity for MediaMagik's business servers.
Three additional ports are available on each distribution switch, letting the
company expand its network to 5 Gbps by adding ports at the core.
At the edge of the network, Foundry's FastIron II 72-port 10/ 100 switch
provides 144 ports of 10/100 connectivity in each wiring closet.
Of the solutions received, only Foundry's overprovisions MediaMagik's
network from the start. Two Gigabit Ethernet downlinks-one active, one
redundant-provide MediaMagik's users with 1 Gbps of bandwidth to the
backbone. By swapping out management modules, up to eight gigabit ports
can be used to trunk more bandwidth from the core of the network to its
edge.
Foundry offers MediaMagik its Titanium support service plan, which includes
advanced hardware replacement and a 40 percent discount on hot-spare
parts, in addition to software-update Web access and 24x7 phone support.
This plan, currently available only in major metropolitan areas, includes
four-hour replacement for failed hardware and lists for $196,375 per year. A
three-year contract on the suggested hardware brings the total cost of
ownership to $447 per port for 4,620 ports.
Foundry Networks
Pros
- Scalable architecture
- Layer 2/Layer 3/Layer 4 at every port
Cons
- Limited support system
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