Still more product info mentioning Nbase....note prices at end...
Flexibility, higher port densities, and
more bandwidth at the core of
chassis-based routing switches
By Stephen Lawton
he launch this month of several
chassis-based routing switches
promises to provide IS managers with a
plethora of network design and
configuration choices.
Cisco Systems Inc., NEO Networks Inc.,
Packet Engines Inc., and NBase
Communications are among the
companies unveiling chassis-based
systems at and before the
NetWorld+Interop show in Las Vegas
next week.
The four- to eight-slot chassis designs,
most of which use the same blades as
the vendors' larger models, give IS
managers greater port concentration and
interface options in the wiring closet while
building on an existing infrastructure.
IS managers may want to consider the
chassis-based systems over stackable
models if they anticipate significant
growth in the near term, according to
Deborah Tate, an independent network
designer and consultant in Plano, Texas.
Because users and network-attached
equipment move frequently, the flexibility
of a chassis can be significantly greater
than that of fixed-configuration boxes,
she added.
Today Cisco announced the Catalyst
8500 series multilayer switch. The two
models, which are targeted at backbone
environments, are Cisco's first
IP/IPX-only routers and the company's
initial entry into the emerging class of
limited-protocol, gigabit-Ethernet routing
switches, according to Alan Marcus,
director of network design and
technology at Cisco in San Jose, Calif.
The 8500 series marks a significant jump
in performance compared with Cisco's
current generation of routing switches.
Whereas the 5500 model operates at
about 180,000 packets per second (pps),
the 8500 line can route about 21 million
pps.
Also today, Packet Engines launched its
PowerRail 5200 family of routing
switches, including the PowerRail 2200
for wiring closets. And NEO Networks
plans to unveil its StreamProcessor
1000, a smaller version of its
StreamProcessor 2400 routing switch
that is capable of serving as a backbone
router or in a wiring closet, the company
said.
The NBase MS 5000HD, expected to be
announced at N+I, is aimed at wiring
closets and the network edge to
aggregate metropolitan-area network
traffic.
Flexibility
Chassis-based systems offer more
flexibility for hot spares and expansion
modules than fixed configuration boxes,
according to Tate. Spare blades are not
only easier to store, but they also let IS
managers change configurations quickly.
If a slot in the chassis system fails, the
time it takes to move a blade from one
slot to another is significantly less than it
takes to replace a box--and all the
associated cables--with another one, she
said. It also lets the IS manager schedule
the repair or replacement of the chassis
rather than have part of the network
down for an extended period of time.
Chassis-based units can be less difficult
to configure and manage in centralized
network environments, such as buildings
that have just one wiring closet per floor
and a centralized server room.
Although noting that switch prices have
been falling in recent months, Tate
cautioned IS managers not to get caught
in the "network future-proofing" trap of
buying more chassis than they require.
She suggested that IS managers opt for
a chassis that is 50 percent populated at
the outset; it would be an unnecessary
expense, for example, to buy a 16-slot
chassis if the IS manager only planned to
install four blades initially.
In addition to being able to add blades to
grow the network without buying new
boxes, bandwidth also improves in a
chassis-based system, said Quinn Snell,
an assistant professor at Brigham Young
University in Salt Lake City.
"Chassis-based switches eliminate the
bandwidth bottlenecks of stacking
multiple standalone routing switches," he
noted. When connecting several
standalone boxes together, he said, the
network becomes limited to the cable
connections instead of the chassis'
backplane capacity.
Additionally, having a chassis that uses
the same blades as others in the network
can be a benefit, according to Snell.
For example, Catalyst 8510 blades can
be used in 5500 series switches. Buying
new blades for existing switch chassis,
rather than buying a new router, can be
easier to explain to those who approve
expenditures, he said.
Snell, who is expecting the delivery this
month of a Packet Engines PowerRail
5200, said part of his decision was
based on having room to expand his
system. He also anticipates adding the
seven-slot PowerRail 2200 to the wiring
closets to feed the core routing switch.
Despite the promises of chassis
systems, compromise is sometimes
required. Late last year, Corey Van Allen,
systems manager at Primary Color
Systems Inc., a prepress operation in
Irvine, Calif., sought to purchase a
chassis-based routing switch that would
fit into his existing Cisco-based network
and support a network of Apple
Computer Inc. Macintosh desktops. At
the time, Cisco's only routing switch was
the Catalyst 5500, which lacked the
backplane capacity and throughput Van
Allen needed, so he considered other
vendors' models.
Among Van Allen's reasons for wanting a
chassis were its greater flexibility in
network design options relative to a
stackable switch as well as add-on
capabilities after initial purchase.
However, he could not get delivery of the
chassis-based system he preferred, so
he bought several fixed-configuration
units from Foundry Networks Inc.
Foundry is now offering chassis-based
systems, and Van Allen said he plans to
add a unit as his network grows.
Cisco's list price for the Catalyst 8510
chassis starts at $24,995.
NEO Networks' list price for the
StreamProcessor 1000 chassis is
$14,995. The units are due to ship by
midyear.
The NBase MS 5000HD is priced at
$2,495 for the chassis.
Packet Engines' PowerRail 5200 lists for
$24,995, and the 2200 lists for $9,995. |
