Case Technology Announces Layer 3 Switching at 100,000 pps For MatchBox Ethernet Switch.COPENHAGEN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 21, 1996--Case Technology today introduced Layer 3 switching capabilities for its award-winning MatchBox Switch. Implementing Layer 3 switching finally gives network managers the payback they are looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. from their investment in Ethernet switching. By removing the routing bottleneck, the MatchBox spreads the performance benefits offered by Ethernet switches throughout the corporate LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. . Through a combination of its unique ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Pronounced "a-sick." A chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose chip such as a microprocessor. architecture and powerful Layer 3 switching functionality, the MatchBox Switch delivers the benefits users really need: o Performance above 100,000 pps when switching between Layer 3 VLANs o Very low latency Low latency allows human-unnoticeable delays between an input being processed and the corresponding output providing real time characteristics. This can be especially important for internet connections utilizing services such as online gaming and VOIP - VOIP is not as important as for the routing function o Standard IP routing, no need to touch the desktop o Full wire speed, no effect, on Layer 2 performance In addition, network managers will be glad to hear that there's no need to touch the desktop. Case has adopted a standards based, non-proprietary, routing approach to their implementation of Layer 3 switching. This means that the MatchBox Switch is completely interoperable with end-users' existing IP networking equipment. Following Case's corporate strategy to reduce cost of network ownership, the Layer 3 switching software is provided as an upgrade at no additional cost. It will be available in December 1996 for their ES 2420 and ES 1820 Ethernet switches. High-performance, low latency The MatchBox switch consistently delivers Layer 3 switching speeds of more than 100,000 pps. When switching at Layer 3, the MatchBox's routing function only takes 12 microseconds to perform. This means that it can maintain its characteristic low forwarding latency. For example, when routing 64 byte packets the switch only takes 77 microseconds for a complete forwarding operation (FIFO (First In First Out) A storage method that retrieves the item stored for the longest time. Contrast with LIFO. See traffic engineering methods. FIFO - first-in first-out , first in first out, latency). Unique ASIC assisted Case Technology's MatchBox architecture is based on Case-designed Application Specific Integrated Circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. (ASICs). In Case's architecture, the ASICs operate in parallel with the switch's RISC processor RISC processor [Reduced Instruction Set Computer], computer arithmetic-logic unit that uses a minimal instruction set, emphasizing the instructions used most often and optimizing them for the fastest possible execution. . This ASIC-assisted forwarding is unique to the MatchBox and is the reason why it can achieve such low forwarding latencies. A major benefit for users is that the MatchBox switch's layer 3 forwarding rate independent of frame size, large frames are routed with equally high performance as small frames. "The MatchBox will be the first Ethernet switch to deliver the full power of Layer 3 switching," said Martin Lund, Product Manager, for Case's switching technology "our unrivaled ASIC design overcomes the performance drawbacks of earlier CPU CPU in full central processing unit Principal component of a digital computer, composed of a control unit, an instruction-decoding unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. based solutions". Standards based -- never touch the desktop The MatchBox Switch is completely interoperable with end-users' existing IP networking equipment. Network Managers can breathe a sigh of relief, the MatchBox sticks by Forrester Research's 4th law of the LAN "never touch the desktop". This is because Case has adopted a standards based, non-proprietary, routing approach to their implementation of Layer 3 switching. In contrast, other implementations may require network managers to change users' end stations. No performance penalty Using the unique ASIC architecture, Case has implemented the MatchBox's high-performance, Layer 3 switching without any decrease in the switch's Layer 2 switching performance. Reducing the cost of network ownership Layer 3 switching removes the need for costly, high-performance routers at the center of the network. This significantly reduces the cost of ownership and simplifies network design. "The MatchBox's integrated Layer 3 switching is making a major contribution to reducing the cost of network ownership. This complements our corporate strategy, which is why we will not be charging for the Layer 3 switching software upgrade" commented Lund. Layer 3 VLAN See virtual LAN. VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network Support Earlier this month Case announced Advanced Policy based A decision made by any software application that is based on the policy (rules and regulations) of the organization. See policy and COPS. Virtual LANs (VLANs)for the MatchBox switch. The new Layer 3 capabilities further enhances the MatchBox Switch's ability to support VLANs. VLANs greatly simplify making moves, adds, and changes, and offer excellent security. Their inherently high performance enables VLANs to support high-throughput applications such as multi-media. VLANs block broadcast traffic; this decreases the number of messages to the VLAN, making it more efficient. Maintaining a lead in switching The Layer 3 switching capability is part of Case's on going program to maintain the MatchBox at the leading edge of switching technology. The MatchBox Switch, which was announced in September, 1995 has seen a series of these upgrades. In July, Case Technology announced Automatic Adaptive Switching, which automatically assigns the fastest forwarding method cut-through, fragment free Fragment free is a switch forwarding method. Fragment free will ensure that enough bytes are read from the source to detect a collision before forwarding. This is only useful if there is a chance of a collision on the source port - so a fully switched network may not benefit from or store-and-forward, on a port-by-port basis depending on network conditions. The MatchBox Switch was the first Ethernet switch to offer this capability. In September, Case added more advanced security features in the form of user defined Any format, layout, structure or language that is developed by the user. port MAC filtering In computer networking, MAC Filtering (or EUI filtering, or layer 2 address filtering) refers to a security access control methodology whereby the 48-bit address assigned to each network card is used to determine access to the network. . This gives the network manager the ability to restrict access to the network based on MAC and, or part address on the switch. Award winning switch Case Technology's MatchBox Switch has won numerous awards from industry publications. Most recently, it outperformed other Ethernet switches by an order of magnitude A change in quantity or volume as measured by the decimal point. For example, from tens to hundreds is one order of magnitude. Tens to thousands is two orders of magnitude; tens to millions is three orders of magnitude, etc. in live tests run by Strategic Network Consulting, Inc. at the 1996 Networld+Interop show in Atlanta. It also was named "Best of Show" at Networld+Interop in September, 1995, an "Editor's Choice" by Network Computing Storing and/or running applications in servers in a network. See cloud computing and network computer. in May, 1996, and made the "Short List" of Ethernet Switches in a survey by Network World in June, 1996. About Case Technology Case Technology (formerly part of Cray Communications) is one of the leading manufacturers of advanced networking products in Europe. It designs, manufactures and sells an integrated range of communications products for voice, data and video networks. It is one of the few communications companies with expertise in both local and wide area networking technologies, and has new award winning products in each of its three focus areas Switching, Inter-networking and Multimedia Integration. CONTACT: NOTE TO EDITORS: Public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most contacts are: Edgar E. Geithner Mark S. Wilson Case Technology U.S. Press Office Case Technology 508/626-8517 (+45) 44 53 01 00 gdotm@ultranet.com msw@craycom.dk |
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