European Weather Service Deploys Force10 E-Series to More Rapidly Predict Medium-Range Forecasts.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 2004

Force10 Networks, the pioneer in 10 Gigabit Ethernet switching and routing, today announced that the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has deployed the Force10 E-Series to increase the reliability of its data center network. Leveraging the scalability and predictable performance of the Force10 E-Series, the ECMWF is increasing the speed with which it analyzes meteorological observations to forecast the evolution of weather for up to 10 days.

"The ECMWF makes substantial use of numerical experimentation and maintains extensive research archives for investigative studies -- bandwidth intensive applications that require an underlying high performance network," said Matteo Dell'Acqua, head of the Networking and Computer Security Section at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. "Force10's E-Series strengthens ECMWF by bringing a new level of network reliability that allows us to more rapidly analyze data, simulate weather patterns and store the results."

As the backbone of the ECMWF data center, the Force10 E600 interconnects storage, simulation and other application subsystems in a 10 Gigabit Ethernet network. The distributed architecture of the Force10 E-Series guarantees that as traffic increases, the network will maintain line-rate throughput, enabling the ECMWF to more rapidly process meteorological data with parallel applications.

"The ECMWF works with massive amounts of data to provide an invaluable service to European states and needs an infrastructure that can keep pace with the increasing demands placed on it," said Michael Augustine, Force10 Networks' country manager for the United Kingdom. "With the Force10 E600, the ECMWF gains a reliable and scalable foundation for its data center infrastructure, ensuring that it acts to support business objectives."

An international organization supported by 25 European states, the UK-based European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts develops dynamic models of the atmosphere for the production of weather forecasts. The organization conducts scientific and technical research directed at the improvement of weather forecasts and stores appropriate meteorological data and products for its member states.

Prime Business Solutions, a UK-based systems integrator, provided network integration and technical support for the deployment. Delivering solutions for enterprise and public sector customers, Prime Business Solutions provides a wide range of network design and managed services.

The Force10 E-Series combines unmatched scalability with best-in-class resiliency to give organizations like the ECMWF a new level of network and application predictability. Fully distributed hardware and advanced software deliver line-rate Gigabit and 10 Gigabit throughput across all ports regardless of traffic conditions while built-in hardware redundancy guarantees performance continuity.

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks is the pioneer in high performance switching and routing. Based on a revolutionary system architecture that delivers best-in-class resiliency and massive scalability, Force10's E-Series switch/routers ensure predictable application performance, increase network availability, and reduce operating costs. Today, many of the world's largest Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks depend on Force10 Networks. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.force10networks.com.

Force10, E-Series, EtherScale and FTOS are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.