Hitachi and WIDE Project Succeed in Trans-Pacific 10-Gigabit Ethernet Communication Test Using 10GBASE-EW.

BRISBANE, Calif. -- The WIDE Project (Representative: Professor Dr. Jun Murai of Keio University, Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Dr. Akira Kato of The University of Tokyo), and Hitachi, Ltd. (President & Chief Executive Officer, Information & Telecommunication Systems: Kazuo Furukawa, hereinafter referred to Hitachi), supported by the Pacific Northwest Gigapop and the University of Washington, have succeeded in achieving an error-free 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) communication test across the Pacific Ocean using 10GBASE-EW(*1) over the IEEAF TransPacific Link connecting Tokyo and Seattle (approximately 4800 miles or 7,700 km).

In the test, Hitachi GS4000-160E Gigabit switches were located at data centers in Tokyo (Ote-machi, chiyoda-ku) and Seattle, Washington. Both sites succeeded in opening direct communication using 10 GbE between Tokyo and Seattle by connecting the 10GBASE-EW interface installed in the GS4000-160E to the IEEAF TransPacific Link (OC-192).

As expected, no error frames were detected during 10 hours of testing. The test was based on a packet forwarding experiment using two UNIX-based PCs, which were connected to the GS4000-160E in Tokyo and Seattle, respectively.

The OC-192 line used in this test was a standard SONET line provided by Tyco Telecommunications (a Tyco Electronics Company), Morristown, New Jersey, to the IEEAF. The task of connecting it in Tokyo and the U.S. was performed by WIDE Project, the Pacific Northwest Gigapop, and University of Washington. Conventional IP communications done via SONET/SDH networks requires a router equipped with a POS (Packet over SONET) interface. The 10GBASE-EW used in this test was developed by converting the physical interface portion of standard 10 GbE into SONET OC-192/SDH STM-64 format. This technology makes it possible to construct a wide-area network that is more cost effective than a usual network built with OC-192 SONET interfaces. This test clearly proves the feasibility of using 10GBASE-EW for reliable world-wide network communications.

In recent years, there have been many remarkable improvements in Ethernet technologies. In Japan, it has been used not only in traditional enterprise LANs, but also in high-speed, low-cost, wide-area Ethernet networks (WANs). However, traditional construction of a wide-area Ethernet network required several kinds of expensive routing devices. This test shows that for WAN services, 10GBASE-EW will support high-performance and stable wide-area Ethernet networks at a much lower cost.

The successful test paves the way for accelerated deployment of broadband services for international networks, thereby providing further proliferation of multimedia applications, such as high-definition video and audio, and IP routing of SANs (Storage Area Networks) in storage systems.

About WIDE Project:

The basic goal of the WIDE (Widely Integrated Distributed Environment) project is to establish a distributed system beneficial to all people and societies through connections to computers all over the world, and pursue key issues and problems necessary to achieve it. URL: http://www.wide.ad.jp/index-j.html

About Hitachi GS4000 series of Gigabit switches:

The Hitachi GS4000 series was created to help build All-Ethernet networks. With its superior levels of speed, performance, configuration flexibility, as well as hardware-based precision Ethernet QoS, the GS4000 transmits important data effortlessly and reliably, even in environmentally marginal or high-traffic environments. Designed into the GS4000 series is the raw processing capacity to deal with the demands of 10G Ethernet, and Hitachi's technology cultivated through the development of reliable, high-performance switches and routers. URL: http://www.internetworking.hitachi.com.

About Pacific Northwest Gigapop (PNWGP)

PNWGP is the Northwest's Next Generation Internet, advanced applications cooperative, testbed, point of presence, and home to the Seattle node of the Pacific Wave International Peering Service. PNWGP and Pacific Wave connect together high-performance international and federal research networks with universities, research organizations, and leading edge R&D and new media enterprises throughout the U.S. Northwest, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. URL: http://www.pnw-gigapop.net

About the University of Washington

The University of Washington is one of the world's top research universities. Perennially among the top three American institutions in peer-reviewed research activities and related competitive contracts and grants, and with numerous top ranked programs, the UW is a university which truly embodies the ideals of "Learning @ the Leading Edge"(TM). URL: http://www.washington.edu

About the IEEAF

The Internet Educational Equal Access Foundation (IEEAF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to obtain donations of telecommunications capacity and equipment and make them available for use by the global research and education community. Through partnerships and alliances between government, private sector entities, educational institutions and other non-profit organizations, IEEAF fosters global educational collaboration and equitable access to network resources: the "Global Quilt". The IEEAF Transpacific Link is the second 10Gbps transoceanic link provided through the IEEAF; the first, the IEEAF TransAtlantic Link, connects New York City and Groningen, Netherlands, and has been operational since 2002. For more information about IEEAF, visit http://www.ieeaf.org/.

About Hitachi

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 326,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2003 (ended March 31, 2004) consolidated sales totaled 8,632.4 billion yen ($81.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Website at http://www.hitachi.com.

Notes:

*1) One of the protocols for 10 Gbps Ethernet established by 10GBASE-EW IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers), which specifies the data-forwarding speed to 9.2942 Gbps.

Trademarks:

Ethernet is a registered trademark of Xerox Corporation and Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.