Hitachi intros IPv6 Gigabit routers for enterprise and branch office deployment.

Hitachi Internetworking has announced the worldwide commercial availability of two new Broadband (B) Models in the GR2000 family of gigabit routers. These two models are designed specifically to meet the advanced Internet routing needs of enterprise branch offices.

The new GR2000-B Series is the industry's most advanced, highest performance one-rack unit (1RU) compact-sized router in its class, delivering exceptional wire-speed per port performance of up to 1Mpps. Adopting an architecture similar to the existing GR2000 gigabit router series deployed worldwide, the 1B and 2B models offer the same superior level of hardware-based performance, features and functionality. The new models support a wide range of high-speed LAN (up to Gigabit speeds) and WAN interfaces (up to OC-3 speeds)--an ideal platform for CPE deployment at the Enterprise and Service Provider Edge. The GR2000-B Series comes pre-installed with an integrated 10/100 Ethernet module of up to 4 ports, and is available in either a 1-slot or 2-slot configuration.

"The GR2000-B Series extends Hitachi Internetworking's IPv6 hardware leadership to the edge, finally providing remote offices and smaller enterprises with an IPv6 platform that is not only highly reliable, robust and dynamic, but also affordable," said Yurie Rich, founder of Native6, a provider of IPv6 training and consulting services based in Seattle, Wash. "By adding the B Series models to the GR2000 line, Hitachi has enabled IPv6 hardware deployment at all levels, from carrier to enterprise, which will form the backbone for the next generation of advanced broadband and Internet services. We are very excited about adding B Series routers to our mobile lab and giving students and clients alike the opportunity to see the bigger IPv6 picture."

Gigabit Ethernet is fast becoming the de facto standard for Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), corporate WANs and campus backbones as a cost effective approach to traditional ATM and SONET rings. The GR2000-B's support of Gigabit interfaces allows for even greater flexibility in this environment. The combination of high performance, low price, and small footprint make it an ideal solution for edge deployment in small and mid-size point of presence (POPs) where rack space is limited.

Enterprise customers also benefits from the GR2000-B's hardware features implemented in dedicated ASICs. As enterprise companies prepare to take on IPv6-enabled services, the GR2000-B is the first to offer production-ready dual stack IPv4/IPv6 in hardware. This is critical for a smooth migration to IPv6 without requiring replacement of existing equipment. Other hardware-based key features such as advanced QoS, DiffServ, IP Multicast, and IP Filtering, provide consistent feature rich performance solutions for converged next generation enterprise network applications of voice, video distribution, distance learning and mission critical data applications.

The rapid growth and demand for Internet access has created a shortage in conventional IPv4 addresses. Hitachi Internetworking was the first to implement production-ready, hardware-based IPv6 solutions which fulfills the demand worldwide for increased IP addresses. In September 2001, Hitachi was the first company to deploy a commercial IPv6 network, linking seven major cities in Europe.

Hitachi Internetworking, the global sales and marketing unit for Hitachi GR2000 gigabit router, is part of Hitachi America, Ltd. In Europe, Hitachi Internetworking operates under Hitachi Europe, Ltd. Hitachi is also a founding member of the IPv6 Forum, a key contributing member of IETF (RFC2767 and Toolnet6), a key sponsor of European IPv6 Internet Exchanges Project (Euro6IX) and an early developer of IPv6 technology. Hitachi initiated its IPv6 leadership in 1997 as the first company to ship a translating IPv6/IPv4 router, the NR60.[sections]