December 15, 2005 San Jose, CA -- Foundry Networks has announced the availability of a dual-speed 24-port fiber module for its FastIron SuperX series switch, as well as a dual-speed, all-fiber model of its FastIron Edge X series fixed-configuration aggregation switch. Also, the company has introduced a dual-speed 24-port fiber module for its BigIron RX Series Ethernet switch family.
Additionally, the company has announced the availability of Release 2.4 of its IronWare OS for the FastIron Edge X series and FastIron SuperX series Ethernet switches. The company says its IronWare OS 2.4 features support for granular managed bandwidth services, IPTV multicast optimization, and additional advanced service capabilities.
The dual-speed fiber modules for the FastIron SuperX and BigIron RX chassis systems support twenty-four small form factor hot-pluggable ports (SFP), each configurable with 100-Mbit/sec or 1000-Mbit/sec Ethernet transceivers. The FastIron Edge X424HF (FES X424HF) is a fixed-configuration (1.5 rack units) aggregation switch that supports twenty-four dual-speed SFP ports and optional support for one or two ports of 10-Gigabit Ethernet (GbE).
A wide variety of SFP optical transceivers is available, enabling a range of deployment options. For example, SFP optics designed for Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) enable bi-directional 100-Mbit/sec and 1000-Mbit/sec transport over a single strand of singlemode fiber up to 10 km. The E1MG-SX2 SFP optic supports 1000-Mbit/sec Ethernet over FDDI-grade multimode fiber (MMF) up to 2 km. Long reach SFP optics supporting GbE transport over singlemode fiber to distances up to 120 km are also available.
The company says its dual-speed fiber products provide network operators with a versatile solution for delivering high-value Ethernet to the business (ETTB) and Ethernet to the home (ETTH). The products target fiber-based network operators including Metro service providers, Internet service providers, cable network operators, universities, and governments.
The company says its IronWare OS release 2.4 introduces support for granular bandwidth management enabling service providers to offer a flexible suite of Ethernet services to their customers. Release 2.4 also supports Passive Multicast Route Insertion (PMRI) for optimizing multicast video transport of IPTV providers. PMRI creates multicast routes for pass-through multicast traffic or clientless multicast traffic that are common in a service and metro provider networks.
The FastIron Edge X424HF switch and dual-speed fiber module for the FastIron SuperX are now available. The dual-speed fiber module for the BigIron RX Series will be available for order in January 2006.