-- Switching technology sets stage for accelerated "on demand" data capabilities
15 October 2002 -- Extreme Networks Inc says that its 10 Gigabit switching platform has enabled researchers to transfer one Terabyte of information (1,000 Gigabytes - enough to store about 200 full-length movies in digital format) from Vancouver to Geneva across a single network hop. This represents the world's first large-scale, end-to-end transfer of its kind.
Extreme's scalable Ethernet technology was the LAN switching component of the Terabyte data transfer. The transfer used a combination of dedicated portions of fibre-optic networks with resources from the TRIUMF particle accelerator laboratory in Vancouver, ATLAS Canada (which is working on one of four major experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN), Canarie Inc (Canada's government-supported advanced Internet development organisation) and the facilities of CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Geneva, Switzerland).
Extreme Networks' 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology and its BlackDiamond core switching platform create the Ethernet/IP foundation of communication and applications including high-capacity network storage, super-computing clusters and high-end CAD/CAM graphic applications.
The recently completed Terabyte data transfer by TRIUMF is recognised as the world's first inter-domain end-to-end light path transfer using a single network hop to pass information across a distance of 12000km. The light path directly connecting TRIUMF and CERN is the longest known single-hop network - spanning the distance from Vancouver to Geneva where the transfer used one provincial (BCNET) and two national research and education networks, CA*net 4 and SURFnet.
"Progressive research projects and advanced network technology go hand-in-hand, as demonstrated with the recent Terabyte data transfer from Vancouver to Geneva," said Wade Hong, technical manager of HEPnet (the Canadian High Energy Physics Network). "We were able to realise the full potential of Ethernet and optical networking to extend LAN speeds across a global distance."
"Canarie's goal is to provide an advanced research and innovation network that Canadian researchers, scientists and educators can use to collaborate with each other and their peers around the world," said its president and CEO Dr Andrew Bjerring.
"The meaningful implications of the Vancouver to Geneva Terabyte transfer signify the progress of high-performance, standards-based Ethernet technology," said Duncan Potter, vice president of marketing for Extreme Networks.
Extreme Networks develops standardised 10 Gigabit Ethernet switching. Its co-founder and CTO, Steve Haddock, serves as the vice-chair of the IEEE 802.3ae task force. Tony Lee of Extreme Networks served as the 10GEA's president over a two-year period beginning in March 2000. Another Extreme Networks' technologist, Ameet Dhillon, currently serves on the 10GEA board of directors.