Foundry Networks, Inc. a provider of end-to-end switching, routing and application Web switching, has announced the availability of a dual-speed 24-port fiber module for the FastIron SuperX and a dual-speed all-fiber model of the popular FastIron Edge X Series fixed-configuration aggregation switch. Foundry also introduced a dual-speed 24-port fiber module for its BigIron RX Series Ethernet switch family. Additionally, Foundry announced the availability of release 2.4 of the IronWare OS for the FastIron Edge X Series and FastIron SuperX Ethernet switches. IronWare OS 2.4 features support for granular managed bandwidth services, IPTV multicast optimization and additional advanced service capabilities.

The new 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 Mbps or 1000 Mbps 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 (10-GE). A wide variety of SFP optical transceivers is available enabling a full range of deployment options. For example, SFP optics designed for Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) enable bi-directional 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps transport over a single strand of single mode fiber up to 10 km. The E1MG-SX2 SFP optic supports 1000 Mbps Ethernet over FDDI-grade multimode fiber (MMF) up to 2 km. Long reach SFP optics supporting Gigabit Ethernet transport over single mode fiber to distances up to 120 km are also available.

These 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). Fiber-based network operators including Metro service providers, Internet service providers, cable network operators, universities and government will benefit from the density and flexibility of these optical Ethernet solutions.

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.

FastIron X Series switches are deployed in a number of advanced service provider networks including GlobalConnect, a leading Scandinavian Ethernet-based telecommunications provider that deployed the FES X Series because of its feature richness, small footprint and high reliability.

"Foundry products lead the competition in performance, total cost of ownership, and price, but the most important attribute is their reliability," said Peter Olsen, chief technology officer for GlobalConnect. "Our customers demand network uptime of 99.95 percent and Foundry Networks products deliver on this promise."

"Foundry continues to develop products and solutions that enable our customers to extend the reach and maximize the value of their Ethernet infrastructure," said Ken Cheng, vice president and general manager of service provider business unit for Foundry Networks. "The dual-speed fiber products provide a cost-effective solution for delivering premium Ethernet services over a wide range of fiber facilities and employ the latest in optics to maximize performance and reach in the long haul and metro environments. Additionally, we continue to introduce new software capabilities to our products to enable important service offerings such as application-aware bandwidth management and IPTV. These new products and features are part of Foundry's ongoing commitment to our customers to provide a total solution for building a reliable unified infrastructure for the delivery of advanced voice, video and application services."

About IronWare OS Release 2.4

IronWare OS Release 2.4 introduces support for the following features:
   
    -- Access Control List (ACL)-based Adaptive Rate Limiting enables granular
       flow-based bandwidth management.  This feature allows the network
       operator to configure a specific traffic policy per customer and by
       application.
    -- VLAN-based Adaptive Rate Limiting complements the ACL-based rate
       limiting described above.  This feature enables a network operator to
       configure a customer VLAN with a defined traffic contract in support of
       a managed service offering.  Service providers can prioritize network
       traffic to ensure that critical applications such as voice and video
       receive the highest quality of service (QoS) across the network.
    -- ACL counters are used to report the frequency of specified packets.
       Security threats, customer usage and application statistics can be
       monitored using ACL counters.
    -- Passive Multicast Route Insertion (PMRI) is a feature used by service
       and metro providers to deliver multicast services, such as IPTV or On-
       Demand video services.  PMRI creates multicast routes for pass-through
       multicast traffic or clientless multicast traffic that are common in a
       service and metro provider network.

About the FastIron SuperX
   
Foundry's FastIron SuperX Layer 2/3 modular switch is purpose-built to deliver high performance Gigabit Ethernet, 10-Gigabit Ethernet, and advanced networking solutions for tomorrow's mission-critical and today's increasing security needs. Foundry's FastIron SuperX is built with high-performance ASICs to deliver high-density Gigabit Ethernet that can include Power over Ethernet and 10-Gigabit Ethernet. Foundry's SuperX comes with IronWare which comes with advanced Layer 2 features such as Foundry's award winning Metro Ring Protocol (MRP), and full Layer 3 features such as Border Gateway Protocol 4 (BGP4). Foundry's SuperX series delivers a new level of flexibility, greater reliability, advanced end-user and networking security, extensive redundancy, and a new level of high performance. The FastIron SuperX delivers an increased return on investment (ROI) and a much lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for both Enterprises and Service Providers.

About the FastIron Edge X Series Layer 2/3 Switch

The FastIron Edge X Series family of layer 2/3 switches (FES X Series) extends the power and performance of Gigabit Ethernet and 10-Gigabit Ethernet to the network's edge. The FastIron Edge X Series switches are 1.5U high compact Gigabit Ethernet edge switches with options for one or two ports of 10-GE. The switches are available in three base configurations, 24-port 10/100/1000 Mbps gigabit over copper configuration, 48-port 10/100/1000 Mbps gigabit over copper configuration and 24-port SFP fiber configurations. Each model supports four ports that are implemented as combination copper-SFP ports to provide additional flexibility. All models are configurable with redundant power supplies.

The FastIron Edge X Series switches feature advanced layer 2 services and protocols including IEEE 802.1Q VLANs, Q-in-Q encapsulation, Metro Ring Protocol (MRP) and Virtual Switch Redundancy Protocol (VSRP). These advanced layer 2 features enable providers to deliver scalable and resilient Ethernet services to their customers. Additionally, the switches are software upgradeable to support full layer 3 routing services, including IP multicast and BGP-4 routing with scalability to 100,000 BGP routes. The routing services further extend the range of applications in which these products can be used.

About the BigIron RX-Series Family of L2/3 Switches

The BigIron RX-series family includes three chassis models, each supporting redundant management, redundant switch fabric and redundant power supply components with a full compliment of switching and routing functions. The BigIron RX-4 is a compact four rack unit (RU) high switch. It supports four half-slot port modules and has a switching capacity of 384 Gbps. The BigIron RX-8 is seven rack units in height, supports eight half-slot port modules and has a switching capacity of 768 gigabits per second. The BigIron RX-16 is fourteen rack units in height supports, sixteen half-slot port modules and has a switching capacity of 1.536 terabits per second. With its low profile design, the BigIron RX-16 switch can be stacked three high in a single seven-foot rack providing for as many as 192 wire-speed 10-GE ports. The BigIron RX Series is designed to meet the needs of any Enterprise Layer 3 switching needs with systems with starting configurations of 24 10/100/100 ports in 4 RU space to 64 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports all using common technology. The introduction of the 48 port 10/100/1000 module offers an ideal solution for high performance environments including Internet exchanges, Data Centers and High Performance Computing installations that will be able to take advantage of this massive density and horsepower.