Next-generation 10 GbE FortiSwitch platform ideal for supercomputers and high-speed interconnect applications such as cloud computing

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 30 -- Fortinet -- a market-leading network security provider and worldwide leader of unified threat management (UTM) solutions -- today announced its next-generation FortiSwitch family with the debut of two new 10 gigabit Ethernet (GbE), ultra-low latency switching platforms that feature high port density and "lossless" scalability. The FortiSwitch-1000 chassis and FortiSwitch-500 platform are designed to build high-performance network fabrics such as those required by supercomputers for calculation-intensive tasks or high-speed interconnect applications for server virtualization, datacenter consolidation, and parallel and cloud-based computing. With a high port-density of up to 576 10 GbE interfaces per seven-foot rack, the new FortiSwitch products can scale to thousands of non-blocking ports for maximum performance in minimal datacenter square footage. The introduction of these FortiSwitch products complements Fortinet's existing high-end 10 GbE security infrastructure. Fortinet is also introducing the FortiSwitch-100 "top-of-the-rack" switching platform as a complementary product intended to reduce overall datacenter deployment costs.

As bandwidth requirements in the datacenter core increases and 10 GbE performance is more commonplace, the underlying switching technology needs to come up to speed without adding more complexity to the network architecture or increasing the physical footprint. With FortiSwitch hardware at the core, network operators can build wire-speed, highly scalable and ultra-low latency network fabrics with the simplicity and robustness of standard Ethernet. Traffic congestion is minimized by using Fortinet's vScale multi-path traffic switching and dynamic congestion avoidance features, which re-route data flows to the lowest latency path in real-time and while maintaining full Ethernet compliance.

"The high-port density and high-speed switching capabilities of the new FortiSwitch platforms underscore the performance- and value-centric philosophy of Fortinet's entire product portfolio," said Anthony James, vice president of product marketing at Fortinet. "These combined benefits -- the industry-standard Ethernet interface, Fortinet's vScale switching technology, and value-focused product line -- will enable customers to more easily build a high-performance network fabric at industry-leading price points."

Dr. Bruce Allen, director of the Observational Relativity and Cosmology division at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), says: "Fortinet's FortiSwitch product uses unique technology to make a faster yet less complex switch. It enabled the Atlas computer cluster in Hannover to be the fastest Ethernet-based computer cluster in the world."

The Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics is the largest research center solely devoted to the whole spectrum of general relativity and beyond. The "Atlas Computer Cluster" is a part of the institute.

FortiSwitch Product Line-up

• FortiSwitch-1000 is a 10 GbE switching platform designed for high performance computing and datacenter fabrics; its fully redundant and modular 10RU chassis houses configurable line cards, supporting up to 144 10 GbE interfaces. Multiple chassis can be interconnected to provide greater scalability; the FortiSwitch-1000 chassis is also interoperable with the FortiSwitch-500/100 appliances.
   
• FortiSwitch-500 is a 10 GbE switching platform designed for high performance computing and datacenter fabrics; its fully redundant and modular 1RU platform offers 24 10 GbE interfaces. Multiple appliances can be interconnected to provide greater scalability; FortiSwitch-500 appliances are also interoperable with the FortiSwitch-1000/100 platforms.
   
• FortiSwitch-100 is a GbE and 10 GbE switching platform designed for datacenter top-of-rack server aggregation; packaged in a compact 1RU form factor, the FortiSwitch-100 platform delivers full wire speed Layer 2/3/4 switch features at industry-leading price points. Working in conjunction with the FortiSwitch-1000 or -500 platforms, the FortiSwitch-100 series switch dramatically reduces overall datacenter deployment costs while preserving key performance innovations offered on other two FortiSwith-1000 and -500; comes with 48 wire speed 10/100/1000 ports with options including 4 x 10 GbE active CX4 or 4 x 10 GbE SFP+ uplinks.

This new FortiSwitch product set was added to Fortinet's product line as a result of Fortinet's purchase of certain assets from Woven Systems earlier this year.

Product Availability

The FortiSwitch-1000, -500 and -100 platforms are all now available. Additional information on the FortiSwitch family can be found at www.fortinet.com/products/fortiswitch.

About Fortinet

Fortinet is a leading provider of network security appliances and the market leader in Unified Threat Management or UTM. Fortinet solutions were built from the ground up to integrate multiple levels of security protection -- including firewall, VPN, antivirus, intrusion prevention, Web content filtering, spyware prevention and antispam -- designed to help customers protect against network and content level threats. Leveraging a custom ASIC and unified interface, Fortinet solutions offer advanced security functionality that scales from remote office to chassis-based solutions with integrated management and reporting. Fortinet solutions have won multiple awards around the world and are the only security products that are certified in five programs by ICSA Labs: Firewall, Antivirus, IPSec VPN, Network IPS and Antispam. Fortinet is based in Sunnyvale, Calif.

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Source: Fortinet, Inc.