Press Releases

2004

TOLLY GROUP TESTING VALIDATES THAT FORCE10 TERASCALE E-SERIES SETS BENCHMARK FOR GIGABIT AND 10 GIGABIT ETHERNET DENSITY AND PERFORMANCE

MILPITAS, Calif., September 13, 2004 — The Force10 TeraScale E-Series switch/routers deliver the foremost Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet density, according to independent test results released today from The Tolly Group. During testing, the Force10 TeraScale E1200 achieved 100 percent line-rate throughput across 672 Gigabit and 56 Ten Gigabit Ethernet ports. Based on these results, The Tolly Group named the TeraScale E1200 the “First” Terabit switch/router.

The Tolly Group tests also confirm that the Force10 TeraScale E-Series achieves 100 percent line-rate, zero-loss throughput in the following configurations:

• Across 672 Gigabit Ethernet ports at all packet sizes, equating to over 1.34 Terabits per second throughput
• Across 56 Ten Gigabit Ethernet ports at all packet sizes
• While processing 1 billion packets per second
• While handling over 1 million access control lists (ACLs)
• While forwarding IPv6 packets at Gigabit and 10 Gigabit data rates

“The need for greater scalability, performance and network simplicity is driving the demand for high Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet densities, particularly as Gigabit Ethernet is beginning to replace Fast Ethernet,” said Kevin Tolly, President/CEO of The Tolly Group. “To date, the Force10 TeraScale E1200 has the highest densities and throughput we have ever tested, earning it Tolly’s First & Foremost certification as the First Terabit Ethernet switch/router and for Foremost 10 Gigabit Ethernet Density.”

In addition to confirming the performance metrics, The Tolly Group also validated the advanced features of the Force10 TeraScale E-Series. During the tests, the Force10 TeraScale E-Series processed more than one million ACLs with no performance degradation. The Tolly Group also confirmed line-rate IPv6 forwarding at Gigabit and 10 Gigabit rates. The complete report, including testing methodology and results, is available at www.force10networks.com/products/reports.asp.

“Today’s independent testing demonstrates that Force10 delivers twice the performance of any of its competitors,” said Stephen Garrison, Forc10 vice president of corporate marketing. “By combining the industry’s highest port densities with leading resiliency and availability features, Force10 has radically reduced the cost of owning and operating Gigabit and 10 Gigabit networks.”

The Force10 TeraScale E-Series combines unmatched scalability with best-in-class resiliency to provide a new level of network and application predictability. Leveraging three distinct processing units for switching, routing and management functionality, the Force10 E-Series delivers reliable line-rate Gigabit and 10 Gigabit throughput across all ports regardless of traffic conditions.

About The Tolly Group
The Tolly Group, an independent testing and strategic consulting organization based in Boca Raton, FL, offers a full range of services designed to furnish both the vendor and end-user communities with authoritative and unbiased information. Additionally, The Tolly Group is recognized worldwide for its expertise in assessing leading-edge technologies. For more information on The Tolly Group’s services, visit its Web site at www.tolly.com, E-mail info@tolly.com, call (561) 391-5610, or fax (561) 391-5810.

About Force10 Networks
Force10 Networks is the global technology leader that data center, service provider and enterprise customers rely on when the network is their business. The company’s high performance solutions are designed to deliver new economics by virtualizing and automating Ethernet networks.  Force10’s high density and resilient Ethernet switching and routing products increase network availability, agility and efficiency while reducing power and cooling costs.  Force10 provides 24x7 service and support capabilities to its global customer base in more than 60 countries worldwide.  For more information on Force10 Networks, please visit www.force10networks.com.

Contact:
Kevin Kimball
Force10 Networks Inc.
+1 408 571-3544
kkimball@force10networks.com

Force10 Networks, Force10, E-Series, Traverse, and TraverseEdge are registered trademarks and ExaScale, S-Series, TeraScale, and FTOS are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc.  All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.