Press Releases
2006
FORCE10 NETWORKS GRANTED TWO PATENTS FOR 100 GIGABIT ETHERNET-READY BACKPLANE
SAN JOSE, Calif., October 2, 2006 – Force10 Networks®, the pioneer in building and securing high performance networks, today announced that it has been awarded two patents for its advanced 100 Gigabit Ethernet-ready backplane. The unique, patent-protected backplane of the Force10 TeraScale E-Series® family of switch/routers has been tested up to five Terabits per second, delivering 330 Gigabits per second (Gbps) to each slot. Force10 now holds 15 patents with 45 patents pending.
“There is a clear need in the industry for 100 Gigabit Ethernet, and to accommodate that transition, a backplane that can signal traffic without compromising performance is essential,” said Joel Goergen, chief scientist and vice president of technology at Force10 Networks. “We leveraged advanced electrical techniques and threw out traditional designs to build a backplane for the TeraScale E-Series that could seamlessly transition from 10 Gigabit to 100 Gigabit Ethernet in a single chassis, eliminating the need for a forklift upgrade and protecting our customers’ investment.”
Both patents protect the unique design of the Force10 TeraScale E-Series backplane, which is the only one in the industry to employ a low noise power distribution and high speed signal routing in a common backplane. The design of the high performance backplane is both economical and reliable for signaling speeds of 2.5 Gbps to more than 25 Gbps, a crucial feature for guaranteeing scalability without performance degradation as the industry moves to the next generation of Ethernet technology. Combined with trace speeds functional beyond 25 Gbps, the TeraScale E-Series backplane provides a level of performance and economy that cannot be equaled with traditional backplanes.
While today’s typical high performance backplanes support traces that can only reach 6.25 Gbps, the Force10 backplane traces can scale up to 25 Gbps across multiple layers, increasing the performance and efficiency of TeraScale E-Series. Additionally, thick power distribution layers are embedded within the backplane and shielded from the signaling layers to achieve the high performance and scalability required to support the move from 10 Gigabit to 100 Gigabit Ethernet.
In July, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) established the High Speed Study Group to determine the next speed of Ethernet. As the industry continues to explore the evolution of Ethernet technology, the backplane scalability of the Force10 TeraScale E-Series provides enterprises and service providers with the long term protection they require to ensure their IT infrastructure delivers a high return on investment.
About Force10 Networks
Force10 Networks develops high-performance data center solutions powered by the industry’s most innovative line of open, standards-based, networking hardware and software. The company’s Open Cloud Networking framework grants Web 2.0/portal operators, cloud and hosting providers, enterprise and special-purpose data center customers new levels of flexibility, performance, scale and automation—fundamentally changing the economics of data center networking. Force10 Networks operates globally, providing 24x7 service and support to its customer base in more than 60 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.force10networks.com.
Contact:
Michael Schoolnik
StoryPR on behalf of Force10 Networks Inc.
+1 415-674-3816
michael@storypr.com
Force10 Networks, the Force10 Networks logo, Force10, E-Series, Traverse, and TraverseEdge are registered trademarks and Open Cloud Networking, Z-Series, ZettaScale, ExaScale, S-Series, TeraScale, FTOS, Open Automation, are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.
