KUALA LUMPUR: Alcatel-Lucent has jumped onto the datacentre switching solution bandwagon with its “future-proof” OmniSwitch 10K and OmniSwitch 6900 Modular Ethernet LAN Chassis, that promise up to 40GbE (Gigabit Ethernet) network connectivity between servers and storage, as well as to the Internet, by year end.
The high-capacity and adaptable OmniSwitch 10K simplifies Layer 2 network deployment and offers scalability to meet current and future bandwidth requirements.
Also, the stackable 6900 ships with extensive resource reservation control mechanisms, Layer 2 and Layer 3 switching, as well as system and network level resiliency.
At the moment, both switching solutions offer up to 10GbE capability.
To support 40GbE network connectivity, the company will introduce related add-on interface modules which required no fabric upgrades on the enterprise side.
OmniSwitch 10K will get four-port and eight-port 40GbE interface modules, while OmniSwitch 6900 will have a slide-in three-port type.
The vendor’s modular-chassis product management director, Khurram A. Khawaja, said that as most enterprises are now facing the challenge of coping with the explosion of data traffic from smart devices and newer applications, the ability to upgrade to faster network connectivity is crucial to avoid traffic congestion and higher over-subscriptions.
Also, Alcatel-Lucent’s add-on interfaces make it easier for enterprises to evolve with the changing trends in the market without requiring them to rip up and replace their existing infrastructure, he said.
“Our offerings enable customers to start at their own pace — where they can begin at the lowest level for their existing environment and scale up as and when needed,” Khurram said.
As there will be variables in the configuration of the solutions, Alcatel-Lucent is not able to provide the exact pricing for them. However, Khurram said, the OmniSwitches are at least 25% more affordable than similar offerings from its competitors.
The company hopes to secure up to 10 local customers this year. It has begun talking with three potential clients in the education, healthcare and transportation sectors.
++++ www.alcatel-lucent.com
Did you find this article insightful?
