NXTcomm08

Foundry Announces 320 Gbps Trunks, MPLS-Layer 2 Interworking, and BGP Stability Features

| Jun 20, 2008 | Carrier Infrastructure | Show Update

| Analyst: Glen Hunt

Current Perspective: Positive Vendor Importance: Moderate Market Impact: Moderate

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Event Summary

June 16, 2008 -- Foundry announced industry-leading capacity of 320 Gbps link aggregation as well as the scaling of metro Ethernet services through multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) integration with Layer 2 networks. Furthermore, it enhanced the stability of large-scale border gateway protocol (BGP) networks through the isolation of unstable customer networks. These features provide a scalable and economical path to help providers meet existing and emerging network and application demands.

Analytical Summary

• Current Perspective: Positive on Foundry’s new feature additions for the NetIron XMR and MLX platforms; the 320 Gbps aggregate trunk capability enables higher-capacity data flows between routers to keep up with the double-digit growth in bandwidth requirements. In addition, the MPLS-Layer 2 interworking features for the XMR series assist service providers that need to interconnect metros and national networks and want to implement a Layer 2 access model while still leveraging the resiliency and reach offered by MPLS at the service edge and core. A final enhancement adds stability to large-scale BGP deployments by muting the affects of misbehaving routes; although not necessarily top-of-mind, the feature is useful in maintaining route efficiency and preventing performance degradations due to flapping customer routes.

• Vendor Importance: Moderate to Foundry, since the newly announced features logically extend the company’s capabilities with respect to performance, scalability, and efficiency. The ability to leverage the high 10 GigE capacity of the MLX and XMR routers supports the required link aggregation capacity while the MPLS-Layer 2 interworking leverages both the native Layer 2 as well as the Layer 3 MPLS capabilities of the platforms. The BGP stability enhancement is a natural extension of the routing and route management capabilities and it addresses issues resulting from unstable routes impacting the performance of the system. Foundry made these enhancements to improve its value proposition for service providers seeking the leading edge in performance, scale, and reliability.

• Market Impact: Moderate on the carrier Ethernet and edge switch routing markets, since the new capabilities will find use in large service provider networks that are experiencing rapid growth in subscribers, bandwidth, and reach. Link aggregation techniques have been deployed successfully on lower speed links and should be useful for increasing aggregate bandwidth flow between routers. Foundry’s link aggregation implementation eliminates link polarization due to a patent-pending load-sharing algorithm. With the Layer 2 Ethernet model being widely deployed and endorsed by service providers, the MPLS-Layer 2 interoperation provides the link to leverage the widely installed base of MPLS edge routers to significantly scale and support inter-metro networks. The BGP enhancement will have a subtle impact on the market but will be part of Foundry’s overall performance model..

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