Dell/EqualLogic and Force10 Networks Partner

Force10 Networks, Inc. announced that its C-Series family of resilient switches and its S-Series S50N and S25N access switches have been tested and validated for inclusion in Dell EqualLogic-based storage area networks (SANs). Utilizing Force10 switches as part of a Dell EqualLogic SAN brings high performance, ease of management and cost effectiveness to the data center.

                   C-series

“Customers managing today’s data centers are growing intolerant of the excessive costs, and inflexibility, resultant of managing islands of storage and disparate storage networking infrastructures,” says James Hanley, president of field operations, Force10 Networks. “Force10’s alliances with SAN technology leaders such as Dell EqualLogic, provide flexible solutions that improve interoperability, and enhance reliability and throughput – all at the lowest available cost of ownership.”

When incorporating Force10 C-Series and S-Series switches, Dell EqualLogic SANs leverage end-to-end 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE) capability as well as deep, best-in-class buffering to provide the bursty data center and storage applications with the ability to temporarily fill egress packet buffers. These buffering allocation profiles are supported by the Force10 Operating System (FTOS), which enables these commands to tune buffering based on the customer’s application. This capability reflects the rich heritage of FTOS, which was hardened in some of the most demanding data center network environments. In addition, FTOS provides advanced management features that help lower total cost of network ownership and reduce unplanned downtime.

The C-Series resilient switches are designed to support enterprise-level applications across converged networks. With up to 384 line-rate 10/100/1000Base-T ports per device, coupled with 5 microsecond switching latency under full load for 64 byte frames, these chassis-based switches deliver best-in-class port density and performance. The scalable C-Series integrates a passive copper backplane supporting a switching capacity of up to 1.5 Terabits per second and more than 950 Mpps (Million packets per second) of L2/L3 packet forwarding performance. The Force10 S-Series access switches provide core-like resiliency in a compact form factor with a switching capacity of up to 288 Gbps, forwarding performance of more than 131 Mpps, and up to 48 line-rate 10/100/1000Base-T ports and four 10 GbE ports in a 1-RU form factor.

The Force10 Reliable Networking product portfolio supports advances in reliability, network control and scalability that enable enterprises to lower their total cost of ownership. By building a flexible network that is ready to support emerging and evolving applications, enterprises can optimize their networks for current needs as well as future requirements.