An increasing number of enterprises are readying for 40 GbEthernet networks. However, not all of their current network monitoring appliances may be up to the task because they can’t handle that speed.
Apcon Inc., a maker of enterprise-scale aggregation network monitoring switches, said Tuesday it has an answer: It has upgraded the firmware on its IntellaPatch Series 3000 switches to in effect slow traffic throught filtering and load balancing so 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps performance monitoring and security tools can perform optimally.
The solution also allows 40G interswitch trunking between two Apcon switches, creating in effect a large virtual switch even if they are on different floors of a data centre
While the firmware is free, the 3000 series switches need a 40Gbps aggregator blade for it to perform at that speed.
Although 40 Gpbs networks are still few and far between, Apcon officials said in an interview they expect to see a rapid increase in the next few years in the need for 40G trunking.
“What we’ve seen in customer networks is that 40G is still in the early stages, said Paul Ginn, the company’s director of marketing, “so we’re at the bleeding edge.”
Early adopters are service providers and financial services organizations. Still, he added, a number of enterprises are looking ahead to 100G.
(An IntellaPatch 3000-4RU)
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The company’s Series 3000 aggregation switches come in various sizes – 1, 2, 4 and 8RU chassis – with 14 to 288 ports. There’s also a wide range of copper, fibre, FibreChannel and Sonet blades. It also makes the IntellaPort video routing switch.
Ginn said Apcon concentrates on selling to Fortune 1000-sized companies. He wouldn’t name Canadian customers, but said they incldude telecommunications firms and financial institutions.
Apcon products are available here through Brockville, Ont.,-based TestworX Inc., which specializes in network infrastructure and measurement tools, and TelNet Networks of Elizabethtown, Ont.
Ginn said Apon is looking to add Canadian integrators.
