SANTA CLARA, Calif. and DURHAM, N.H., Oct. 29, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Foundry Networks(r), Inc. (Nasdaq:FDRY), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced demonstration of the interoperability and high-performance of its 10 gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) routing and switching hardware through key participation in the University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab's (UNH-IOL) inaugural 10 Gig Tech Summit. As a leading networking participant, Foundry provided a NetIron(r) XMR 8000 backbone router, FastIron(r) Edge X, FastIron GS and FastIron LS distribution/aggregation and edge compact Layer 2/3 switches. These products were integral to the largest neutral multi-vendor 10GbE unified data and storage fabric ever implemented.
Held from Sept. 24 to 28, 2007, the 10 Gig Tech Summit was conducted by the renowned UNH-IOL, one of the industry's most highly regarded neutral third-party proving grounds for network technology. Working with nearly 40 companies from throughout the 10GbE industry, the UNH-IOL created the most heterogeneous, public 10GbE network ever deployed. The results verified interoperability between many companies supplying 10GbE switches, cables, 10GBASE-T data ports and iSCSI storage devices -- the primary components of a unified fabric using high-performance Ethernet for data and storage in critical data center and high-end networks. The Summit further established 10GbE as a standard, unifying technology alternative to the current practice of wiring such networks with a mix of closed and proprietary technologies.
"We were extremely pleased that Foundry chose to be an active and involved partner in our inaugural 10 Gig Tech Summit," said Bob Noseworthy, technical director for the UNH-IOL. "In addition to sending the NetIron XMR backbone router, FastIron Edge X, FastIron GS and FastIron LS switches that were integral to our unified high-performance 10GbE network, Foundry went above and beyond by providing an engineering and support team that was available for the entire duration of the event. Through the participation of networking vendors like Foundry in neutral multi-vendor testing, the interoperability, scalability and performance of 10GbE is shown to be ready for the high-end and data center networks."
The 10 Gig Tech Summit test plans encompassed multiple types of 10GbE, including LRM, SFP+ and XFP optical interconnects, CX4 copper, backplane Ethernet ports, iSCSI targets and initiators, iWARP and RDMA services, 10 GBASE-T devices and 10GbE switching.
"We appreciate being one of the key routing and switch vendors invited to participate in the UNH-IOL's groundbreaking networking industry summit," said Bob Schiff, vice president and general manager for Foundry's Enterprise Business Unit. "Foundry has a long history of being at the forefront of 10GbE networking technology. Open standards and multi-vendor interoperability have been a hallmark of Foundry's networking products and solutions from the very beginning. We are pleased that we were given the opportunity to include our high performance NetIron XMR 8000 backbone router and FastIron Edge X, FastIron GS and FastIron LS compact Layer 2/3 switches to advance the deployment and knowledge of the benefits of 10GbE."
About UNH-IOL
Founded in 1988, the UNH-IOL is one of networking's premier third-party proving grounds for developing technologies. Approximately 200 companies use the lab's 32,000+ sq. foot facility to extend their development and quality assurance efforts by testing and fine-tuning technologies, protocols and products for multi-vendor interoperability and conformance to standards. For more information, visit www.iol.unh.edu.
About Foundry Networks
Foundry Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:FDRY) is a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing, security and Web traffic management solutions, including Layer 2/3 LAN switches, Layer 3 Backbone switches, Layer 4-7 application switches, wireless LAN and access points, metro and core routers. Foundry's customers include the world's premier ISPs, metro service providers, and enterprises, including e-commerce sites, universities, entertainment, health and wellness, government, financial and manufacturing companies. For more information about the company and its products, call 1.888.TURBOLAN or visit www.foundrynet.com.
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