November 18, 2009 -- Juniper Networks has introduced a new 10-port, 10-Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) physical interface card (PIC) for its T1600 Series core router, which is expected to enhance the value and flexibility of the T1600.
The 10x10GbE PIC, says Juniper, will deliver the highest density of 10GbE interfaces on a core router, as well as unique Intelligent Oversubscription capabilities, enabling customers to reduce costs and increase efficiency. With the new 10x10GbE PIC and the previously announced 100GbE PIC, the T1600 will support multiple options for 100 Gbps.
In a multivendor demonstration at Supercomputing '09 in Portland, OR, 100-Gbps of test data (generated by an Ixia test set) was transmitted from Portland to Seattle through a single slot on the Juniper Networks T1600 Series core router, populated with the new 10x10GbE PIC via an Infinera optical system, over Level 3 and Internet2's nationwide fiber-optic network. The data was then looped back to Juniper's T1600 Series core router in Juniper's booth 1448 on the SC09 show floor.
These 100-Gbps demonstrations represent the continued advances made by the joint initiative -- announced last year at SC08 -- between the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Energy Sciences Network (ESnet), Internet2, Infinera, Juniper Networks, and Level 3 Communications. The five organizations announced an initiative to work together to develop and deploy 100GbE services with the ultimate goal of implementing a fully operational 100GbE network.
High-capacity 100GbE interfaces and high-density 10GbE interfaces are increasingly required to leverage virtualization to consolidate network architectures, particularly as core routers are increasingly used to aggregate more edge and access network links.
"The combination of this new high-density 10x10GbE PIC, along with the 802.3ba 100GbE PIC earlier announced by Juniper, provides an incredible amount of flexibility and growth to the already impressive T1600," says Chris Robb, Internet2 manager of network operations. "Internet2 is excited about the opportunities these new options add to the T1600 platform as we continue working aggressively to see 100GbE deployed to support advanced science in the U.S."
This demonstration, says Juniper, is the first instance of a fully featured IP/MPLS router supporting a 100GbE interface.
The high-density, oversubscribed Ethernet interfaces available on the new 10x10GbE PIC can be used to aggregate client-facing access interfaces or to provide efficient connectivity in and between virtualized routers. The T1600 can support a total of sixteen 10x10GbE PICs per chassis, for a total of 160 10GbE interfaces in a half-rack -- more than twice that of the closest competitor. As many as 80 of these interfaces can operate at line-rate speed, or the T1600 can be oversubscribed at a 2:1 ratio.
Juniper's Intelligent Oversubscription functionality can prioritize services based on a variety of user-configurable characteristics to ensure that mission-critical services are protected even in times of congestion. Intelligent Oversubscription enables operators to leverage the efficiency advantages of oversubscription, without the risk of violating service-level agreements when traffic peaks.
"With 'Big Science' projects like the Large Hadron Collider expected to be generating data flows of 100 Gbps as soon as 2010, it's clear that the world's scientific research and education community needs to move beyond groups of 10-Gbps waves and be ready with 100GbE solutions in the very near term," explains Kanaiya Vasani, vice president of product management, High-End Systems Business Unit, Juniper Networks. "As trends such as cloud computing and video continue to drive network traffic in all other industry and consumer sectors, service providers and other large network operators will require a new generation of scale -- 100 Gigabit Ethernet meets this need."
General availability of the new 10x10GbE PIC is expected in the first quarter of 2010.
