Brocade Intros NetIron CER 2000 Series MPLS Router

Brocade has introduced the Brocade (News - Alert) NetIron CER 2000 Series compact multi-protocol label switching router. This latest offering features robust hardware-based routing capacity in a compact 1U form factor: 24 or 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports with two 10GbE uplinks.

 

The NetIron CER 2000 is designed to enable service providers to more broadly, rapidly and cost-effectively deploy high-margin business virtual private network and IP voice, video and data services while also helping to reduce their cost per megabit.

The solution is positioned as addressing the needs of service providers that are dealing with increased edge and aggregation routing demands. These service providers are also nearing the “revenue footprint” and performance limitations of their current networking infrastructures.

“As we reported in August, we think that in spite of the downturn, and in part because of it, uptake of IP MPLS VPN and Ethernet services is growing at a healthy pace as companies seek to increase efficiencies and decrease costs,” said Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst of Infonetics Research (News - Alert), in a statement.

With the NetIron CER 2000, service providers can increase revenue footprint, maximizing the number and types of advanced services that can be deployed in a given area. This is possible as the router helps to significantly decrease both capital and ongoing maintenance costs while also helping to generate new revenue from value-added service offerings.

 

Service providers can rely on the NetIron CER 2000 to offer wire-speed Carrier Ethernet services, including E-LINE, E-LAN and E-TREE services. The router also features scalable MPLS with VLL, VPLS, VPLS-PBB and advanced resiliency at multiple layers using MPLS Fast Reroute, hot-standby LSPs and fault detection and recovery.

The NetIron CER 200 can benefit service providers and data centers by doubling the routing capacity and tripling the forwarding performance of competitive solutions in the smallest possible space; providing the fastest routing capacity to advanced business and MPLS services; offering vertical consolidation with at least 33 percent space compression when compared to chassis-based products; and improving operational efficiency with 66 percent power consumption savings.

  

 “Organizations are looking to control WAN costs despite rising bandwidth needs and are turning to Ethernet and managed Layer 2 and Layer 3 services, where service providers can help stabilize costs, prioritize critical applications, and increase capacities. The Brocade NetIron CER family helps fulfill a need in this environment, with MPLS-based services support, good port density in a small form factor, and low cost,” Howard said.

 

The platform is considered to be optimal for use as a Carrier Ethernet/Metro edge router, an MPLS Provider Edge router. It can also serve as a high-capacity border router for small data centers and enterprise branch offices with Ethernet connectivity. The NetIron CER 2000 also features a highly scalable BGP implementation for compact route-reflector applications to help reduce complexity and cost for service providers.

 

“Bandwidth needs, applications, and user numbers are increasing, while provider budgets are flattening or declining,” said Marc Randall (News - Alert), senior vice president of products and solutions at Brocade. “A high-density, MPLS-enabled compact router, such as the Brocade NetIron CER 2000, is an often-requested addition to our product line that meets a clear market need.”

 

Brocade announced that Imperial College London has deployed Brocade FastIron SX 800 and SX 1600 10 Gbps switches to increase network capacity for departments and third parties using its data centre facilities.

 

The company is set to announce Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2009 Results. Brocade plans to report its preliminary financial results on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 at approximately 7 p.m. Eastern.