Networking equipment maker Extreme Networks revealed its 10 Gigabit (10G) Ethernet copper modules for its BlackDiamond X8 core switch and new fixed copper versions of its Summit X670 top-of-rack switch. The new products are being pushed by the comapny as a primary way for datacentres to upgrade their networks.
The products were unveiled at the Interop conference in Las Vegas and the new high density copper switches are optimised to take advantage of servers based on the Intel Xeon Processor E5 Family and 10G LAN on motherboard (LOM) devices.
According to research company Dell'Oro Group, 10G copper switches, as a ratio of global ports shipped, will become the primary choice for cloud and datacentre network upgrades in the next two years.
Huy Nguyen, senior director of product management at Extreme Networks said that Investment protection is critical to new datacentre operators.
"Datacentre operators are always looking for ways to reuse cabling infrastructure, when upgrading their networks to 10G. Rip-and-replace is the last option for most datacentre operators," said Nguyen.
He added that the new BlackDiamond X8 blade and Summit X670 copper switch allow data centre customers to deploy "the most cost-effective 10G options using standard RJ45 copper jacks."
The new Summit X670 switch supports 48-ports of wire-speed 10G copper RJ45 with 40G uplink capabilities and the company said the product is expected to ship this year. The new BlackDiamond X8 copper blade supports 48-ports of wire-speed 10G copper RJ45 with 384 total ports inside the chassis. These products can be used by datacentre and cloud operators in modular and fixed configurations.
