Foundry Intros All-Fiber Edge Switch

CHICAGO -- Foundry Networks®, Inc. (Nasdaq: FDRY - News), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced the addition of an all-fiber model to its FastIron Edge® X-series family of compact layer 2/3 edge switches at the SuperComm trade show which opened this week in Chicago, IL. The FastIron Edge X424F (FES X424F) is a compact (1.5 rack units) layer 2/3 edge switch that supports twenty-four small form factor hot-pluggable (SFP) ports and options for one or two ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10-GE). The switch is designed to provide network operators with a versatile solution for delivering high-value Ethernet to the business (ETTB) and Ethernet to the home (ETTH). The switch will support a wide range of optics, including Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) using single fiber bidirectional SFPs to provide a simple way to deliver Fiber to diverse customer environments and long reach transceivers. With its all-fiber design, the FES X424F provides a powerful aggregation platform for fiber-based network operators including Metro service providers, Internet service providers, cable network operators, universities, government, and other organizations.

"Metro Ethernet is no longer a question of when, but a question of how service providers can cost-effectively deliver high-capacity and high-value Ethernet services to their customers," said Bob Schiff, Vice President of Product Marketing for Foundry. "The FastIron Edge X424F, with its compact form-factor and all-fiber support, provides a versatile, scalable and high-performance platform for cost-effective delivery of metro Ethernet services. The FastIron Edge X424F enables operators to maximize the utilization of their fiber plant, improve return on investment, and help spur metro Ethernet deployments."

The FastIron Edge X424F supports twenty-four hot-pluggable, small form-factor pluggable (SFP) ports and optional one or two ports of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10-GE). The SFP ports are configurable with 100 Mbps and 1000 Mbps (i.e., 1 Gbps) transceivers providing service providers with the flexibility to support a range of fiber and service deployments including Gigabit Ethernet over 10 km of single strand single-mode fiber and Gigabit Ethernet over 2 km of dual-strand FDDI-grade multimode fiber, to name a few. Long reach SFP optics supporting fiber lengths to 120 km are also available.

The FastIron Edge X424F 10-GE ports use XFP hot-pluggable, small form-factor pluggable transceivers, providing a cost-effective solution for 10-GE fiber transport. A flexible mix of XFP transceivers is available supporting short reach and extended reach applications to distances of 40 km over single-mode fiber.

Foundry Networks Inc.