Juniper Networks
unveiled its QFabric architecture for collapsing multilayer data center infrastructure into a single, any-to-any fabric that unifies networking, storage and cloud computing resources.
QFabric, which is the result of the company's three-year, $100 million "Project Stratus," is composed of three components that create a high-performance, low latency fabric. The QF/Node acts as the distributed decision engine of the fabric; the QF/Interconnect is the high speed transport device; and the QF/Director delivers a common window, controlling all devices as one. The architecture breaks new grounds in its data plane, control plane and management structure. It also leverages custom 40nm ASICs to achieve extremely low latencies.
Initially, QFabric scales to 6,000 network nodes, allowing any network interface within the network to connect to any other interface in a single hop. Juniper achieves this 6,000 port switching fabric by decoupling the line cards on the central fabric and moving them out into the network using dual-homed fiber connections. The entire 6,000 node network is a single switch and can be managed as such.
Juniper believes that collapsing the traditional three-layer network down to a single, high-performance layer, will deliver exponential improvements in data center speed, scale and efficiency. The company calculates that the QFabric architecture is up to ten times faster, uses 77 percent less power, requires 27 percent fewer networking devices, occupies 90 percent less data center floor space, and delivers a nine fold reduction in operating resources than the nearest competitive offering.
"Data center compute and storage technologies have advanced over the last decade, and the legacy approach to networking has not kept pace," said Kevin Johnson, CEO of Juniper Networks. "As cloud computing and the mobile internet accelerate, demand is intensifying for a quantum leap forward in data center capabilities. With QFabric, Juniper is transforming data center economics by introducing the only network fabric that is able to eliminate multiple layers of cost and complexity."
The first product in the QFabric set is a top-of-rack QFX3500 switch, which is now commercially available. It is also capable of operating as a stand-alone 64-port 10Gigabit Ethernet switch with FCoE and Fiber Channel gateway functionality. The QFX3500 offers the fastest unicast and multicast performance in the industry. The QF/Interconnect and QF/Director will be available for order in Q3.
The New York Stock Exchange has committed to teh QFabric architecture.
Additional Juniper partners include IBM, NetApp, CA Technologies and VMware.http://www.juniper.net
- In May 2010, Juniper Networks outlined its new "3-2-1" data center network architecture aimed at improving latency, increasing density, boosting security, lowering power requirement and simplifying management. Juniper outlined a plan to leverage a "Virtual Chassis" fabric technology to reduce from three to two layers, and then collapse to one layer via Juniper's "Project Stratus" fabric in the future. Data centers typically have access, aggregation and core switching layers. Juniper currently collapses the aggregation and core layers into a single switch. The Virtual Chassis creates a single, logical switching fabric across multiple racks in the data center, so that a pool of compute resources can be more effectively virtualized. Juniper estimates that its Virtual Chassis will let administrators move virtual machines between 10x faster than current approaches. Ultimately, Juniper's Project Stratus seeks to collapse data center switching into a single, logical layer linking potentially thousands of servers.
issued a preliminary injunction in favor of Huawei that prevents Motorola from transferring Huawei's confidential information to Nokia Siemens Networks. The order also requires Motorola to hire a qualified third party to ensure Huawei's confidential information is securely removed, and also allows Huawei to audit NSN's record of service it performs on Motorola-branded system that include Huawei products.
global providers of Ethernet services are Orange (France), Colt (U.K.), Verizon (U.S.), NTT (Japan), AT&T (U.S.) and Global Crossing (U.S.), according to Vertical Systems' bi-annual Global Provider Leaderboard. The report ranks companies with four percent or more of retail Business Ethernet ports installed at sites outside of the provider's primary home country.
Essentially, SWNAM turns a smartphone into a remote monitor for identifying and reporting packet loss and other issues which impact service quality, while aggregating it into a central data correlation tool. 
which develops mobile device management (MDM) solutions, has expanded its relationship with HP and is now HP's preferred MDM solution provider. The expanded cooperation between Mformation and HP covers the complete end-to-end needs of mobile operators and enterprises for the management of mobile devices and services. 
which is building a wholesale-only integrated wireless broadband and satellite network across the U.S., closed on $586 million of debt, led by UBS AG and JP Morgan. The company said the funding will be used for general corporate purposes, which include constructing its LTE-wholesale network. Over the last seven months, LightSquared has raised more than $2 billion in debt and equity.
has acquired KPN's 3,600 km dark fibre network in Germany linking the main commercial hubs of Berlin, Munich and Hamburg, as well as six additional cities including, Dusseldorf, Cologne-Bonn, Frankfurt and Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Kehl. The 3,600 kilometer dark fibre network comprises 2 ducts, 96 fibre pairs and 27 ILAs. As part of the deal, KPN will lease back 4 to 5 fibre pairs from Interoute to support KPN customers in Germany. In addition, Interoute will acquire KPN's existing fibre customers.
began offering an unlimited movie streaming service to U.S. customers who enroll as Amazon Prime members. For a $79 annual fee, members get on-demand streaming from a library of several thousand films and TV shows to Internet-enabled Blu-ray players or TV sets. They also get free 2-day shipping for physical goods purchased at Amazon.com. Although Amazon's catalog of on-demand titles is smaller, the new service is seen as competition to Netflix's subscription-based streaming model.http://www.amazon.com
