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Juniper Networks is unveiling a new network switch optimized for the growing presence of high-density 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology in data centers and for cloud computing environments.
The EX8216 Ethernet switch, announced May 12, is a 16-slot high-performance platform with fabric capacity of up to 12.4 terabits.
Juniper said the new switch is part of the EX8200 family of modular switches that deliver the wire-rate performance, low latency and carrier-class reliability enterprises need to consolidate network layers, which reduces complexity and capital and operational expenses throughout the data center.
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Overall, the EX8200 switches-with a per-slot capacity of 320 Gigabits per second and the ability to deliver up to 2 billion packets of data per second-are designed to give enterprises an easy migration path to future 100GbE networks. Currently, 10GbE is rapidly becoming a strong presence in data centers, driven by increased use of virtualization technology, greater infrastructure consolidation and the spread of network-intensive applications, such as Web 2.0 technologies and video streaming.
Hitesh Sheth, executive vice president and general manager of Juniper’s Ethernet Platforms Business Group, said the EX8216 switch delivers twice the performance and consumes a third less power than competing products.
“With the rest of Juniper’s portfolio, the EX8216 enables new data center and cloud computing architectures that lower complexity, deliver increased functionality and reduce overall total cost of ownership through innovative system designs that can lower both capital and operating expenses,” Sheth said in a statement.
Like others in the networking sector, Juniper is looking to chip away at Cisco Systems’ dominance in part by offering high-performance switches that cost less and use less power than those from Cisco.
In addition, Juniper is relying on its strategy of having a single operating system-Junos Software-for its networking portfolio, arguing that it helps reduce complexity in increasingly complex data centers.