Juniper Networks adds to EX family with 10 Gigabit Ethernet switch

The EX2500 line will be targeted at high-density 10GbE deployments where high-performance networking with low latency, high availability and energy efficiencies are key requirements for enterprise and service provider data center networks.

The EX2500's advanced networking functionality and increased performance will enable customers to accelerate the deployment of business-enabling applications and services across the network.

Hitesh Sheth, EVP and GM of the Ethernet Platforms Business Group at Juniper Networks, said:

"Customers need switching solutions that deliver speed, high availability, unified communications, integrated security and operational excellence in unison - our EX Series fulfills these needs."

"The addition of the EX2500 line was driven by our on-going collaboration with our customers, especially those with data center projects who want to achieve increased performance and decreased operating expenses. The EX2500 is the ideal high-density 10GbE, top-of-rack switching solution to meet their business, economic and technical requirements of a service-enabling network infrastructure," Sheth added.

Juniper's EX2500 Series Ethernet Switch:

The EX2500 line of 10GbE Ethernet switches address high-performance server access requirements with twenty-four 10 GbE SFP+ ports that deliver wire-speed performance and 700 nanosecond latency. The EX2500 line of Ethernet switches will be offered as fixed-configuration Ethernet platforms that will provide several key business benefits including:
• Wire-rate Performance: The EX2500 Series will support 480 Gigabit per second (Gbps) throughput (full duplex) in a 1 rack-unit (RU) footprint. All ports are non-blocking with deterministic latency of less than 700 nanoseconds.
• Deployment Flexibility: The EX2500 Series will support both back-to-front and front-to-back cooling, which will deliver deployment flexibility and consistency with server designs for hot- and cold-aisle layouts. The result will be that network ports can always have the best proximity, front or rear-facing, to allow closer proximity to server ports and thus, keep cable lengths short and easily managed, and performance optimized.
• High Availability: The EX2500 Series will offer both power and fan redundancy as standard features. The EX2500 Series will come with dual, load-sharing power supplies, as well as redundant, variable-speed fans to protect from single power supply or fan failure.
• Energy Efficiency: The EX2500 Series will improve availability and cooling efficiency via redundant variable speed fans. The variable speed fans will automatically adjust speed under variant conditions to reduce power consumption.

The EX2500 Series is expected to be available in 2Q 2009.

The EX Series Ethernet Switch Family:

The EX Series switches, which include the EX2500, EX3200, EX4200 and new EX8200 lines, enable customers to deploy a high-performance network infrastructure based on three key tenets - operational simplicity, carrier-class reliability, and integration and consolidation - to enable ubiquitous access to strategic assets, reduce network downtime and enhance overall security to shared assets across the extended enterprise. Juniper's EX Series switches will help businesses advance the economics of networking by reducing capital and operational expenses, freeing IT budget resources that can be invested in innovative technologies and services that improve operational efficiency and add to the bottom line.

Juniper Networks Data Center Infrastructure Solutions:

Juniper introduced its first Data Center Infrastructure Solutions in November 2008, which are designed to advance IT initiatives for data center consolidation, server virtualization and sustainable information technology. The Juniper Data Center Infrastructure Solutions are comprised of the EX Series Ethernet switches, MX Series Ethernet Services Routers and SRX Series Services Gateways. The solutions offered today can significantly reduce network complexity and total cost of ownership by up to 52% in capital expenditures, up to 44% in power, up to 44% in cooling and up to 55% in rack space in the data center. Visit the Juniper Networks Data Center Infrastructure Solutions website for more information or contact your Juniper Networks representative or authorized partner for additional information.