10 Gigabit Ethernet to step into N+I spotlight

by Phil Hochmuth

May 7, 2001 —

The amount of 10 Gigabit Ethernet network gear being introduced and demonstrated at NetWorld+ Interop 2001 this week means enterprise users could get the high-speed LAN technology in their networks sooner rather than later, and next-generation Ethernet services could be around the corner.

At the show, Foundry Networks will announce a 10 Gigabit Ethernet module for its BigIron backbone switch for companies and metropolitan-area network (MAN) service providers. Avaya will have its 10 Gigabit blade on display at the show, although it has not formally announced the product. Combine those developments with the fact that Cisco, Enterasys and Extreme Networks have all detailed plans to roll out 10 Gigabit Ethernet products in the coming months and the 10 Gigabit Ethernet market is getting crowded quickly.

At least one user can't wait.

"Assuming that it's ready and stable, we'd use [10 Gigabit] right now," says Stewart Seruya, chief network officer at the University of Miami. "We're not hurting with our Gigabit backbone, but I'd like to have growth built in there."

The university will begin testing Foundry's B10Gx 10 Gigabit module this month, Seruya says, adding that he has several applications in mind for the module, from linking BigIron switches in the university's backbone to stringing together remote campuses throughout southern Florida. He likes the idea that the module could provide a tenfold boost over the same fiber now used in the school's 1G bit/sec MAN.

Foundry's B10Gx 10 Gigabit Ethernet module will come with several optical inserts for connecting to various kinds of cable -- such as multimode and single-mode fiber optics -- depending on the WAN or LAN application of the module. The blade will be compatible with the company's BigIron 4000, 8000 and 15000 switch chassis.

According to Graham Celine, vice president of Avaya's multiservice network group, his company will have its 10 Gigabit module out "hopefully by the end of the fiscal year," which ends on Sept. 30. The module will fit into Avaya's Cajun P880 and P882 backbone switches. Celine would not provide a price range for the module.

One P880 user says his network can wait for the blade.

"Eventually we'll need that module, but not at this point," says Mike Hochstein, senior network administrator at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Hochstein says the utilization of his backbone runs in the single-digit percentages, but as in Miami's case, multimedia plans for Buena Vista's network could bump that up.

Component makers BlazeNetworks, Broadcom, Finisar and SwitchCore will be showing 10 Gigabit transceivers and chipsets at N+I. This could be a signal for an upcoming rush of 10 Gigabit products from equipment vendors in the coming weeks and months.

Foundry's B10Gx module will be available in July for $45,000. Various optical inserts will also be available with ranges of 65 meters for LAN applications to 40 kilometers for long-haul transport, with support for 10 Gigabit Ethernet over SONET/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy networks. Optical inserts will range from $4,500 to $40,000.

Meanwhile, the IEEE 10 Gigabit Ethernet Task Force is expected to ratify the 802.3ae standard next March. Because the standard is not yet set, early adopters could risk having to upgrade to new equipment if the technology changes from now until March 2002, although 802.ae standards drafters have said that is unlikely.

Despite the onslaught of 10 Gigabit Ethernet products, Dell'Oro Group analyst Seamus Crehan thinks mainstream adoption of the technology is still two to three years away.

"The jump from Gigabit to 10 Gigabit will be slower than what happened when Gigabit replaced Fast Ethernet" two years ago, Crehan says. This is because few users on the enterprise side need so much bandwidth now, while only a handful of advanced carriers are familiar enough with Ethernet to quickly turn the technology into a profitable service, he adds.

Network World