The Lippis Report

By Force10 Networks

The transition to 10 GbE is under way in the data center, and the ubiquity and reliability of ethernet make it a desirable solution for delivering a high performance data center network, storage and compute fabric. Ethernet technology has reached a maturity and is a compelling proposition. The mass-market availability of 10 GbE adapters and switches enables ethernet-based networks to deliver high bandwidth, high throughput and low latency solutions for the rigorous demands of data center applications.

Find out how best to use 10GbE in your data center by downloading this white paper.

By Force10 Networks

The term “IP storage” refers to storage networks that access data resources over IP/Ethernet rather than direct attached storage (DAS) devices. IP Storage is also an alternative to special-purpose storage area networks (SANs) based on storage-specific networking protocols, such as the fibre channel protocol (FCP). This paper highlights the unique advantages of IP storage over 10 Gigabit Ethernet and the different types of storage architectures that can take advantage of cost and performance benefits of high performance Ethernet. As 10 GbE infrastructure products continue to mature and ride the traditional Ethernet cost-volume learning curve, enterprise adoption of IP storage is expected to accelerate significantly. Over the last few months, the street prices of copper-based 10 GbE switch ports and adapters have dropped to near or below $1000, which means 10 GbE performance at price points that could drive rapid adoption in the marketplace. As prices continue to decline, adoption will increase dramatically, driving the 10 GbE switch market to worldwide market size of $4.6B by 2011, according to the Dell’Oro Group. The number of 10 GbE ports shipped is expected to grow at an annual rate in excess of 100 percent, reaching 12 million ports shipped in 2011. As the switch/router market expands, the 10 GbE adapter market is expected to grow to approximately $3B by 2011.

Find out how to use IP storage over GbE by downloading this paper.

You can’t manage what you can’t measure and this could not be truer for virtualized data center infrastructure. Virtualized infrastructure reduces energy consumption, software license fees and provides a flexible data center that can spin up and down services as demand dictates. But the lack of network visibility to manage and optimize this infrastructure is giving many IT leaders pause. Virtual ports that support numerous logical flows to a single blade running across multiple virtual machines eliminate management, optimization and troubleshooting tools previous available. Stephen Garrison, VP of Marketing for Force10 Networks joins me to talk about strategies and tactics that deliver visibility into virtualized IT infrastructure. If you’re building or trying to manage a virtualized data center, then you need to listen to this podcast.

by Force10 Networks

Consolidation of data center resources offers an opportunity for architectural transformation based on the use of scalable, high density, high availability technology solutions, such as high port-density 10 GbE switch/routers, cluster and grid computing, blade or rack servers, and network attached storage. Consolidation also opens doors for virtualization of applications, servers, storage, and networks. This suite of highly complementary technologies has now matured to the point where mainstream adoption in large data centers has been occurring for some time.

Find out how by downloading this paper.

By Force10 Networks

If the 90s were about information flow, then today is about answers. Answers drive society. Whether you are a search engine, a Fortune 500 company, or a researcher at a national laboratory, answers are your business and the ability to provide them quickly and cost effectively is a distinct competitive advantage. In today’s high performance data center, where information transformed into answers is the new currency, information technology is a strategic asset that enables competitive advantage. This white paper explores the data center technologies needed to ensure businesses are prepared to meet the new challenges and opportunities of the emerging “answer economy”.

By Force10 Networks

Wiring closets in the enterprise LAN are undergoing a number of significant changes. Perhaps the most important transition stems from the emergence of the enterprise IP network and IP/Ethernet LAN as the converged infrastructure for both data networking applications and real-time communications applications. This convergence is driven not only by the cost reductions achievable through network consolidation, but also by the productivity gains that can be achieved through innovative linkages among communication and data applications, resulting in converged applications such as unified messaging. As application convergence gains further momentum, the LAN infrastructure must continue to evolve to support a widening range of real-time applications, including:

• IP telephony
• IP video conferencing (bi-directional and multi-directional)
• Wireless LAN mobility solutions
• IPTV multimedia conferencing
• Instant messaging (IM) with presence determination

Learn how Force10 Networks is delivering a new generation of wiring closet switch/routers by downloading this white paper.

By Force10 Networks

Optimizing the overall power efficiency of the data center requires a comprehensive approach that focuses on technologies and strategies to minimize power consumption and maximize power efficiency at every level within the infrastructure, including CPU chips, power supplies, servers, storage devices, and networking equipment. In addition to measures that maximize power efficiency for hardware devices, there are also software strategies, such as server virtualization, that can play a significant role in reducing power consumption.

There are a number of potential benefits that can be derived from an increased focus on power consumption and power efficiency:

• extending the life of existing data centers and minimizing retrofits
• gaining at least partial control of growing expenses for power and cooling
• optimizing new data center designs