FORE's award-winning ASX-1000 backbone switch formed the core of its solution (for results of our detailed testing of the switch, see "ATM Backbone Switches," www.networkcomputing.com/821/ 821f2.html). On the edge, its ES-3810 Ethernet switch and the LE-155 workgroup ATM switch provided Fast Ethernet and ATM-attached connectivity. FORE provided routing services for its network solution via MPOA, now supported on both clients and servers through FORE's ForeThought 5.0 software. We deployed MPOA routing services on dual-redundant FORE ASN-9000 switches running FORE's MPOA route server. The ES-3810 edge switches and ATM-attached workstations provided MPOA cut-through routing across the network.

We also tested FORE's ability to do a hitless, in-place software upgrade--that is, to maintain full connectivity while conducting switch software updates. FORE's solution handled the core-switch upgrade without any difficulty. However, similar upgrades aren't possible on its frame-based edge devices or its MPOA server. FORE did not commit to a date for support of hitless updates on these devices.

In our system test, FORE racked up the highest signaling performance of all the switches, completing more than 400 calls per second. We had no problems setting up SVCs or PVCs with the AG video codecs in our test network. In our video tests, the MPEG-2 video passed through the oversubscribed link with no signal loss.

We'd recommend FORE's rock-solid ATM core for any enterprise ATM network. FORE's staple edge device, the ES-3810, continues to evolve, adding new features, such as Ethernet class of service and MPOA edge routing. And the company's recent acquisition of Berkeley Networks clearly demonstrates its desire to move forward in the Gigabit Ethernet market. FORE also has significantly cut pricing on its products, putting its solution on a par with the competition.

Bay Networks
Bay Networks (now a part of Nortel Networks) has planted its foot firmly in the ATM doorway. In addition to its time-tested Centillion 100 and System 5000BH products, Bay brought its newer Centillion 1400 and 1600 NEC OEM products to our Hawaii test site. Together, the entire Centillion family of ATM switches offers robust and scalable ATM switching for any campus environment.

Bay is nipping at FORE Systems' heels in terms of features and functionality. The Centillion 1600 (which, apart from its larger chassis capacity, is nearly identical to the Centillion 1400 switch) has a 10-Gbps backplane and almost matches the port densities of FORE's ASX-1000 backbone switch. In addition, the variety of local-area and wide-area ports on both the 1400 and 1600 competes directly with that of FORE's offerings in this arena.

The arrival of the Centillion 1400 and 1600 in Bay's lineup has created a temporary gap in functionality between these switches and the mainstay Centillion 100/System 5000. The 1400 and 1600 support advanced features, such as SPVCs (switched PVCs), hitless code updates and UNI 4.0, all features that are currently lacking in the Centillion 100 (though some are scheduled to have been integrated into that product by the time you read this). For Bay, the Centillion 1400 and 1600 mean its Centillion 100, originally an all-in-one edge and core switch, can now be pushed farther toward the edge of the network, thereby leaving the core to the newer, more advanced switches.