Fulcrum, Solarflare Team

LAS VEGAS -- Fulcrum Microsystems and Solarflare® Communications today announced they have collaborated on a new 10GBASE-T switch reference design that is the highest density, most cost-effective 10G Ethernet switch on the market today. The two companies will demonstrate this switch at Interop® Las Vegas in Solarflare Communications’ booth #1774.

Code named “San Marino,” the new platform combines Solarflare’s 10Xpress™ 10GBASE-T physical layer PHY technology with Fulcrum’s FocalPoint FM2224 24-port, low-latency Ethernet switch chip to create a 1U-high switch that features 20 10GBASE-T ports and four XFPs. The fully functional platform enables OEMs to rapidly enter the market with price-competitive solutions that lead the market in performance, integration, latency and 10GBASE-T standards compliance (100-meter reach over Category 6a or 7 cable). Switching system industry leader SMC® Networks will be the first OEM customer to take San Marino to market.

“SMC’s commitment to 10Gigabit networking is strong,” said Iain Kenney, director of product marketing for SMC Networks. “We’re pleased to add the industry’s first multi-port combination 10GBASE-T and 10G fiber XFP network switch to our 10G arsenal—the industry’s most comprehensive set of standards-based 10G networking products.”

“San Marino offers the right combination of performance, flexibility and cost-effectiveness to allow 10-Gigabit Ethernet to take off in the enterprise,” said Mike Zeile, VP of marketing for Fulcrum Microsystems. “The switch can serve as a network backbone or as a rack switch for interconnecting computing and storage resources in the data center. This is the platform that enables our customers to give enterprises the performance and cost they need to migrate their networks to 10-Gigabit Ethernet.”

“To date, the 10G switching market has experienced modest growth and addressed limited applications because it has been limited to low-density, expensive 10G switches,” said Bruce Tolley, VP of marketing for Solarflare. “This high-density 10GBASE-T solution will allow our switch OEM customers to lower switch port prices by 50% and enable IT managers to build 10G inter-switch and switch-to-server links over the installed copper cabling infrastructure. San Marino with its density and support for plug and play RJ-45 copper will drive the expansion of the Ethernet market.”Fulcrum Microsystems Inc.

SolarFlare Communications Inc.