Force10 Chooses Ixia to Verify Ultra-Low Switch Latency and High 10 Gigabit Ethernet Performance of the S2410 Data Center Switch

Business Wire, April 4, 2006

MILPITAS, Calif. -- Force10 Networks(R) today announced that The Tolly Group verified the industry-leading performance of the Force10 S2410 data center switch using sophisticated IP network test systems from Ixia (Nasdaq:XXIA). During the tests, Ixia's Optixia X16 was used to verify that the S2410 demonstrated 100 percent line-rate throughput across 24 Ten Gigabit Ethernet ports at all packet sizes with switching latency of 300 nanoseconds, the lowest recorded to date by The Tolly Group.

"Leveraging Ixia's sophisticated testing tools, we were able to definitively demonstrate that the S2410 has the industry's lowest switching latency and highest throughput performance," said Andrew Feldman, Force10's vice president of marketing. "The S2410 pairing of ultra-low latency with high density line-rate 10 Gigabit throughput brings a new dynamic to the data center, eliminating the need for proprietary and difficult to manage interconnect technologies."

In the testing configuration, the Force10 S2410 was connected to Ixia's Optixia X16 traffic generators and analyzers to validate performance and throughput. The high port density of the Optixia test system enabled Force10 and The Tolly Group to confirm both the line-rate 10 Gig throughput and ultra low latency of the S2410. The tests verified that the S2410 delivers switching latency on par with Infiniband, enabling IT managers to deploy 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology for high performance, latency-sensitive applications.

As an expansion of the S-Series family of data center switches, the S2410 works in conjunction with the Force10 TeraScale E-Series to deliver a reliable and scalable end-to-end data center solution. The high density, low switching latency and low port cost of the S2410 provide IT managers with the flexibility they need to build high performance next generation data centers.

A complete copy of The Tolly Group's test report on the Force10 S2410 can be downloaded from www.force10networks.com.

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks is the pioneer in high performance switching and routing. Based on a revolutionary system architecture that delivers best-in-class resiliency and massive scalability, Force10's TeraScale E-Series switch/routers ensure predictable application performance, increase network availability, and reduce operating costs. Today, many of the world's largest Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks depend on Force10 Networks. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.force10networks.com.

Force10, E-Series, TeraScale and FTOS are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.