Alcatel Unveils Two New Additions To OmniSwitch Line

The OmniSwitch 8800 for the enterprise core offers nonblocking 10-Gigabit architecture supporting up to 16 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports and 384 ports of Gigabit Ethernet, said Yves Vincent, Alactel's director of product line management for network infrastructure. With a 512-Gbps fabric, the 8800 delivers throughput of 240 million packets per second, Vincent said.

For the edge, Alcatel is unveiling the OmniSwitch 6600, available in 24-port and 48-port versions. Running on the same software as the other OmniSwitch chassis-based switches, the OmniSwitch 6624 and 6648 provide chassis-level features at a stackable price point, Vincent said. The 6600s provide Layer 3 switching and Layer 2 to 4 Quality of Service, he said. Up to eight 6600s can be stacked and managed as one switch, Vincent added.

All OmniSwitch products feature Alactel's "smart continuous switching," which distributes functions throughout network interface modules instead of through a central engine, preventing service interruptions if a network element fails, Vincent said. The OmniSwitch line also features automatic recovery from human error, he said. The switches can detect switch misconfiguration and automatically revert back to the most recent configuration.

Ernie Bailey, director of engineering and project management for Comforce Telecom, a Fairfield, N.J.-based solution provider, said the switches are ideal for the convergence market. Comforce also deploys Alactel's OmniPCX IP telephony solution, Bailey said. "These switches provide quality of service, which you absolutely need for voice," he said. "But what is really great is that you can manage voice and data all on one platform."

All available now, the OmniSwitch 6624 starts at $2,785, the 6648 at $4,195, and the 8800 at $40,995.