Brocade VDX 6720 data centre switches

Brocade has announced what it claims is the first true ethernet fabric switching solutions that are purpose-built for virtualised and cloud-optimised data centres.

The VDX 6720 switches are a family of 10 gigabit ethernet offerings for Layer 2 ethernet networking to create the first true ethernet fabrics. The switches eliminate the need for spanning tree protocol, collapsing the access and aggregation networking layers to create a flat, multipath, deterministic network that is suitable for virtualised environments. This approach provides virtual machines a greater sphere of mobility, increases network use, creates more resilient networks and simplifies the management of data centre networks.

The Brocade VDX 6720 data centre switches are available in 1U or 2U form factors and can scale from 16 to 60 ports with pay-as-you-grow ports on demand licensing. The switches provide a full 10 Gbps wire-speed performance from any port to any port, with latency of 600 ns.

The switches are based on low-latency, lossless, 10 Gbps data centre bridging technology and can run all types of data and storage traffic – including traditional IP, iSCSI, CIFS, NFS and fibre channel over ethernet.

The switches are the first to deliver the company’s VCS technology that includes virtual cluster switching capabilities, transforming data centre networks through innovations that are optimised for highly virtualised and cloud environments.