Interop News: Marvell Launches New Packet Processors

At Interop 2014 this week in Las Vegas Marvell launches a new series of Prestera DX packet processors, NETGEAR builds Broadcom StrataConnect SoC into its ProSAFE gigabit smart switch solutions, and Alcatel-Lucent enhances its Unified Access wired and wireless portfolio.

Marvell launches new packet processors. Marvell (MRVL) announced a new series of Prestera DX packet processors that enable secure and power efficient solutions for a new generation of access networks. With 10GbE-enabled servers driving adoption, the DX3300 and the DX3200 families are designed to simplify and secure these converged access deployments. The DX8216 packet processor is a highly optimized solution for 10GbE server connectivity and features the Alaska-X family of 10GBase-T PHYs, with advanced eBridging technology enables a host of virtualization capabilities, as well as OpenFlow 1.4 support. Armed with dual-core on-chip ARM CPUs, the DX3300 and the DX3200 families are capable of meeting the demanding access needs of the carrier, industrial and campus networks. "The proliferation of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and the drive towards common security and policy management of the converged network is pushing new network architecture models. Marvell’s new 28nm packet processors product suite further supports our continued commitment to designing and delivering higher service density per watt. Building on the company’s long heritage in networking, this release brings to market platforms and innovative solutions for 10Gigabit and gigabit networking," said Ramesh Sivakolundu, vice president CSIBU at Marvell. "The Prestera DX portfolio of devices, coupled with a total solutions approach, continues to offer a variety of switching solutions to enable secure, feature-rich and cost sensitive access in campus and SMB networks across the globe."

NETGEAR selects Broadcom for Gigabit smart switches. Broadcom (BRCM) announced that NETGEAR has selected Broadcom's StrataConnect system-on-chip (SoC) to power the new generation of NETGEAR ProSAFE Gigabit Smart Switch solutions. The StrataConnect SoCs feature an ARM-based CPU, Layer 2 and Layer 3 Switching, 10G SerDes and 16 Gigabit PHYs, scalable table sizes and advanced security features. "Cloud services and access to advanced IP-based applications are straining the SMB network in terms of bandwidth, data security and connectivity," said Ram Velaga, Broadcom Senior Vice President and General Manager, Network Switch. "Our highly integrated StrataConnect SoCs are designed to address these challenges, combining high performance components and state of the art security features to enable leading equipment providers such as NETGEAR to deliver the advanced solutions required for a more agile and secure SMB network." Broadcom also announced a 5G WiFi (802.11ac) system-on-chip to deliver pinpoint indoor positioning technology. The BCM43462 SoC, featuring Broadcom's new AccuLocate technology, provides sub-meter accuracy on physical locations enabling retailers and public venue operators to deliver more personalized experiences to consumers.

Alcatel-Lucent enhances wired and wireless portfolio.  At Interop Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) unveiled enhancements to its Unified Access wired and wireless portfolio and network management system. The new OmniSwitch 6860 (OS6860) family, with embedded analytics and programmability features an innovative ASIC and coprocessor providing wire-rate deep packet inspection (DPI) and policy enforcement right at the edge of the network. For wireless the new OmniAccess Access Points to better address the growing adoption of Gigabit wireless (802.11ac) and the diverse deployment needs with outdoor AP, low cost APs and Instant APs. Alcatel-Lucent redesigned OmniVista 2500 Network Management System to better support network analytics and provide the foundation for future consumption models as more enterprises move toward cloud-based services. It features a multi-tenancy and a distributed architecture, open northbound/southbound APIs, a new web-based user interface, unified policy engine, and centralized network analytics. “As enterprise IT evangelizes on getting more operational efficiency from their campus network infrastructure deployments, a unified view of wired and wireless network access provides an interesting value proposition, especially when it comes to application discovery, visibility and analytics. Aligned with one of IDC's predictions for 2014, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise's approach of enabling wired and wireless access via SDN and increased programmability will lead to an improved application and user experience that IT will want to leverage.”