Roundup: Level 3, Force 10, Active Power

Here’s a roundup of some of this week’s headlines from the data center and hosting industry:

Level 3 CDN supports Indy 500. Level 3 Communications (LVLT) announced it provided content delivery network (CDN) services to support live online streaming of the 2010 Indianapolis 500 race on May 30.  Streamed in HD, the Level 3 network is used as a part of a deal with the IZOD IndyCar Series to stream all IZOD IndyCar Series races in 2010.  Video feeds of the race included race coverage as well as on-track and in-car footage, allowing viewers to see from the drivers’ perspective in real-time.

Force 10 unveils new S-Series switch.  Force 10 Networks announced the extension of its S-Series access switch line with the introduction of the S60 top-of-rack (ToR) Gigabit Ethernet switch.  The new switch represents a targeted solution for the virtualized data center environment where they hope to lower operational costs at the rack edge by leveraging new features and functionality.  “Introducing a line-rate GbE top-of-rack switch with 10 GbE uplinks demonstrates that Force10 is committed to building a solution that leverages non-blocking, line-rate switching performance to solve network performance issues today, while including architectural features that provide investment protection that will continue to optimize data center network efficiency in the future," said Cindy Borovick, research vice president at IDC.  The S60 is currently being tested and is anticipated to begin shipping by the end of June.

Active Power delivers flywheel UPS to Shanghai company. Active Power (ACPW) announced that they have delivered two containerized CleanSource 250 kVA UPS systems to Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company, one of the largest subsidiaries of the China State Grid.  “Active Power’s flywheel UPS technology has a very small footprint compared to conventional systems, making it possible for us to incorporate UPS equipment in a limited amount of space. The system is also flexible which works well with our existing containerized gensets," said Mr. Jinxiu Zhang, deputy director, Marketing and Business Development at Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company.  The mobile systems are currently deployed at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 and other uses would include schools or hospitals as needed or conferences, events or as rental units.