• Recommend:
• 0 Comments

HP Bolsters Small LANs

ProCurve networking products offer high-performance gigabit support.

By Charles Bermant, PCWorld   

The high-performance Gigabit-SX routing switch 6308M-SX is designed as a low-cost way to implement a wire-speed gigabit-based backbone with the same feature set as that of the larger routing switches, according to HP representatives. And the 6208M-SX is aimed at companies that are price sensitive or do not need routing support but still want wire-speed gigabit capabilities from a Layer 2 switch.

The modules are part of the HP ProCurve line of networking equipment. Its charter is "to offer complete end-to-end local area network solutions and deliver high performance to local and campus backbone cores for small- to medium-sized networks," according to HP.

"We see this as an opportunity for medium-sized and large businesses," says Darla Sommerville, product marketing manager for HP ProCurve Networking. "But [we] see that many small businesses will take this opportunity to use this as 'investment protection,' installing the features they will need in the near future."

HP offers free software upgrades for switches, to bring older hardware up to speed. The software improves bandwidth and filtering because it supports redundant links, Sommerville says.

"If something fails, then the data will still get through to its destination," she says.

Users on networks should immediately see better performance because fewer bottlenecks occur, according to Sommerville. The greatest benefits will be felt by network managers, who will get fewer service calls, see better performance, and can grow the network more quickly.

Both switches are fixed, eight-port managed gigabit switches that deliver 12 million packets per second wire-speed performance and 32 gigabits per second aggregate switching capacity. They each include a built-in redundant power supply.

HP recently acquired the second-place market position in this segment-- behind Cisco and ahead of Cabletron. The company now claims a 12.8 percent share of the $4 billion annual business.