Zuma Networks announced the availability of the LightReef Z16 layer 2/3/4 switching and IP services platform. The company also announced general availability plans for its Z1 and Z4 chassis configurations, available later this month and in June, respectively.
Zuma Network's LightReef products are modular layer 2/3/4 switch-routers designed to take advantage of requirements for scalability, performance, and multi-processing Linux IP services. The LightReef products are priced from $12k to $200k depending upon chassis size and blade configuration. Zuma will be demonstrating their integrated switching and IP services solutions at this year's Networld+Interop 2001 in Las Vegas from May 8-11.
The LightReef products feature a distributed parallel hardware architecture and top of the line port density characteristics with validated wire-speed performance. Zuma claims it is the first high bandwidth layer 2/3/4 switch family with general-purpose development platform support, featuring bandwidth scalability and IP services scalability. The Service to LightSpeed model provides low cost trial of IP services with gradual scaling to system wide wire-speed performance.
LightReef's distributed hardware architecture affords the user with a low system entry cost, while its modularized approach allows users to scale the system as bandwidth requirements increase. The elimination of a separate management module adds to the low system entry cost. Each blade is a complete router with four connectors for 10/100 Ethernet and Fast Ethernet (EFE), Gigabit Ethernet (GBE), CPU, and other function modules.
Switch routing protocols run on a single PPC (PowerPC) CPU, controlled by the Zuma Networks Distributed Architecture Real Time Operating System, or DartOS. DartOS, which is master-less, load sharing and redundant, is made up of layers of software that execute in parallel on multiple CPUs and micro-controllers.
Loosely coupled Linux processors run on multiple PPC CPUx modules. The first generation Linux CPU module features PCI bus, micro-drive, SCSI interface, and private serial and EFE ports. Up to 126 GBE ports, 504 EFE ports or 32 IBM PPC CPUs running Linux can be supported.
The LightReef's parallel hardware architecture also affords redundant hot swapping of critical assemblies, including switch fabric cards, power supplies, fans, and blades. The Z16 power supplies (N+1) and matrix cards (1+3) provide redundant protection while cross blade link aggregation secures critical upstream switch connections from service interruption due to blade failure.
The LightReef integrates ATM style bandwidth and traffic management in an IP switching platform. Its flow based policing system with rate limiting results in all traffic being marked, classified, and metered at wire-speed. Flows are prioritized by L2 port, L3 address, TCP bits, or socket type.
The LightReef products can also act as a high-end firewall/VPN appliance platform. When purchased in combination with Stonesoft's StoneGate software solution, the system provides a single chassis multi-gigabit firewall/VPN solution. Because LightReef combines the performance and scalability benefits of embedded network system hardware with the rapid time to market and open interfaces of the Linux general-purpose operating system, the system is an open development platform for additional integrity systems and services.
About Zuma Networks
Zuma Networks is a pre-IPO growth company providing IP services within high-speed network fabrics. For more information, visit www.zumanetworks.com.