21 February 2003 -- Extreme Networks is supplying the Ethernet switching solutions to NetCologne for Germany's first end-to-end Gigabit Ethernet metropolitan area network (MAN) in the Cologne/Bonn area.
The technology will enable NetCologne to allocate bandwidth of between 10Mbit/s and 1Gbit/s flexibly for each individual customer. Defined bandwidths can also be guaranteed for specific applications. The service is available under the name EtherNetCologne.
"Ethernet not only costs less - even when deployed for an MAN - but also delivers more and is more flexible than SDH," said Hans-Jürgen Schmack, Product Line Manager Data at NetCologne. "This technology allows us to offer tailored solutions to corporate customers while cutting our administrative overheads."
Besides supporting flexible bandwidth allocation, Extreme's switching components allolw flexible LAN-LAN links. Customers see their various sites as a single layer-2 domain. The transparent LAN-LAN link that results is equivalent to the "logical links" set up in SDH networks.
The network is designed to carry real-time applications such as voice and video; both the network itself and the associated equipment are fully redundant. Two chassis-based BlackDiamond switches from Extreme are deployed in the NetCologne backbone, along with 14 Summit48si switches.
The BlackDiamond hardware platform is Multi-Protocol Label Switching-enabled (MPLS-enabled) and prepared for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. "NetCologne has broken new ground in Germany by installing a flexible, end-to-end Ethernet MAN," adds Martin van Schooten, Marketing Director EMEA at Extreme Networks. "The project also gives us the opportunity to prove that Ethernet-based city networks are not just technically feasible: they are better prepared for the future than with conventional technologies."