Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), a large Internet Exchange Point (IXP), and Limelight Networks (NASDAQ:LLNW), a content delivery network (CDN) for thousands of entertainment, technology, enterprise, and government entities, have field-tested 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) technology from Brocade (NASDAQ:BRCD) with live Internet traffic.
The field test with Limelight Networks illustrated how AMS-IX's 100 GbE-based service will deliver “a new dimension to the peering model,” reveals a representative.
AMS-IX supports more than 430 member companies that generate more than 1.3 terabits per second (Tbps) of peak Internet traffic per day, including diverse types of IP traffic, such as data, video. and voice. Limelight Networks' content delivery and cloud-based offerings enable customers to profit from the shift of content and advertising to the online world, the growth of mobile and connected devices, and the migration of IT applications and services to the cloud.
Video and TV streaming will soon surpass Web and Internet traffic and, by 2016, contribute the bulk of the 60,000 petabytes (Pb) of annual Internet traffic, says a spokesperson. The Brocade network infrastructure with 100 GbE technology helps ensure that customers, such as AMS-IX and Limelight Networks, will be able to provide high-quality, non-blocking interconnectivity as well as peering services for their member firms.
"As a long-standing Brocade customer and AMS-IX member, we were in the position to be the first to test the new 100 GbE implementation for peering,” says Denver Maddux, Limelight Networks' vice president of network engineering. “We tested up to 98 Gigabits per second (Gbps) of Internet traffic without any problems. We require peering connections that assure the best possible blend of performance and reliability, and so we are pleased that AMS-IX, thanks to Brocade, is yet again setting the benchmark for how peering models should be addressed."
AMS-IX previously deployed Brocade MLXe routers to deliver multi-terabit scalability and high port densities. By evolving this environment further and deploying the Brocade 100 GbE module, AMS-IX benefits from unmatched performance and scalability with 32 wire-speed 100 GbE ports in a single Brocade MLXe-32 router and 16 wire-speed 100 GbE ports in a single Brocade MLX-32 router.
Each two-port 100 GbE module delivers 400 Gbps of data throughput per module without compromising the performance of features, such as IPv4, IPv6, and MPLS. Ports can be licensed individually and enabled to closely match capital expenses with network capacity needs--and to ensure that service providers have the option to pay only for active ports in the network.
"Modern consumers want access to information anytime, anywhere and multimedia content is currently one of the biggest growth markets facing our industry," comments Job Witteman, CEO at AMS-IX. "We have a duty of care [to our members] to pre-empt market trends and ensure that our network is flexible enough to scale with demand. This is a major undertaking when you think that traffic volumes double every 12 to 18 months but, thanks to our engineering team and Brocade, we have always been at the leading edge of innovation."
"We have to provide our members with a platform that they can build a business proposition upon,” says Henk Steenman, CTO at AMS-IX. “When we migrated to the Brocade MLXe last year, we knew that we were laying the foundation for the future. That has been proven today as we have used that core infrastructure and evolved it even further with the addition of Brocade 100 GbE modules.
“We are now able to leverage higher throughput rates and wire-speed performance, which enables us to deliver advanced services to our members at an attractive price point,” Steenman adds. “In an age when consumers are demanding high-quality media content from wherever they may be, this infrastructure is pivotal to our success for the foreseeable future and Brocade is more than meeting our stringent demands."
Brocade MLX Series routers are designed to enable cloud-optimized networks by providing 100 GbE, 10 GbE, and 1 GbE wire-speed density; IPv4, IPv6, Multi-VRF, MPLS, and Carrier Ethernet capabilities; and advanced Layer 2 switching.
"As the amount of data consumed continues to soar, the pressure being placed on the Internet has never been so great," explains John McHugh, chief marketing officer at Brocade. "With the introduction of 100 GbE density, Brocade continues to provide optimal solutions for IXPs, along with value-added services, such as IPv6 and MPLS VPNs. This field test with AMS-IX and Limelight Networks demonstrates that our architecture delivers the performance and bandwidth required to satisfy the needs of modern consumers, and therefore ensure that their customers remain competitive."