Intel® Unveils New Network Adapter

Intel® Unveils New Network Adapter That Opens The Door For The First Time To 10gbe Server Deployments In The Data Center

Cisco and Intel Fostering 10GbE in the Data Center

Intel Corporation today introduced a 10-Gbps Ethernet (10GbE) adapter for servers that helps overcome for the first time the cost and technical barriers that have previously made 10GbE server connectivity impractical for the data centre.

"In the higher layers of the enterprise network, 10GbE has proven its value in the aggregation of traffic among switches and in high-performance computing applications," said Hans Geyer, Intel vice president and general manager, Intel Networking and Storage Group. "With a substantial reduction in cost and an adapter in a form factor that fits standard servers, it now promises to fill a similar rapidly growing need in the data centre because the proliferation of GbE to the desktop and evermore network intensive applications are demanding more bandwidth."

According to analysts, making 10GbE server connectivity viable in the data centre requires an adapter that is priced at less than US$5,000* and operates on standard multimode fibre, which represents 90 per cent of the optical cabling in data centre networks.**

The new Intel® PRO/10GbE SR Server Adapter is the first to meet both of these requirements. The server adapter utilises XPAK optical technology to reduce the price over previous adapters by 40 per cent, making it ideal for server bandwidth-intensive applications such as server clusters, network storage, medical imaging and graphic design.

The adapter is designed for server deployments, which, in data centres, involve distances of fewer than 300 metres. The XPAK optics enable 10GbE connectivity over multimode fibre and their small-form-factor makes the adapter compatible with standard server slots, enabling denser server environments.

Intel has been working with equipment makers to provide interoperability with leading switches. In particular, the company has collaborated with Cisco Systems to offer 10GbE interoperability with Cisco Catalyst*** 6500 Series Switches which offer industry leading 10GbE price/performance capabilities to facilitate broad deployment of secure and scaleable 10GbE solutions. Additionally, Cisco and Intel have joined efforts to foster 10GbE in the data centre. Together, Cisco and Intel are collaborating on educational seminars, and product sampling programs to assist IT managers in deploying 10GbE networks.

"As customers evolve to a networked data centre, where resources are aggregated, shared and accessed over a scalable intelligent network foundation, the need for cost-effective 10GbE server connectivity will rise" said Christine Falsetti, director, Enterprise Solutions Marketing, Cisco Systems. "The Cisco Business Ready Data Centre architecture further enhances IT's ability to lower costs and improve agility by supporting 10GbE over existing cabling."

The Intel® PRO/10GbE SR Server Adapter is available now and costs US$4,770. Later this summer, Intel will introduce a version for single-mode fibre, the Intel® PRO/10GbE LR Server Adapter, for applications involving distances up to 10 kilometres, such as communications among regional data centres.

Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

ENDS

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