3Com switches offer prioritization, high-density features

SANTA CLARA - 3Com this week will unveil several products designed to introduce small and midsize organizations to the benefits of Layer 4-based policy networking and high-density modular backbone switching.

New Layer 4 switches from 3Com could be used to implement traffic prioritization policies at the wiring closet of a network. This could help eliminate the need for a large and expensive Layer 4-capable routing switch in the network core, according to the company. 3Com is also breaking its pattern of "stackable" switch announcements by introducing a new 14-slot chassis-based switch for midsize enterprise backbones.

3Com's 24-port SuperStack 3 (SS3) Switch 4400 is intended to enforce network policies at the end-user connection level. Every 10/100M bit/sec port on the 4400 can inspect packets at Layer 4 - or the port level - to enforce business policies based on end-user traffic flows. By putting quality-of-service processing in the wiring closet, network polices can be enforced at each end-point, rather than having one or two backbone switches process every packet at Layer 4, according to 3Com.

A stack of Switch 4400s is being tested in the data center of the Ventura Unified School District in Ventura, Calif. Ted Malos, director of technology for the district, says he likes the fact that the 3Com switches come with integrated stacking module in the box, letting him stack four together to act as one switch.

Malos says that with older 3Com SuperStacks he's used, he had to purchase a separate stacking matrix module, which made setup more complex. A 3Com stacking matrix costs about $1,000.

"The integrated stacking matrix makes things easier to set up, and that's worth a lot," he says.

Malos is not using the Switch 4400's Layer 4 capabilities, but says he plans to soon.

Also unveiled were two products aimed at the wiring closets and backbone of a midsize network. 3Com's Switch 4005 is a 14-slot chassis-based switch aimed at the core of small and midsize organizations.

The switch has a backplane of 24G bit/sec and can support up to 96 10/100 ports, 24 Gigabit Ethernet ports or a mix of the two speeds. The switch can be populated with a mix of eight-, 16- and 40-port 10/100 blades, copper- or fiber-based Gigabit Ethernet modules as well as fiber-based Fast Ethernet modules. All ports on the switch can support Layer 2-4 switching, as well as IEEE standards such as 802.3ad link aggregation for trunking ports together. The product will likely compete with Cisco's Catalyst 4003 and Hewlett-Packard's ProCurve Switch 4108GL.

"3Com needs this product to go after its target market . . . small enterprises with about 1,000 users," says Lawrence Orans, a senior analyst at Gartner.

Orans says that unlike 3Com's Switch 4007, which was a rebranded CoreBuilder, the Switch 4005 is based on newer technology and is being positioned by 3Com as a more "strategic" product for companies than the 4007. While a new chassis-based switch might give 3Com users a bit of déjà vu, Orans says the Switch 4005 is not a signal that 3Com is inching back into the large-enterprise switch market.

3Com's SS3 Switch 4300 has 48 10/100 ports and up to four Gigabit Ethernet interface converter uplinks. At $51 per port, 3Com says it's the lowest-priced workgroup switch in its class. Per-port, the box is about $20 cheaper than comparable fix-configuration Layer 2 products from Cisco and Extreme Networks.

On the software front, 3Com released a new version of its free Network Supervisor tool, which includes an easy-to-use interface for configuration of Layer 4 network policies.

All the new 3Com hardware and software products are available now. The SS3 Switch 4400 costs $1,750, and the SS3 Switch 4300 costs $3,000. The Switch 4005 costs $10,000, with modules ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. The Network Supervisor software can be downloaded for free at 3Com's Web site: www.3com.com/tns.